The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-13
MAsSACRING CHRISTIANS
Fierce Fighting I'm crete Turkish
Troops Join the Mussuin1ans in n
Butchery-EngiIsh Soldiers Killed.

Athens. September S.-The following
dispatch, dated at s o'clock this even
ing. has been received from Gambia:
The Bashi Bazouks are committing
excuses and the Christians in the sur
rounding districts are arming TO march
to the assistance of the Canadians.
There are eight warships in the harbor
and a fresh bombardment is expected.
The British, German and Spanish con-
sulates have been looted, and thus far
300 native Christians and sixty-seven
British subjects ave been killed"
Gambia, September 8.-A detachment
Of international troops, which has just
arrived here, has occupied the forth
ficatiOns and restored order.
1t is now estimated thai 200 persons
were killed during the rioting. The
Mussulman troops protected the Chris
tians placed under their care, but they
did not attempt to prevent the pillage
Of Christian houses, which continued
until the international roOps arrived.
The Asty says il learns from an au-
thentic source hat as SOC as the Brit
ish troops arrive at Gambia from Malta
the Turkish garrison in Gambia will be
expelled, martial law proclaimed and
the ring leaders of the riots put on
trial and publicly hanged if found
guilty.
According to a dispatch from Gambia.
sent late this evening, the admirals
of the international fleet have decid-
ed to compel the disarming of the
Bashi Bazouks and the surrender of
the instigators of the disorder.
London, September 9.-The CORE
spondent of The Standard t~elegraphing
Thursday from the British battleship
CamperdOWn, off Gambia, says:
The refugees tell CHASTITY stories Of
massacre. They report that no fewer
than 700 Christians are missing. Sew
eral attempts were made last night to
set on fire the office of the Eastern
Telegraph Company.
1t has been ascertained hat all the
houses overlooking the British camp
were loop-holed for rifle fire and barri-
caded. This shows clearly that the
outbreak vas precOncerted.
The behavior and attitude Of the
Turkish troops nave been and still are
inexplicable. Without going so far as
to assert that they took part in the
attack on our trOOps-thOugh many
people are ready to affirm on oath that
they actually saw the sultan'S soldiers
firing On our men-it is impossible to
cOntrOvert the positive fact that they
made no attempt to rende assistance.
Every Christian survivor of the
massacre sWears that the butchery
was mostly the work of Turkish sol
diers, who first robbed and then slew
their victims.
Edhem Pasha is the man who ought
to be held primarily responsible. Had
he wished TO prevent blOOdshed he
would most certainly have done so.
Not till the British troops under Col
onel Reid had been fighting hard for
four hours did Edhem, with Turkish
soldiers, arrive upon the scene. He had
then the e~ffrOntery to say that he had
only just heard the British troops were
being attacked by thousands of Bashi
BaZouks. 1t is needless to comment on
this brazen faced lie. 1t is enough to
say that Edhem Pasha must have
known what was happening from the
mOmen the first shot was fired, if, in
deed, he did not arrange the plot him.
self,