The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-17
Where BulEarians are Not Massncred
They Are Thrown Into Prison or
Taxed TIL Impoverished.
SOLDIERS AND BAsHI.BAzoUKs
ARE GUILTY OF ALL KINDS OF HOR-
RIBLE ATROCITIES.
Administrative Authorities Watch the
Outrages, but Do Not Interfere
Appeal to the Powers.

SOFIA, Bulgaria. Aug. l6.-Tne BuIgar-
fan government has presented a memor-
sndum TO the powers setting out at great
length the condition Of affairs during the
past three months I'm Macedonia. since the
Turkish government undertook to inaug-
urate the promised reforms. The most pre-
else details. dates, places and names OF
persons are given in the memorandum, the
whole constituting a terrible category OF
murder. torture. incendiarism. pillage and
general oppression committed by the Otto
man soldiers and officials. These particu-
lars were obtained entirely from official
sources. such as the reports OF the Bulgar-
ian consuls and agents of the Bulgarian
government. and In many instances. the
reports made by Turkish authorities. The
Bulgar'sn government guarantees the abso-
lutte truth OF every statement and chal-
lenges the Porte to disprove' single charge
made in the memorandum.
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 pop
ulation of European Turkey, but which
nave ffdu tiit COulTdtJ erect OF 1uyIncr
asperating this population ard reviving
the revolutionary movement. Instead of
proceeding solely against persons guilty
OF breaches of the public order the military
and civil authorities have sought every
possible pretext tc persecute terrorize and
ruin the Bulgarian inhabitantA, alike in the
large cities and i'm the small villages
Wholesale nassacres, individual murders
and setting fire to houses. the arrests. i'll
treatment arbitrary Imprisonment and
banishment. the closing and disorganizing
OF churches and schools, the running of
merchants. the collection of taxes for many
years in advance-'such.' proceeds the
memorandum. ARE among the acts of the
Ottoman administration of the vilayets of
Saionica, Monastir. Uskub and Adriano-
pie"
OUTRAGES IN DETAIL
The memorandum next relates In detail a
number of such cases i'm each vilayet Be-
ginning with the vilayet of Salonica IL states
that In the town of Saionica itself the
Bulgarian professors of the university, the
students and shopkeepers. in fact all the
intelligent Bulgarians in the city. have been
cast into prison.
One hundred and twenty soldiers entered
the village of Gorna- -Ribnite on May 10 and
tortured to death five men and two women.
twenty-five villages in the district of
Tikvesch were subjected to the depredn-
tions of the Turkish soldiers and bashi-
bazouks- The villagers were beaten and
tortured. the women violated and the
houses plundered while the administrative
authorities looked on. In the villayet of
Monastir artillery bombarded and razed the
fourishing town of Smerdesch the three
hundred houses being left heap of ruins
At the beginning of July two Greek bands
with the connivance of the authorities. pill
LACED Bulgarian villages and murdered
many of their inhabitants.
In the village OF Uskub the entire Bull
Ssrian population has been systematically
prosecuted since last May. The director OF
the normal school at Uskub was mpris-
oned because his library contained the
revolutionary works of "Othelo'' and
LES Misersbles.'
In the districts of Pstanka Koschani.
koumanovo and Gostigar the prisons are
filled With Bulgarian priests. schoolmas-
ters and merchants During June the SOL
ders and bashi-bazouks terrorized the in
habitants OF the Schtif district, torturing
the people with red-hot irons Similar atroc-
ties perpetrated in the vilayet OF Adrian
ople are cited. Altogether the memoranda
give particulars OF no less than 131 individu-
al ana general cases OF excesses and out
RACES committed by the Turkish authori-
ties
In summarizing the specific details of the
outrages mentioned the memoranda de-
ciares that wholesale massacres were per
petrated by regulars and bashi-bazouks in
the town OF Salonica and the villages of
Baldevo, Banitza. Echourilovo. Karbinza
Moghila. Smerdesch and Enidje, while the
scenes OF carnage. pillage and incendiarism
were everywhsre terrible AT smerdesch
killed with swords or burned to DEATH
over $50 houses and the churches and
schools were set on fire with petroleum and
pIlIased. the property being sold by the SOL
diers and bashi-bazouks I'm neiRhborIng g
places Similar scenes occurred at the VII
ril,gi and Nikodon The villagers there
abandoned their homes and fed TO the
mountains. Over 5000 men. women and
children fed from the Sanjak of Seres and
even more from the Sanjak of Kirkklisse
THOUSANDS IN PRISON.
IL is difficult. says the memorandum. to
obtain the exact number OF Bulgarians who
were imprisoned. mostly on the fiimsiest
prstexts. as when they were released others
were Immediately arrested. The estimates
obtainable give For the vilayet Of Salonlca,
500 prisoners: for Uskub. 500: for Monastir.
$50. and for Adrianople. $50. a grand total OF
2.so0. AS information is lacking from MANY
districts I'm these viiayets, IL Is thought
that without exaggeration the number Of
prisoners may be placed at even three times
this total
Dealing with other acts of oppression. the
memorandum states that the Bulgarian
merchants and artfzans living In Constantf-
nopie and Salonica were ordered to return
10 their native villages and were not al
lowed any time or opportunity To dispose
OF their business or property. Some OF
these Bulgarians. who. with their families
had been established for twenty years OF
more. were utterly ruined As the order
applied equally TO professors and school
masters the Bulgarian schools were closed
before the cad of the school year.
The>-euthorities vigorously enforced the
ranie oyder against the Bulgarian priests
naakingi every effort 10 paraIyze the devel-
oome11ti Of religious and educational work
ond dedriys the Bulgarian sxarch OF all his