The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-08-20
CRY FROM BULGARIA
Appeal to Powers to Stop
Butchery by Turks.
NARROWING STORY TOLD
Hundreds Of Villages In Balkans Have
Been Pillaged and Plundered and
Christian Inhaoitnast Slaugh.
tered Right and Left.

The bulgarian government mas pre-
sented a memorandum to the powers
setting out at great length the condi-
ton of affairs during the past three
months in Macedonia since the TURK
ish government undertook to inaugur-
ate the promised reforms. The most
precise 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 op-
preston committed by the Ottoman
soldiers and officials. These partlca'
lars were obtained entirely from OIL
cial sources, such as the reports OF The
Bulgarian consuls AM agents OF the
Bulgarian government, and, in many
instances, the reports made by TURK
ish authorities. The Bulgarian govern
ment guarantees the absolute truth or
every statement and challenges the
porte to disprove a single charge
made in the memorandum, which 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
an era of promised reform and OF as-
suring peace and tranquility to the
Bulgarian population of European Tur-
KEY. but which have mad the contrary
effect of further eXasperating this
population and reviving the reVo-
lutionary movement. Instead OF pro-
ceeding solely against persons guilty
of breaches of the public order, the
military and civil authorities have
sought every possible pretext to perse-
cute, tenorize and ruin the Bulgarian
inhabitants, alike in the large cities
and in the small villages!
Wholesale Massacres.
Wholesale massacres, individual
murders, the destruction OF villages
and setting fire to houses, the arrests.
ill-treatment, tortures, arbitrary in
prisonment and Punishment, the clos
ing and disorganizins of churches and
schools. the fIning Of merchants, the
collection of taxes for many years in
advance-such, proceeds the memoran-
dunn, are among the acts OF the OTTO
man administration Of the vilayets OF
Salonica, Monastir, Uskub and Arrian-
ople. ..........
The memorandum next relates In
detail a number of such cases in each
village. During the first three weeks
of July twenty-five villages In the dis
trict of Tikvesch were subjected to the
depredstions Of the Turkish soldiers
and Bashi. Bazouks. The cillasers
rora beaten and tortured. the women
violated and the houses plundered
wnlie the administrative authorities
looked on.
In the ilayet of Monastir, artillery
bombarded and razed the fourishing
town of Smerdesch, the 800 houses be-
ing left heap of ruins. At the be-
ginning of July two Greek bands with
the connivance of the authorities, pill
LACED Bulgarian villages and murder
ed many of their inhabitants.
Altogether, the memorandum gives
particulars of no less than 131 indi-
vidual and general cases of excesses
and outrages committed by the Turk
ish authorities. In summarizing The
specific details of the outrages men
ioned, the memorandum declares that
wholesale massacres were perpetratod
bv regulars and Bashi-Bazouks in the
town of Salonica and the villages OF
Baldevo, Banitza, Techourilovo, Kar-
binza, Moghila, Smerdesch and Entdje,
while the scene of carnage, pillage and
incendiarism were everywhere terri
hle .