Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-08-20

Sofa. Aug. 1.-THE Bulgarian govern
bent has presented a memorandum 10
he powers setting out at great length
1e condition Of affairs in Macedonia dur
lc the past three months since IN"
turkish government undertook to inaug-
rate the promised reforms. The most
recise details, dates, places and names
persons are given in the memorandum,
he whole constituting a terrible cate
ory of murder. torture, incendiarism,
illaCe and general oppression committed
V the Ottoman soldiers and oihciais'
These particulars were obtained entirely
rom official sources such as the reports
{ the Bulgarian consulS and agents OF
he bulgarian government, and in many
nstarces the reports made by Turkish
authorities Tho Bulgarian government
Guarantees the absolute truth of every
tatement and challenges the Porte to
isproyc a single charge made i'm the
lemoran1um.
The memorandum begins by stating
hat during the past three months the
ottoman government has taken a series
II measures with the alleged intentions
3f inauguratinG the era of promised re-
|orn and Of assuring peace and tran
utility to the bulgarian population OF
Turkey but which have had
Inc contrary effect Of further exasperat-
/ q this POPULATION and reviving the re-
|
koodine- solely against persons guilty Of
lroaches of the public order, the mill
Inrv and civil authorities have sought
| livery possible prcteXt to persecute' ter
Rorize and ruin the bulgarian inhabi-
|pnts
| Wholesale massacres individual muir
hers. the destruction Of villages, tho pill
|arinr Of and setting fire to houses, ar
|cste i'll treatment, tortures, arbitrary
Imprisonment and Punishment, the clos
Ing and Disappointing of churches and
Schools the running Of merchants, the
objection Of taxes for many years IN adj
nance. such, proceeds the memorandum.
re among the acts of the Ottoman adj
Ininistration of the vilayets Of Salonica,
flonastir Uekuh and Adrauoplo
The memorandum says that in the town
kf Salonica itself the Bulgarian professors
|1f the university, the students and shop
|keepers. in fact all intelligent BulEar
hans in the city have been cast into pris
kn. One hundred and twenty soldiers on
cred tho village Of Gorna-Eibnit2a May
h. and tortured to death FIVE mon and
kwo women During the first three wooFs
III July - villages in the district of 1lh-
|resch were subjected to the depreda'i"n'
III tho Turkish soldiers and bd~I
ISa2oule Tho villagers were beaten al
|ortured the women violated and T.
|norscs plundcrcd while the adminiStl'
Rive authorities looked on
In tho VilaYct Of MOnastir artil"iA
lSornlardod and RACED the flourishinG tow
I,f SmcrdcsCh.
At the beginning Of July two GroCk
,ands with the connivancc of the al-
.horitics pillaGod bulgarian villages and
murdered MANY Of thcir inhabitants
In the vlayct Of UsIub the entire Bull
|Fariqn population has been systematic
ItnllV prosecuted since last May. The
{dircctor OF the normal school at t'skut
was Imprisoned because his library con
aimed the "RcVolutionarY" works OF
'Othello" and Les Miserablcs."
In the districts Of Palauka, Koschina
komanovo and Gostigar the prisons are
|fllod with Bulgarian priests school mas
tors and merchants.
During June. the soldiers and Fash
Ra2ouhe tcrrorizod the uhahtants of Tho
Schtif district, torturing the people Will
rcd hot irons. Similar atrocities pcrpc
trated in the vilayot of Adranoplo ar,
cited.
Altogether, the memorandum gives par
ticulars of no loss than 13l Individual anC
general cases Of excuses and outrage
committed by the Turkish authorities. II
summarizing the specific details Of tn,
outragcs mentioned the memorandum
declares that wholesale massacrcs were
porpetrated by Bashi Bazoulis in tho town
of Salonica and in seven villages Will
the scenes Of carnage, pillaCe and in
cerdiarism were everywhere terrible. \
SmerdesCh over 200 Bugarians were shot
killed with swords or burned to death
Over go houses and the churches an,
schoOls were set on fire and pillaged, tn