The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-03
MAY DECIDE THE WAR
GREEKS AND TURKS PREPARED FOR
WHAT MAY BE FINAL CONTEST.
Both HeIIenes and Moslems in Battle
Array Near PhersaIa, the For
mer Sixty Thousand Strong.
FIGHTING MAY BEGIN TODAY
LARGE BAND OF IRREGULARS LED
BY A GREEK JOAN OF ARC.
Helen COnstantinides, Nineteen
Year-OId Athenian, Dons a Uniform
and Starts for the Front.
-A
GREAT ACTIVITY OF TURKS
DETAILS OF THE ROUT OF THE
GREEK ARMY IN EPIRUs.
Scenes Much Resembling Those at
Larissa After the Fall of TyrnavO
Powers Not in Accord.

LONDON, May 3.-Unless the powers
show more haste and concert than they
have in the past week there may be moth
ing left of the Graceo-Turkish trouble to
mediate. Advices from the seat of war say
the Turks and Greeks are in battle array
near Phersala, and it is believed that in
a pitched battle the Hellenic army will
stand little show against the superior force
of the Moslems. Whether the Turks, if
successful at Phersala, will push on to
Athens is doubtful. The distance is long
and the invading army would be harassed
at every stop. Besides, it is thought if the
Greeks are defeated at Phersala they will
be led to realize how futile is their strug-
gle and will sue for peace. A dispatch to
troops and sixty guns are concentrated
there but the Greeks are inactive and their
position is weak.
A dispatch from Lamia, dated Saturday.
says: "Snce yesterday the whole body of
Greek troops near Phersala and Domokos
has been drawn up in order of battle, bat
at this hour (noon) there has been no fight
ing The inhabitants of Phersala have
abandoned the town in fear of a Turkish
attack, and an exodus has begun from Do
mokos in the direction of Lamia, the refu-
gees pitching their tents in the open coun-
-try.,.,-a,4-..
TiY71es iTo q
patch from Larissa, dated last Wednesday,
which says: THE Christians, who are re-
turning here, say that during the battle at
Milouna, Crown Prince Constantine was at
Karadoc, at the foot of the pass. The
Greek army is described as behaving on
that occasion like a disorderly mob. All
discipline was flung to the winds and 'the
soldiers fired even on their own officers,
so terrible was the panic. 1t is impossible
to believe the army at Phersala can with
stand the Turks in a pitched battle. That
the is practically over is plainly
apparent"
The correspondent of the Times at Volo
says Communication with Volo still
mains uncut. Locomotives have pushed out
a short distance toward Larissa, and they
damaged. The authorities are distributing
rifles and bayonets to civilians indiscrim-
inately, thus increasing the panic. The
British war ship Dryad has arrived here
and reports that she sighted the main body
of the Greek fleet off the Island of
Skiatho."
The difficulty in reconciling the utterly
conflicting accounts of the fighting in
Thessaly and Eprus is in no wise dimin-
ished 1t is almost safe to say that Gen.
SmolenskFs victory at Velestino was much
less important than it has been represented
to be and unless the Greeks are able to
made stand at Phersala another disgrace
full retreat is inevitable. Despite previous
kilograms it appears extremely doubtful
that the Turks have occupied Volo.
Captain Rabbek, of King Georges per-
sonal staff, wired here from Athens Satur-
day that the right wing of the Greek army
had repulsed the Turks, but that the left
wing had retreated behind the old frontier
line to avoid being circumvented. Captain
Rabbek adds THE Greek army in Epirus
after defeat at Pentepigadia, has retired TO
Arta. All hope of continuing the war is
now virtually abandoned. The fleet has re-
turned to Volo for the protection of the
inhabitants"
Inc AlNenS correspondent OF the DAILY
Mail says: Both the fleets remain idle
The populace continues indignant at the
filling of the railway carriages with Crown
Prince Constantines baggage in the flight
from I.arissa despite the protest of the
railway officials. The people say that they
have been cheated and betrayed. They are
also angry at the neglect of the govern
ment to call out the exempted reserves,
w ara for the most rla rala tiyaG Of min
listers, deputies and aristocrats A band of
two thousand irregulars is about to start
for the front Their standard bearer is a
nineteen-year-ol girl named Helen Con-
stantindes, who is dressed in the same
uniform as the men,
Advices from Athens dated Sunday say:
There are numerous indications that the
Ralli Ministry intends to assume greater
direct military and naval control and no
longer to divide the responsibility between
the Ministry and the court. The news of the
victory at Velestino has increased General.
Smolenski's popularity, and he is now re-
garded as the real hero of the campaign A
foreign officer who saw the fight says that
the Turks numbered two thousand and The
Greeks eight thousand. 1t is believed that
the decisive conflict will be fought at
Phersala, and pgobably tomorrow Mon
day) A dispatch from Colonel Manos ex-
planning the retreat of the Greek forces in
Epirus, says that the army was somewhat
adversely affected by the news of the re-
treat from Larssa. The entire loss of the
Greeks in Epirus is estimated at two hun
dred.''
The Morning Posts correspondent at Con-
stantinople says: An imperial trade has
been issued. approving the telegram sent
by the Military Council to Edhem Pasha,
ordering him to advance with the utmost
caution. This curious step is quite in ac-
cordance with Turkish methods. Such or