The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-08-18
REuWNG THE REVOLUTION
ALLEGED REFORM MEASURES
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PRES.
EMIT OUTBREAK.

1 In Macedonia since the TURKISH gov
| eminent undertook to inaugurate the
promised reforms. The most precise
details, dates, places and names of
persons are given in the memorAn-
dunn, the whole constituting a terrible
category of murder, torture, incendiar-
Ism, pillage and general oppression
committed by the Ottoman soldiers
and officials. These particulars. were
obtained entirely 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 authori-
ties. The Bulgarian government guar
Antees the absolute truth of every
statement ard challenges the porte to
II disprOve q single charge made In the
memorandum.
The memorandum begins by stat
Ing that during the past three months
the Ottoman government has aiken a
series of measures with the alleged
Intention of inaugurating the era of
promised reform and of assuring
Peace and Tranquility
TO the Bulgarian population Of Eu-
ropean Turkey, but which have had
the contrary effect of further exas.
perating this population and reviving
the revolutionary movement. Instead
Of proceeding solely against persons
guilty of breaches of the public or
der. the civil and military authorities
have sought every possible pretext to
persecute. terrorize and ruin the Bull
garian Inhabitants, alike in the large
cities and in the small villages.
Wholesale massacres, individual
murders, the destruction of villages,
the pillaging and setting fire to houses,
the arrests, ill treatment. tortures,
arbitrary Imprisonment and Danish
ment, the closing and d~isorganizing of
churches and schools, the running of
merchants, the collection Of taxes for
many years in advance-such, pro-
ceeds the memorandum. are among
the acts of the Ottoman administra-
ton of the vi]ayets of Salonica, Mon
Rstir, Uskub and ~Adrianople.
The memorandum next relates in
detail a number Of such cases in each
vilayet. Beginning with the vilayet
of Salonica. it states that in lne town
Of Salonica itself the Bulgarian pro-
fessors 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 en-
tered the village Of Gorna-RibnitZa
May 10 and tortured to death five men
and two women. During the first
three weeks of July, twenty-five viii
lagos in the district of Likvesch were
subjected to the d~epredations of the
Y Turkish soldiers and the Bashi-Ba-
Eouks. The villagers were beaten and
tortured, the women violated and the
houses %plundered while the admins
trative authorities looked on.
In the vilayet of Monastir. artillery
bombarded and RACED the flourishing
town of Smerdesch, the three hundred
houses being left a heap OF ruins. At
the beginning of July two Greek
bands. with the %connivance of the au.
thorities, pillaged Bulgarian villages
and murdered many of their inhabi.
tants.
In the vilayet of Uskub. the entire
Bulgarian population has been sys'
tematically prosecuted since last May
The director of the normal school al
Uskub was imprisoned because his
library contained the Revolutionary
works of "Othello" and lies Misera
bles."
In the districts of Palanka, Koscha
hi, Koumanovo and Gostigar, the
prisons are filled with Bulgarian
priests, schoolmasters and merchants
During June the soldiers and Bashi
Bazouks terrorized the inhabitants o
the Schtif district,
Torturing the People
with redhot irons. Similar atrocities
pie are cited.
Altogether, the memorandum give!
particulars of no less than 131 indi
Sidual and general cases OF excesse
and outrages committed by the Turk
lsh authorities. In summarizing tn
specific details of the outrages men
toned, the memorandum declares tina
Wholesale maSSacreS were perpetrat
I'd by regulars and Rashi-Bazouks i
the town of Salonica and the village
Df BaldevO, Banitza, Echourilovo, Kal
binza. MOghila, Smerdesch and ENID
je, while the scene OF carnage. pillag
and incendiarism were everywher
terrible.
At Smerdesch, over two hundre
Bnlgarians were shot and killed wit
swords or burned to death. Over q
houses and the churches and schoo,
were set on fire with petroleum an
pillaged, the property being sold b
the soldiers and Bashi-Bazouks
neighboring places. Similar scene
occurred at the villages of Corn
Ribnitza, Igoumentz. Dobrilaki ar
Nik0dom-the villagers there abando
ed their homes INT fed to the mou
tains.
Over 5000 men, women ard childre
He'd from the Sanjak of. the Seros az
even more from the Sanjak OF Kir
kliese. Il Is difficult. says the mem
fandum, to obtain the exact numb
of Bulgarians who were imprisone
mostly on the flimsiest of p~retexts.
when they were released others we
Immediately arrested. It is thong
that without exaggeration the numb
e. prisoners may be placed at 8,400.