The record-union., 1897-04-29

Suddenly above the din of the con-
fused masses on the road and in the adj
joining fields came roar developing
into fierce, sustained yell, rolling from
the distant rear with lightning speed.
Soon in the midst OF this yell could be
distinguished cries of The Turks are
upon us" In a few minutes a dozen
horsemen and as many riderless steeds
appeared on the left at a full gallop. the
men shouting with frenzy Run run.
the Turks are herei Into the night air
rose this agonized roar, fairly paralyz-
ing imagination. 1t will remain in my
memory forever.
THE stampede was immediate. The
animals We're dashed into a gallop, and
men, women and children and soldiers
Joined pell-mell in a mad rush. many
who fell to the ground being tramped
to death. Vehicles were overturned,
mixing up bedding, furniture, ammuni-
ton, horses, donkeyS, oxen and buffa-
loes. According to one story. the horse
men who suddenly appeared and caused
this frightful stampede were really Cir
cassian cavalry. but this report is not
generally believed.
Beside our carriage the infantry
men appeared with faces blanched from
terror. They jumped upon the steps,
and we tried to keep them out One of
them thereupon leveled his rifle in our
direction, But their combined weight
on the steps of one side of the carriage
overturned it, smashing it to pieces, and
the London Times correspondent and
myself were thrown out | was pinned
l~,-+ IL - i
pandemonium around increased.
I'm a perfect insanity of terror. SOL
diers and irregulars began firing their
rifles in evry direction. From the front
and rear, from right and left, the bull
lets whiZZed, but the reports of the fire
arms was not easily heard above the
roar of human beings and the terror of
the maddened animals Even in the
Shifka Pass, or the hottest part of the
fearful fighting at Plevna, | never wit
messed such wild firing. The whole
plain was lighted by flashes of rifles in
the hands of the terror-stricken SOL
diers and peasants.
Eventually the Times correspond
ent and myself succeeded in getting in
side ditch by the roadside, and thus
proceeded slowly. In this manner we
succeeded in pushing forward for a
time, until we were thrown down by a
rush from behind and trampled upon by
scores of people. AS succeeded in
rising to my feet an irregular, who was
dashing past, deliberately raised his
rifle to within three inches of my
head and fired. I ducked just in time
and fell to the ground thus saving my
life.
Il had lost my companion in the
meanwhile. and walked on in the ditch
already mentioned, or else plowed my
way through the thick of the stampede
THE mad firing continued for fully
half an hour, at the expira ton of which
time buglers were heard sounding
Cease firing but it was a long time be-
fore the firing slackened. The pande-
monium had spread several miles.
when I returned to the road, STUN
bling over dead and dying animals,
men and women, the scene was terri
BILE. The way was strewn with ammu-
milton, boxes broken furniture. the
bedding of soldiers, blankets 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 flying
crowds, many of them riderless and de-
serted.
Guns and ammunition, wagons and
carts added to the obstruction. Their
traces had been cut in order to enable
the drivers to mount the horses at
tached to them and seek safety in fight.
There were many struggles for the pos
session of horses. In this manner the
affrighted crowds struggled on for sew
eral miles, presenting a most vivid pic
ture of disaster and fear. Some of the
Greek officers, it is true. did their duty.
They ordered the buglers and the
trumpeters to sound Cease firing and
rode about calling upon the fleeing SOL
diers to halt. But others of the Greek
officers lost their heads and rushed on
ward as terror stricken as the soldiery.
One brave officer tried to bring his men
to their senses by presenting a re-
volver at them and shouting Stop,
Stop! but he might as well have called
upon a whirlwind to stay it's course.
General Mauromichalis, who had evil
IDENTIFY reached Larissa some time be-
FORE rode back some distance in order
to arrest the stampede. Two miles from
the Larissa road is situated an embank-
ment where the General succeeded in
inducing half company of foot soldiers
to fall in, but hundreds continued the
pell-mell rush for Larissa.
There was a block at the bridge
across Salambra River at the entrance
of Larissa. Another terrible scene was
there presented, guns, men and horses
struggling in a fearful mass.
I'm the streets of Larissa there was
indescribable confusion. When the
neighborhood of the town could be made
out with some distinctness matters be-
came calmer, and at dawn the excite
ment had been 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 STAN
pede and indiscriminate fire say that
from 500 to 600 persons were killed, but
your correspondent thinks these figures
are exaggerated.
THE first hours of daylight were
spent by the Greek officers in assem-
bling their scattered troops, and send
ing them to Pharsalos. The troops con-
tiued the march without any refresh
mentS.
when it became known that Larissa
was to be abandoned there was another
panic. The women and even the chill
oh RI l,1;,.