Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1903-08-19
MACEDONIA N SERIOUS Way
TURKISH GOVERNMENT TRYING
TO MAKE REFORMS.
They Are Charged With Most Horrible
Crimes by Bulgarian Government
Destroyed-People Driven Away
Turkish Authorities Take no Action.

Sofia, Aug. 1S.-The Bulgarian gov.
ernment has presented a memorandum
to the powers setting out at great
length the condition Of affairs during
the past three months in Macedonia
since the Turkish government under
took to inaugurate the promised re.
forms. The most precise details,
dates, places and names of persons
are given in the memorandum, the
whole constituting a terrible cate
CORY of murder, torture, incendiarism,
pillage and general oppression COM
mitted by the Ottoman soldiers and
officials.
These particulars were obtained en-
tirely from official sources, such as the
reports of the Bulgarian consuls and
agents Of the Bulgarian government,
and in many instances the reports
made by Turkish authorities. The
Bulgarian government guarantees the
absolute truth Of every statement, and
challenges the porte to disprove a
single charge made in the memoran-
dunn.
The memorandum begins by stating
that during the past three months the
Ottoman government has taken a
series Of measures with the alleged
intention of inaugurating the era Of
promised reform and of assuring peace
and tranquility to the Bulgarian .popu-
lation Of European Turkey, but which
have had the contrary effect Of furth-
er exasperating this population and re-
viving the revolutionary movement.
Instead of proceeding solely against
persons guilty of breaches Of the pub
lie order the military and civil au-
thorities have sought every possible
pretext to persecute, terrorize and
ruin the Bulgarian inhabitants alike
in the large cities and in the small
villages. Wholesale massacres, indi-
vidual murders, the destruction Of
villages, the pillaging and setting fire
to houses, the arrest, Ill treatment, tor
ture. arbitrary imprisonment and BAN
ishment, the closing and disorganizing
Of churches and schools, the running
Of merchants, the collection Of taxes
for many years in advance-such pro-
ceedings, the memorandum says, are
the acts of the Ottoman administra-
ton Of Monastir, Uskub and Odrian-
ople.
The memorandum next relates in de-
tail a number of such cases in each vii
layet. Beginning with the villayet Of
Salonica 1t states that the town Of
Salonica itself the Bulgarian profes-
sors Of the university, the students
and shopkeepers, in fact all the intel.
ligent Bulgarians in the city, have
been cast into prison. One hundred
and twenty soldiers entered the vii
lage of Gorna-Ribnitea, May 10, and
tortured to death five men and two
young women. During the first three
weeks Of July, rs villages in the dis.
trict of Tikvesch were subjected to
the depredations Of the Turkish sol.
diers and Bashi Bazouks. The vii.
layers were beaten and tortured, the
women violated and the houses plund.
cred, while the administration authori.
ties took no action.
Turkey Buying Guns.
Constantinople, Aug. 1.-THE Ot-
toman government has concluded ne.
gotiations with the Krupp works for
the supply Of 80 batteries of quick
fire artillery guns, each constituting
six guns.