San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-05-11
THEY. WENT AT IT IN A CARE
Full AND VERY BUSINESS
LIKE MANNER.
Took Aim With Precision And Then
Sent A Shot That Told
. Turks We're DiSOrierly
And We're Always
RepulSei.

New L Oh hdy LC OSNA AAehA
publishes a cable dispatch from Ste
phen Crane, who saw the battle of Vel
estina, where Gen. SmolensH hurled
back Edhem Pasha, Mr.. Crane says:
Velestina has proved that the Greek
soldiers, when we'll led, can cope sue
cessfully with the Turks, even though
outnumbered.
The battle has proved them good
fighters, long fighters and stayers, To
be sure the army retreated from Vel
estina but it was no fault of the army.
The commander bit his fingers and
cursed when the order came to retreat.
He knew that his army had victory
within its grasp. For three days he
had been holding the Turks beautiful
ly in check, killing them as fast as
they fell upon him. In the middle OF
his victory came the orders to fall
back. Why?
/ only arrived at noon of the second
day. The roll of musketry was ire
mendous. From distance it was like
tearing a cloth. Nearer it sounded
like rain on a tin roof and close up it
was just a long clash after clash. 1t
was a beautiful sound-beautiful as
had never dreamed of. 1t was more
impressive than the roar of Niagara
and finer than thunder-because 1T had
the wonder of human tragedy in it.
1t was the most beautiful sound of my
experience. The crash of it was ideal.
The slaughter of the Turks was enor-
nous. The fire of the Greeks was so
fierce to the Turks, that while charg-
ing they shielded their eyes with their
hands. Eight charges the Turks made
on this day and they were repulsed
each time The desperate Turkish
cavalry even attacked the enemy on
steep rocky hill. The insane, wicked
suuadrons We're practically annihilat-
ed. Scattered, the Turks ran back,
leaving the plain black with their
wounded as we'll as their dead men and
horses. From a distance it was like
a game. There was no blood. no ex-
preston, no horror to be seen.
All the assaults of the Turks this
day resulted disastrously to them.
The Greeks troops fought with the
steadiness of salaried book-keepers,
lever tired; never complaining. 1t
was a magnificent exhibition. The
Greeks fought all the time with the ar
~ lull, but nobody minded anything.
The Turks were in great numbers and
fought according to the precepts OF
their religion. But the Greeks were
never daunted and whipped them well.
Sometimes it was fighting among gaunt
hills, sometimes fighting on green
plains, but always the Greeks held their
position.
When night time came shells infre-
quently burst, lighting the darkness.
BY the red flash l saw the wounded
taken to Volo. There was very little
cutlery among them. They were most
" silent. In the gray early morning
the musketry fire began again. 1t rat
tied from hill to hill, batteries awoke
and soon the whole play was resumed.
The Turkish guns were superior to
those of the Greeks who had mostly
mountain howitzers.
1 watched for long time the blue
clad Greek infantry march into posi-
ton across a small pain
While l watched, the Turks changed
their attack from the Greek right on |
the plain to the Greek left on the rocky |
hill The fighting became obscure |
from view. The Greeks lay in trench |
es, snugly flattened against the dirt, |
firing carefully, while the Turks loom
ed close before them. Every ridge was |
fringed with smoke.
I saw the soldiers in the trenches
take drink from their canteens, twist
their cartridge belts to put the empty
links behind them or turn around to
say something to a comrade. Then
thew went at IL again, i noticed one
lieutenant standing up in the rear of
a trench rolling a cigarette with his
lips wide apart. In this careless at
titude a shot went through his neck.
His servant came from the trench and
knelt weeping over the body regardless
Of the battle, and the men had to drag
him away by the legs.
The reserves coming up passed a
wayside shrine. The men paused to
cross themselves and pray. A shell