The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-17
CHALLENGES TURKEY ID
 D|SPROVE ONE OF CHARGES
Porte Military and Civic Authorities Have Sought Every Possible Pretext to Prosecute, Ter
 rorize and Ruin People.

Sofia, Bulgaria, August 16.-The Bull garian government has presented memorandum to the powers setting out at great length the condition of affairs during the past three months in Mace donia since the Turkish government un- dertook to inaugurate the promised re- forms.
 The most precise details. dates and places and names of persons are given in the memorandum, the whole constitut- ing terrible category of murder, tor ture. incendiarism, pillage and general oppression, committed by the Ottoman soldiers and officials. The particulars were obtained entirely from official sources such as the reports of the Bull garian consuls and agents of the Bull garian government, and in many in- stances the reports made by Turkish au- thorities.
 The Bulgarian government guarantees the absolute truth of every statement and challenges the porte to disprove single charge made in the memorandum The memorandum begins by stating that during the past three months the Otto- man government has taken series Of measures with the alleged intention of in- augurating the era of promised reform and of assuring peace and tranquility to the Bulgarian population of European Turkey. but which have had the contrary effect of reviving the revolutionary move- ment.
 Have Sought Every Pretext.
 Instead of proceeding solely against persons guilty cf breaches of the public order, tie .nilitary and civil ss.'thorities have sought every possible pretext to persecute, terrorze and ruin the Bull garian inhabitants, alike in the large cities and small villages. Wholesale massacres individual murders the de- struction of villages. the pillaging and setting fire to houses, the arrests, the closing and disorganizng of churches and schools. the running of merchants, the collection of taxes for many years in ad- vance. such proceeds the memorandum are among the accounts of the ottoman administration of the villayets or sa- lonica, Monastir, Uskub and Aorian- ople.
 The memorandum next relates in de- tail a number of such cases Tn each vilayet Beginning with Salonica' ie states that in the town of Salonica itseii the Bulgarian professors of the uniVer- sity. the students and shopkeepers-in fact. all the intelligent Bulgarians In the city have been cast into prison
 People Tortured to Death.
 One hundred and twenty soldiers en- tered the village of Gorna-Rionltea' May 19 and tortured to death live men anu two women During the first weeks ol July twenty-five villages in the oistrice of Tikyesch were subjected to the de- nrsdat,ons of the Turkish soldiers and hasbi bazouks. The villagers were beat ~, and tortured. the women violated and tba bouses plundered while the admin ,strat,ve authorities looked on. In the xiiavet of Monastir, artillery bombaroeo and razed the fiourishing town or Smer- desca. the three hundred houses pelhs Jeff a heap of ruins. At the begining of .Julv two Greek bands with the con nivance of the authorities, pillaged Bull garian villages and murdered many or their inhabitants Tn the vilayet of Irskub the entire Bulgarian population has been systematically persecuted since last May. The director of the normal school at IJskub was imprisoned because his library contained the revolutionary works of Othello and Les Miserables. During June the soldiers and bashi oa- zouks terrorzed the inhabitants of Schtif district, torturing the people with red hot irons. Similar atrocities perpe- trated in the vilayet of Adrianaople are cited.
 Many Cases Given.
 z~t,,1 ticulars of no less than 131 individual and general cases of excesses and outrages committed by the Turkish authorities. In summarizing the specific details of the outraees mentioned, the memorandum declares that wholesale massacres were perpetrated by regulars and bashi ba- zouks In the town of Salonica and seven villages. Over three thousand men, women and children fled from the San- jak of Seres and even more from the Santak of Kirkklisz. It Is difficult, says the memorandum to obtain the exact number of Bulgarians who were impris- oned mostly on the fiimsiest pretexts. as when they were released others were im- mediatey arrested. Estimates sobtainable give the villayet of Salonca 900. Uskub 800 for Monastir $50 and for Adrianople 55; grand total of 2sOO. As informa- ton Is lacking from many districts in these vflayets, 1t Is thought that Wltn- out exaggeration the number of prisoners may be placed at even three times this total.
 Acts of Oppression.
 Dealing with other accounts of oppres- sion. the memorandum states that the Bulgarian merchants and artisans living I'm Constantinople and Salonica were or dered to return to their native villages and were not allowed any time or oppor- unity to dispose of their business or prop ertv Some of these Bulgarians, who. with their families. had been established for twenty years or more. were utterly ruined. Az the order applied equally to professors and schoolmssrers. the Bulgar- ian schools were closed before the end of the second year. The authorities rigor-