The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-30

Rout-The Road Filled With Fleeing
Soldiers, Women and Children-women
and Children Killed In the Firing Of
Fear Maddened Men at Imaginary
Turks.
Copyrighted by the Associated Press)
Athens April 2s-The retreat OF the
Greeks. after the battle of Matt. developed
into rout before many miles had been
covered. The Larssa correspondent of
the Associated Press, who was with the
retreating troops. has arrived here and
his story of the fight is full of interest.
While soldiers villagers. woman and
children, were marching along. all hope
lessly mixed up and the soldiers
anthematizing their officers. a dozen
horsemen and many riderless horses
appeared.
The cry went up: The Turks are upon
us" and the stampede began. The fright
ened soldiers and villagers commenced to
fire in every direction and the terror
of the animals added to the confusion.
The correspondent, who narrowly esca ped
being shot by irregulars. says the mad
firing kept up for half hour The
scene was terrible. Men, women and chill
dren were killed. The way was strewn
with ammunition boxes, broken carts and
furniture. the bedding of soldiers, blank
cts and tin pannikins. The latter ratified
under the horses feet blankets became
entangled in them and the horses frantic
with alarm, galloped about among the
Hylng crowds, many OF them riderleSS and
deserted. Guns and ammunition wagons
and carts added to the distractions. Their
traces had been cut in order to enable
the drivers to mount the hourses attach
ed to them and seek safety in flight.
There were many struggles between the
fugitives for the possession Of the horses.
In this manner the affrighted crowds
struggled on for several miles, presenting
a most vivid picture of disaster and fear.
Some of the Greek officers, ii is true,
did their DUTY. They ordered the buglerS
and trunlpeterS to sound cease firing
and rode about calling upon the fleeing
soldiers to halt But others of the Greek
officers lost their heads and pushed on
ward as terror stricken as the soldiery
One brave officer tried to bring his men to
their senses by presenting a revolver al
them and shouting: Stop stop" but he
might as well have called upon a whir
wind to stay in its course.
General Mavromichaelis, who had evil
IDENTIFY reached Larissa some time before
rode back some distance in order to ar
rest the stampede. Two miles from the
Larissa road is situated an embankment
where the general succeeded in inducing
half a company of footSore men to fal
| in, but thousands continued the pell mel
rush for Larssa.
There was a block at the bridge across
Salambra river a: he entrance Of
Larissa. Another terrible scene wa:
| there presented, guns, men and horse:
| struggling in a fearful mass.
In the streets of Larissa, there was in
| describable confusion. Troops of all arm,
were mixed together and threw them
selves down in utter exhaustion. needless
| of the calls of the trumpets and bugie'
! summoning them to fall in. The inhabi
tantS rushing about the streets, intens
| fled the confusion. The mere mention o.
| the Tur IS was sufficient to create fren
! When the moon rose and the neighbor
hood of the town could be made out will
( some distinctness, matters became calme
! and at dawn the excitement had beer
| reduced to a restless movement from
/ street to street, and an anxious discussion
/ Of the future.
Some estimates of the number of deaths
! which occurred during the stampede an'
| indiscriminate firing, say that from 30
| to COO persons were killed. But the CORE
| spondent thinks these figures are ex
| aggerated, though people declare the!
| to LariSSa.
| The five newspaper correspondents wh'
! were in the stampede all had miraculous
| escapes from death
The first hours of daylight were spen
| by the Greek officers in assembling thei
scattered troops and sending them t
march without any refreshment and ]
is alleged that many of them had no
tasted food since Friday morning.
When it became known that LarisS:
| was to be abandoned there was anothe
| panic. The women and even the childrel
| went about drawing their hands acras
| their throats, showing what they ex
! pected Of the Turks. and in an incredibly
, short time the roads leading to Pharsalo
and Volo were crowded with people
| vehicles and animals, the latter bearini
! all kinds of household effects.
| A special train Of trucks took to Vol
| about 5000 people of every degree, tn
! passengers hanging on to the roofs an
platforms like a swarm of bees; but tn
| majority trudged along on foot and man
| of the refugees threw anxious looks bac
! at Larssa and the vale of Tempe. fearin
every moment a rush from the Circassia
BY 1:3o o'clock p. m, Larissa wa
emptied. Instead Of following the troop
! to Pharsalos the correspondent in orde
to get Off his dispatches. pushed on t
| Volo, where there was panic almos
| equaling the one witnessed at Larissa
Fugitives We're arriving at Volo every fey
| minutes, and they spread rumors that tn
Turks would enter the place in fe,
hours. In the absence Of steamers ther
was a general rush for the gaiques. o
went to Euboea, or other islands. You
correspondent hired a gaique and wen
On board of ii with a newspaper conpar
ion, Mr.. Holdall. In a minute there wa
a great commotion, crowds of peopl
shouting to us to come out of the boa
Then a number of men made "A rush o
board Of her, threw Mr.. Holdall out an
pushed the correspondent ashore.
seems that the lower classes. panic
stricken, determined that If they could nc
escape from Volo no one else should q
so, and they cried, We all must die tC
| gether."
To such an extent did this feeling c
| panic spread that a government steame
| which was embarking wounded soldier
! for the Piraeus, was Obliged to leave Vol
! harbor owing to the fact that the franti
| population threatened to make a rush o
| board the steamship, which would proba
bly, have resulted in great loss Of If.
| AS IL was, the wounded soldiers wer
| taken on board the steamer in small boat
and the vessel sailed for the Piraeus in
| hurry, leaving two English nurses an
| six wounded Greek soldiers on the qua.
| The nurses and the wounded men wer
| taken to the English consulate
| The excitement continued all day Sur
day. The correspondent secured a caiQu
! on the following day and proceeded
the island Of Euboea, whence. by caquin
| and driving. he reached Athens todaI
having been FIVE days without taking h
shoes or clothing eff.
Acetyiene Gas People to buy Rfchmon