The San Francisco call., 1897-03-06
BRAVE LITTLE
GREECE DEFIANT
Will Battle With the Turks
if They Cross the
Frontier.
Warlike Activity at Athens
Shows Ultimatum of the
Powers Is Ignored
All the Army Reserves Are Called
Out and the Grecians Are
Ready fot, he Fray.

ATHENS, GREECE, March 5.-Advices
received here this afternoon show that
the force of Christians who are investing
Heraklion number 5000 men. The in
surgents have stopped all communication
with the town by land, and il is certain
that unless the foreign warships actively
intervene in behalf of the Moslems the
town will shortly be compelled to sur
render.
The small detachment of sailors and
marines landed from the various war
ships still occupy the town, but without
the aid of the fleets they could make bEt
feeble defense against the overwhelming
mum bers of insurgents.
The greatest activity is being displayed
in Athens in making pre- reparations to give
battle to the Turks should they cross
the Greek frontier. The Ministry of War
pres a most animated scene. Officers
in uniform throng the corridors and
orderlies are constantly being dispatch ed
in every direction with orders to different
commanders. The telegraph wires are
constantly busy with dispatches to officers
in distant places. The most energetic
measures are being taken for the mobiliza-
tion of the forces.
There is a similar scene OF activity in the
Ministry of Marine, where everything pos
sibe is being done to place the feet in
readiness for any contingency.
THERE'S no sign anywhere of the King
or Government receding from the position
they have taken, and il is ominous that in
the face OF the threat OF the com bined
Europe, the warlike preparations are being
carried on with feverish activity. The
most intense enthusiasm is everywhere
displayed and the people evince no fear of
the result OF an appeal to arms. They know
full well that tho Greek army by itself is
no match for the numerically superior
| Turkish forces, but they also know that in
the event of war the whole of Southern Eu-
rope would be set on fire. 1t is this that
the powers wish to prevent. Ii they at
tempt to use force to compel Greece to ac-
cede to their demands, there is a very
strong probability that Greece will apply
the torch that will start a conflagration,
the result of which no one can foretell.
1t is believed here that the powers, see
ing the chance of their becoming involved
ina great war, will, owing to their con-
| ficting in terests, make haste slowly in at
| temp pting to force the Greeks to withdraw
their support from the Cretan Christians.
| 1t has been decided that there shall be a
general mobilization of the Greek forcey,
and to this end the two classes of reserves
| that had not been sum moned previously
have now been called out. The reserve
forces alone give a totai OF 104, 500 men.
and behind this Is what is called the terri
torial arm, which numbers upward OF
lac, 600 men, not by any means an insig-
nificant force. The standing army nun
! bers a bout %. 900 men.
Ammunition and supplies for the troops
are being supplied as rapidly as possible,
and in few days the whole available war
strength O fthe nation will have been pre-
pared for any eventuality that may occur.
People who have arrived here from the
| provinces have expressed no surprise at
the enthusiastic support that is being
given by the Athenians to the Govern
ment. They say that there is more en-
| thusiasm in the places they come from
| than is displayed in the capital, and there
| is grim determination to uphold the
| King ami Government: in any steps they
| may take to maintain their present posi-
| ton. Dispatches from different points in
| Thessaly and Epirus report the move
ment of large quantities of munitions of
war to the frontier, where troops are being
| amassed as speedily as the resources at