The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-09-14

ir. command from Salonica. he i'm.
patiently ordered 4 general attack ut
once. The soldiers made wild up
ward scramble. lat again tie bombs
wer" UiaS;iEg up the Loose lava among
them. That attack failed. is had the
first. Two more equally desperate at
t;cls had i si:n!,;lr result soon after.
Tl:ea III" Turks Withdrew and liegan
20 open up Il Heavy fire on the rocks
above. depending on rock sp!inters to
destroy .hc insurgents behind their
positions. These tactics, although
costly-for Apostol and his men were
slowly pot shooting individual officers
wherever viSiDle-were more success
fiji. BY seven that evening. 1T fifteen
o'clock ly Turkish time, the inSur-
gents had been much reduced. Another
attack WIS ordered. before dark should
give the few survivors i possible
chance TO escape. In the first trench
;niy Michaelofe ard three Lien were
:;ive, and they al! wounded. In the
"tler two lines of trenches were eight
..!cn unwounded.
AS this last general attack began
The ammunit )n Of the bandsmen gave
out in few last volleys. Then
Michae!off and his three men in the
first trench rose. deliberately smashed
their rifles over tue rocks, destroyed
their watches in a similar manner
aEI drank the poison. which is part
of every hardsman's equipment, to
save him from torture. if wounded.
The eight men above killed their
wounded comrades with their knives.
and then made break for the river.
Tile Turks were successful. They had
gained the position. The news WAS then
telegraphed that Apostol had been
killed. From one of the bodies were
taken personal letters addressed to linn.
a rifle with his name engraved upon it
was found, and various villagers iden-
tilted the corpse. Later it was found
that this WAS the body Of Apostols
secretary. SO We'll was the Sultan
pleased with the lews that lie imme-
diateiy telegraphed his personal thanks
to the troops. and sent $3.50 to be
divided among them. The gendarmes,
the creatures established by the re-
forms. who had taken part in the
fight. were all promoted.
Next day Georgis Pasba. the Italian
sendarmerie officer, commissioned
there by the Powers. arrived ard be-
gan an Investigation. 1t seems be
was the first to question Apostors
death. At any rate, he sent for Apos-
tolls wife, who lives in village near
by, and the dead having already been
buried. he ordered them disinterred,
that she might identify her husband
among them. She failed to Go so.
But several days after all doubts
were settled when the kaimakam. or
governor of the caza, received a letter
bearing Apostols rubber stamped seal,
announcing himself in good health,
save for a sprained ankle. Of the
whole band of forty men, six escaped.
two being the guards who watched
over the ammunition and took no part
in the fight. They remained with it
until another band came week later
and carried it safely off. OF the eight
who broke for the river, three were
drowned while attempting to swim
across, and one, realizing that he could
not even attempt it, drank poison.
One reached the opposite bank and
escaped, and is now here in kustendil.
Apostol and his three comrades
crouched among some rushes in shall
low water, and escaped later in the
night when the search was over. He
is now recovering from his sprained
ankle in a secret hospital in the
mountains.
What the Turkish losses were in the
fight is hard to estimate truly. Turk
ish reports only mention two Greeks
and sixteen Albanians killed. Viii
layers of Spalivo say 1900 in all fell,
but that is perhaps an exaggeration.
Still. the casualties must have been
heavy, otherwise such large force
could not have been checked for
whole day by thirty-eight men.-NeW
York Post.