The Detroit times., 1909-04-24
TURKISH CAPITAL
/ HAS FALLEN; 1000
: DIE IN BATTLE
yesag Tarka Follow Up Victory BY
llAeing Heavy Column Around
Palace, Making Sultan Prisoner
--Nalsrs Fate In Balance.
Hntirs Mohammedan Population
Threatens To Rise and Fearful
Massacre Is Feared.

CONSTANTINOPLE. April "a
coussantinople has fallen. After :
niyht OF the bloodiest lighting between
the 5000 fsnatical soldiers forming the
aultan's guard and the Young Turks
forces under the command Of Cheftef
Pasha, the garrison Of the Yildiz
Kiosk surrendered this morning..
II Is estimated that 1000 soldiers
were killed In the fighting and thous'
snds wounded.
The Young Turks followed up the
surrender OF the garrison by throwing
heavy column OF their own soldiers
around the palace. thereby making the
sultan their prisoner. The Young
Turks leaders are low in conference
with him, at which his fate will be de-
cided.
The garrison fought with the wild.
Vst courage and the survivors did not
surrender until their barracks had
Deen demolished by the fierce artillerl
fire of the Young Turks and the gar
rison Itself practically exterminated.
The foreign population Is In no i'm
mediate danger, though two foreign
ers are reported TO have been killed.
Frederick Moore. an American CORE
spondent for the New York Sun, Is
among the injured. He was shot
while trying To take a picture OF the
start of the fighting. The soldiers
mistook his camera for deadly ma
chine and fred upon him.
There is the gravest danger that
one OF the Iloodiest massacTes in the
worlds history is soon TO be enacted.
The entire Mohammedan population OF
Constantinople threatens to rise up
and seek revenge for what they con
aider the Christian victory OF the
Young Turks and the danger that CON
fronts their religion.
The investing army OF Young Turks
Il far too small To combat the thou
sands should they begin rioting. as
there are nearly a million fanatics In
Constantinorle and the territory i'm
nediately surrounding.
The heights surrounding the Tildiz
Kiosk are strewn with the dead of the
ten hours fighting. while the Pera
quarter also bears grim evidences or
.lerceness OF the struggle. The Tach-
kichla and Matchka barracks in the
Pera quarter. where a large part OF
the reactionary troops barricaded
themselves, were the scenes OF some
OF the fiercest fighting and the mir
acle Is that more Europeans were not
killed.
Rebels Occupy Barracks.
The fighttlg really began last night
TT O'Clock when the soldiers OF
Daoud barracks returned from attend
ing the sultan on his trip to and from
the selamlin ceremony I'm the mosque,
and found that the Young Turks sol
;iiery, including battalion OF Saloni-
ca chasseurg. had occupied their bar
racks. There was brief engagement
then, In which two were killed.
The real engagement, however, did
not begin until 3 o'clock this morning
when the battle broke in all It's fury.
The Daoud barracks are just out.
tide the STEAMBOAT walls. The sui
lan's soldiers were the first TO open
FIRE. After the initial fusillade the
lighting ceased for a time.
Both sides Immediately began TO
bring up reinforcements and the en-
lire population became crazed with
rear. Hundreds rushed to the en-
bassy grounds of the various legations
and pleaded for protection. The peo
pie fed the streets as from a wall OF
lire and locked themselves In their
homes.
Within a few hours both sides had
machine guns in position and the actual
battie was In progress.
The Young Turks soldiers poured
into the city from their camp at San
Stefano and their other rendezvous. 1t
was soon evident that the Young
Turks would overwhelm the reaction
aries Their soldiers were better
armed and better offlcered and they
swept down upon the defenses OF the
sultan's soldiers with irresistible fury.
One Of the bloodiest engagements
was fought on the Rue Grande, the
principal street OF the Pera quarter.
The reactionaries fed along this street
in an effort To reach the French hos
pital for a refuge. They were pur-
sued the entire length OF the fashion
able thoroughfare by the Young Turks
md the street was covered with
corpses Many OF the foreigners
houses were badly damaged by the fire
" the soldiers.
Foreign Embassies Protected.
The Russian embassy was In the di.
rect line OF the fighting and It's win
COWS were broken by stray shots. The
French. German and British embass-
les. all In the Pera quarter. we're close
10 the scene OF the engagement. while
the American embassy was but half
Al mile distant.
All the embassies were surrounded
by attachments OF the Young Turks.
who furnished magnificent protection.
The YildZ Kiosk was not attacked,
though II escaped only because the
garrison surrendered before the pal
ace was reached. The fighting was
gradually drawing near the palace
when the surrender was announced.
The Young Turks wrought their
deadliest execution with their machine
Guns and cannon were used in the de-
struction OF the barracks. The reac-
tionaries also answered with cannon
ere.
The hardest part OF the fighting
took place teteen FIVE and seven
o'clock this morning. though desultory
Engagements continued even after the
all OF the garrison had been announc.
ed
The loss OF the Young Turks was
not nearly so heavy as that of the re-
acfion ariea n ia beiiaved that fully