The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-07
ODD FEATURES OF THE WAR
COMEDY AFTER THE PLIGHT OF
THE CREEKS FROM VoLo.

s~cription or the Burial or tho Greek Dead.
LONDON, May 2s.-Tho Thirty Days War In
tho East had certain curious features which
have scarcely been touched upon. The Greek
abandonment Of Volo and its Inhabitants TO tho
mercy of the Turks, and tho subsequent inter.
~yention Of English and American war corre-
spondents on behalf OF the terror.stricken W
constituted one of tho oddost bits OF comedy
which the war supplied. The people were
simply helpless In their fright after the Greek
army had fed and before the Turks had
marched In. They would have Joined In the
retreat, abandoning homes and all they pos
sessed, but there was no means OF getting away.
Every ship In the harbor had sailed of loaded
down with refugees, and escape by land had by
that time been cut Of. They were caught like
rats In q trap, and for a few hours every
mothers son and daughter of them expected to
DO slaughtered by tho terrible Turks before an
other sun rose.
It was In this situation that a delegation of
correspondents. including one or two consular
officers, v~cntured out on a mission Of intercession
to the Turkish commander on behalf Of the
trembling inhabitants. or course, Edhem Pasha
promised good treatment to all who behaved
themselves, and tho little band of emissaries re-
turned with the glad news to the town. G. w.
Stevens went with them, and this Is his de-
s%cription of what happened:
1--WE wont In steadily, the flags of the great
powers in an aureole round the flag Of the Sui
tan's aide-de-camp. and three correspondents.
two Albanian cavasses, and a stray cavalry troop
or, who had come to see tho fun, riding behind
like tho General and staff and army. 1t was tho
most ridiculous and yet tho most sublime thing
in the world; for absurd as we were, we carried
with us the life or death of a town. And us we
drew near to 1t this became very clear. The out
skirts of Volo are obscure, and as you ride
in there are gas works on the right.hand
side; but beyond this / AN bound to own
/ noticed Volo very little. l was looking
at the people. For as we got into the town we
passed through lanes Of them-shaggy, dirty,
dumpy people, banked up on the roadsides with
obsequiousncss in their mien and terror In their
faces. There was no doubt about it.; the people
OF Volo were most horribly afraid. / don't know
what tales they had been told, but l am pretty
sure they would have left IL they could; only
they were at the end of their tether in a corner
OF their country, and they had to wait there for
their fate.
80 we went on toward the centre of the town
always the same grotesque mixture. with five
seventies of the invading army made up of cor
respondents and their servants. AS we got
toward tho central streets the populace seemed
reassured; we had not massacred anybody SO
far. and they began to think they had a chance.
They still took off their hats most obediently.
Many had bought fezzes for the occasion. and /
saw one unfortunate so uninstructed in the use
Of that symbol OF victory as to take it Off. which
the Turk never does, indoors or out. Women
appeared presently on the balcony with smirks
OF welcome. The substantial inhabitants began
to meet us-that is TO say. the inhabitants not
quite substantial enough to command a passage
to Athens. They also smirked uneasily.
"As we passed each group of kow-tow 1t fell
in behind us till we were the head Of n procession
half a mile long. 1t looked like a great festival.
But. except the invading seven. l don't think
anybody quite enjoyed 1t except the boys. They
trooped in and scuttled on with a ~will-brush-
haired, smug.faced little raganufins with no
school open to-day. Through war and panic.
bloodshed and ruin, the boy, thank God, still re-
mains the boy. The pity was that they could
only grow up into Greeks after all.
"And SO, the centre Of a scraping, quaking city,
we arrived at the Town Hall. We Jumped down
carelcssly of our horses. and flung the rcins into
crowds that competed for the honor of holding
them. Then up into the council chamber, or
whatever they call it. Who cared what con-
quered Greeks call It'll There was "a crowd OF
jabbering Greeks inside; we pushed them out OF
the way. Who cared what conquered Greeks
had TO sayi
lis the Mayor hereF Not he. Where is
the representative of the Mayorf Now they
comprehendcd that there had TO be q representa-
tive Of the Mayor. You No, you At last
they produced a bald.headed. gray-bearded,
quaking little man. and he tremblcd up to the
table. Listen to this: The town of Volo is now
under the humane and powerful protection Of
hiS in Hn g "a o Ma'esfy od Inc tbs SULTAN loMn A abdul Ha MD
town submits; Then sign your name there
Then the bald heads, began to wag again, You
siRn.' No, you. At last they produced a man
to sign. don't know who he was, and I'm sure
Now on to the balcony. Here is a Eray-bearded
elder; no doubt he is a leading citizen. DO you
understand French Very we'll; then translate
Is inl no SI0uo 20 and md So ee9 on. I looked ooS i0G Down 9l a NG5S
gantly at the people as he translated. Louder
said said I lsa az IL l. were rsi the G Si. HoIc Of the Tt town n:o and
looked up timoroIsiy; there We're only a thou:
sand of them, and there were four fezzes on the
faces frightened. They were spared; they lived
again. And then a Greek on the balcony called
All the Greeks who called him a monster at
dawn ,Ssp this morning emPtied their lungs with a
quered townsmen have their feelings, and it is
a relief to hear that you are to be neither robbed
nor killed. But you can't expect the conquerors
And then e shgfhlng rattle down the street,
theyl The Greek Admiral had tried to bluff 4
out. but already his smoke was trailing behind
him. And in came the Turks. One battalion
only-but what u battalionl Dusty, ragged,
P RiriSeSl ba hungry Hsry they 6Sy s oaSsl Id in NTH n% shfqbttiip g
left nor to right, desiring no pillagc nor rayish-
ment, doing what their officers told them. They
had marched through Thessaly at the word of
command; at the word of command they would
march through the fires of hell as long as there
triumphant, arrogant, Intoxicated, like us
PSeT' R R9i q Thsy 5"sI S Sn1 abai d y that Ss G;lTTf How
should they do else than conquer r.