Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-23

throughout that blooGy day, and had slain
the Turks literally by dozens Their eX-
PLOTS formed the theme or many stoIy
told beside the camTfires of both armies
throughout the campaign
canaan Kouropatkin, who was the right
land man of Skobeleff all through the
RLeso Turkish war. as well as IN the heht
at Plevna, is now General kouropatkin, the
cars minister of war, and the most noted
of all the Russian fighting men He was
trained in a harder school than most MOD
ern generals. and went through enough
perils 10 satisfy the biggest giutton for ad-
venture. ,
After one of the bloody fights In the
Shipka Pass he was left for dead upon the
field. All night he lay there sore wounded
and unconscious. 1t was in the bitter cold
of a Balkan night. and he might have
frozen to death had he not been almost en-
tirely covered by the body of dying Turk.
who had fallen across him after he sunk
to the ground with the agony of his wound.
In the morning kouropatkin recovered
consciousness. crawled from underneath
the Turk and made his way, slowly and
painfully. to the Russian camp, where his
comrades received him if he were
ghost.
Kouropatkin became the hero of the Rus
sian army. second only to his great leader.
Skobeleff. by his bravery and fine general
ship at the capture of Cock Tepe in 1882.
When the Russians. baked of their
dreams OF winning Constantinople by the
Berlin congress, were making their great
swoop through central Asia to the gates Of
Herat Lord Salisbury told the British pub
lie not 10 be alarmed for the safety OF
India. They will not be able to conquer
the TuTcOmans," he declared. The Turco-
man barrier Will last for our lifetime at
least"
General Tergoukasof the Russian COM
mander in central Asia, disagreed with
Lord Salisbury. He told the czar that the
Turcomans might be conquered by three
years hard fighting. THAT is too long"
said the car. He recalled Tergoukasof
and sent Skobelen 10 command the troops.
Skobeleff promptly secured Kouropatkin
for his chief lieutenant, and together they
performed in few weeks the task which
the British premier declared would take a
lifetime
Geek Tepe. the great stronghold of the
Turcomans, was carried by assault after
r7onths siege The brunt of the attack fell
on Kouropatkin, who commanded a con-
urgent of light troops from Turkestan. 1t
was a great victory but il sullied the repu-
taton of both the Russian leaders. They
ordered their troops To give no quarter to
the 1urcomans of either SEX and all the
horrors usual when such orders are given
were perpetrated.
Spectators say thar even when the Tur-
comans fed in a disorderly mob across the
desert. men. women and children mingled
together. no mercy was shown to them.
Artillery and cavalry followed in their rear
and moved them down until darkness put
an end 10 the pursuit. In that few hours
chase one thousand pursuing Russians
slaughtered eight thousand fugitiyes while
over six thousand were massacred in the
fortified camp of Geek Tepe.
The whole country was covered with
corpses. said Samuel Gourovitch an Ar
menian Jew who acted as Interpreter in the
Russian forces. ''The morning after the
battle they lay in rows like freshly mown
s hay, as they had been swept down by the
/ mitrailleurs and artillery. Hundreds of
women Were sabered, and l myself saw
babies bayoneted or slashed to pieces
Many women were ravished before being
killed. The troops, mad with drink and the
lust of fighting, We're allowed to plumber
and Kill for three days after the assault
This is the single great blot on Cen
/ kouropatkins record 1t Is true that he
was not In supreme command, but his
Tuskestan troops played the leading part
! Ia the slaughter
He Is great leader of men The march
OF his Turkestan contingent across the al
most unknown deserts of central Asia in
order to join Skobelef for the siege of
Geek Tepe. was fine an achievement rs
Lord Roberts famous march to Candahar
"kouropatkin." said Gen. Annenkoff. who
met him at the end of the march, had been
for twenty six days marching over g sandy
and wateriess Desert. yet his force marched
In clean and trim, and as fresh as daisy -
An English newspaper correspondent who
attended the funeral of Skobeleff at Spass-
koe Selo in 1882, was there thrown into
company with many of the dead generals
faSorite officers.
More than once" he said II heard a
controversy among them az to whether