The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-13

4o9 prisoners at Sienitza, the majority of whom were thieves, but whose number included nearly 100 murderers, felt sur prised at the comparative immunity Of the sheep and the goats, and that only some ten sentimentalists among the as sassins (whom l subsequently, meD could be found to haunt the neighborhood of their old exploits. The second escort
 which fell to my lot took different view of the committee. They said none could be found in the land to speak for it. but that though they and their fellows were determined to have done with the party of union and progress they would never depart from union, for in that alone lay salvation.
 I am convinced that as far as Nitro vitza. and south until Uslkub fig reached, the power of the committee Is broken for good. But though its authority is gone it does still and may continue to exercise influence, through certain notables and men who in the past have owed their seats in the chamber to it's favor To the rank and file of Christians and Mos lens it has become odous. 1t is asso- ciated with the slaughter of two Albanian campaigns, with made" elections, and with the loss of liberty in the mountains. Very few of the officials in the north spoke anything but Turkish. and as they
 
 public discussion was not very free; but it seemed to me that for the moment at any rate interest in the committee had disappeared
 The Albanian fighting has left less bit terness behind it than one would expect. l asked one of the bigger Albanians how it was that such quarrelling and friend ship could survive between his people and the Turks. By God" he answered mo ifa+ fxraIx ssxx+a "a hit nf both things" As, however. there are practically no Albanians until the town of Sienitza is reached, so also are there no real signs. of trouble. It is not open to question that in the far north there is little terrorism and that life is much less precarious than elsewhere. On the road we passed Christians and Moslems walk ing together. Everywhere the Servian girls were singing among the hills. and their men left work in the field to come and pass the time with my gendarmes. This state of things may be partly ac- counted for by the fact that there are only two peoples. or rather creeds and also that the situation is not exacerbated by a host of conflicting ambitions as in Macedonia. As the way grew longer. however, signs of trouble forced them selves upon the attention. After we had left the peaceful country of the north be- hind, Turkish officials began to talk with an extreme anxiety about local conditions The Christians. too, complained of broken trade. of terror reigning. and of the pos- sibility of worse things. My guards no longer spoke cheerfully of "the good cus- toms of the land" The Albanian diff.- culty loomed larger and the name Of Tssa Boletinatz sounded more formidably
 Last time had come across the traces of this hero of his people, white stones had been pointed to that marked the places where his enemies had paid the penalty of the Albanian Jak tbloodfeud); :; then it was said 20 men had fallen to his gun. Since then his prowess, of which more later, has been Homeric. and the number of graves for which he is popu- larly held to be responsible must, one supposes. be exaggerated.
 Sienitza
 Here beyond the limits of the small town of Priepole. we entered into the zone between war and peace and the spirits of the gendarmes, till now uniin- paired by the fast of Ramadan. fell and heard the old complaints, Of too mucn work too little pay. and even that cor stantiy in arreaT At Sienitza thf. r-linax came almost dramatically. We had left behind the hills, half woodland and half corn. and were riding over the high, open land towards the town, when some eavalrymep joined my escort. A few min- .&z,z.,ef u>rs-.-s >E-I s< 1z 2s.s+