The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1903-08-18
TURKISH "REFORMS.''
Bulgaria Presents a MemOran-
dunn to the Powers.
Precise Details Of the Conditions in
Macedonia Are GiVen-Constitutes
Terrible Category of Muir
ders, Tortures, Etc.

Sofia, Bulgaria, Aug. 1.-THE Bull
garian government has presented
memorandum to the powers setting out
at great length the condition of af-
fairs during the past three months in
Macedonia since the Turkish govern
ment undertook to inaugurate the
promised reforms. 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 commit
ted by the Ottoman soldiers and Off
Gals. These particulars were obtained
entirely from official sources, such as
the reports of the Bulgarian govern
ment and in many instances the re-
ports made by Turkish authorities.
The Bulgarian government guaraN
tees the absolute truth of every state
ment and challenges the porte to dis
prove a single charge made in the
memorandum The memorandum be-
gins 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 as
surfing peace and tranquility to the
Bulgarian population of European Tur-
key, but which have had the contrary
effect of further exaSperating this pop
ulation and reviving the revolutionary
movement Instead OF proceeding
solely against persons guilty OF
breaches of the public order the mill
tary and civil authorities have sought
every possible pretext to prosecute,
terrorize and ruin the Bulgarian in
habitants 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, fortunes, ar
bitrary Imprisonment and Punishment,
the closing and disorganizing OF
schools, the running Of merchants, the
collection Of taxes for many years in
advanceAsuch proceeds the memoran-
DUN are among the acts of the Otto
man administration of the vilayetS of
Salonica, Monastir, Uskub and Adri-
nople.
The memorandum next relates in de-
tail a number of such cases in each viii
ayet Beginning with the vilayet tf
Salonica, it states that in the town OF
Salonica itself the Bulgarian profess
sors of the university. the students
and shopkeepers, in fact, all the intelll-
gent Bulgarians in the city have been
cast into prison. One hundred and
twenty soldiers entered the village of
Gorna- Ribnitea May 10 and tortured
to death five men and two women.
The villagers were beaten and tor
tured, the women violated and the
houses plundered while the admins.
trative authorities looked on. In the
villayet of Monastir artillery lombard
ed and raZed the 1ouriShing town OF
Soordesch, the 300 houses being left
heap of ruins. At the beginning OF
July two Greek bands with the con-
nivance of authorities pillaged Bulga-
rian villages and murdered many OF
their inhabitants. In the vilayet OF
Uskub the entire Bulgarian popuia-
ton has been Systematically perescut-
ed since last May. The director of the
normal school at Uskub was impris-
oned because the library contained the
Revolutionary. works of "Othello"
and Lies Miserables." In the districts
of Palanka. Koschani, Koumnovo and
Bulgarian priests, schoolmasters and
merchants During June the soldiers
and Bashi\ Bazouks terrorized the in
habitants of the Schlif district, tortur-
ing the people with redhot irons. SIM
liar atrocities perpetrated in the vii
ayet of Adrinople and other places are
cited.