The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-05-01
GREEK AND TURK. \.
WHY THE FORMER BITTERLY
HATES the LATTER.
Awful Devastation of the Grcctan
Island of Scio by the TURKS
How the Greeks Avenged
Their Comrades.
[TYHERE are passages in modern
j, Greek history which explain
tha unnunnchahla hatred of

|THERE ore passages in modern
!, Greek history which explain
/ tho unquenchable hatred Of
the Greek for the Moslem.
Some injuries may be forgiven, others
leave behind them running sore
which never heals. Such,a wrong is
the massacre Of Scio.
Over against the eeaboard of Asia
Minor, within seven miles of tho beach
on which the surf breaks and in full
sight of the old Pagus range, with the
town of Smyrna nesting at its base,
the Island Of Scio or Chios wooes the
Western breeze with her oils and
wines. Like most OF the Aegean is.
lands it was born OF fire and sulphur
and lava, but after time generous
nature swathed the rugged rocks of
the southern extremity with cover.
ing OF alluvium. on which the citron
blooms and the lentisk lends its 1rag-
rant bark to the knife, SO that the
gum mastio which the girls OF the
OrlenC love snlll low.
From the remotest antiquity q race
OF islanders were grown to fit so sweet
u landscape. The men were tall, SIM
envy, brave, trained to handle their
small craft in the stormy seas when
the hurricane blows; they led quiet
lives, at pence with all the world, and
kept out of wars when war was every.
where else. Nowhere, even in Lesbos,
were such beautiful girls raised. They
were taller than the Greeks generally,
with exquisitely rounded forms, flash.
ing black eyes and ripping hair, which
hung loose over their shoulders.
For a thousand years Scio was the
happiest of the gems of the Eastern
sea. Its chief city, basking on the
eastern beach, with it's face to the ris-
ing sun, was rich and quiet when the
cutters of the other cities Of that re-.
gion flowed periodically with blood.
When the time came that the Turk
swooped down upon it, the people &C.
quiesced, let the Moslem set up his
mosques and went on chanting save
Marie" as devoutly as ever. Chance
favored it. It was made the domesne
OF the Sultana dowager, and wild
rage for chewing gum having broken
out in the seraglio at Constantinople
it was discovered that the precious ar
ticle could be best manufactured, from
the gum mastic OF Chios. Thus the
owners OF lentisk groves grew rich.
In the times Of the later crusades
the Genoese wrested Chios out OF the
hands Of the Turks, held il for couple
Of centuries. and left their marks all
over the island in the shape of con.
vents, churches, colleges, hospitals,
libraries and palaces. Then the Turks
reconquered it. But the softness of
the air mitigated the ferocity OF the
temper Of the Moslem; the cres.
cent foated over the castle Of Scio;
but the Christians cultivated their
fields without molestation, and at the
beginning of this century they num-
bered 10000 Of the hundred and odd
thousand OF inhabitants. When the
Greek war Of independence brohe ont,
the Chians did not at first sec that
they were called upon to take part.
They read the papers in their quiet,
easy-going way and kept their passions
we'll under control. But when news
came that Greek blood was flowing on
the mainland they rose IN arms and
locked up the Governor in the castle
without doing him any harm. He
dispatched swift messenger to Con-
stantinople to say that he had fallen
into the hands of the Phl!istines and
that he was prepared to endure what.
ever Allah might send.
The missive reached the hand of
Kara Ali. tho capon1an pasta, or lord
high admiral, who YVES just then start
ing from the Golden Horn with his
feet to chastise the Greek rebels. It
occurred to the capondan pasha that
it might be good idea to drop in ut
Scio on the way. He brought his
feet to an anchor in the roads and
landed $4,000 troops, chiefly janissar-
les. These were joined by robbers
and adventurers from Smyrna, who
were ferried across the narrow stro;t