Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-11-29
Mistellansous &saaina.
BATTLE AT KIRK.kILEssEH

BATTLE AT kIRK.KILEssEH
Dreadful Story as Told by an Eye
Witness.
The most graphic description YET
published Of the scenes which are at
tending the Bulgarian advance upon
Constantinople is given by Mr.. Fran
els McCullagh in a letter to- the New
York Evening Post written from Choir
lu under date Of October 81. Mr.. Nc
Cullagh's article follows:
When Mr.. Gladstone spoke of driy-
Ing the Turk bag and baggage" out
of Europe, he had probably no very
clear conception of the horrors cover.
ed by that simple al!iterative phrase.
These horrors were borne In on me
very fully at Seidler on October "a,
when. in the early morning. the first
fugitives began to arrive from Kirk
Killisseh. Those unfortunates were
without baggage Of any kind, and
consisted Of some women. a boy, and
several men, all splashed with mud,
utterly exhausted, and as wet as II
they had fallen into a river. Coming
north from Constantinople during the
preceding night, I had been kept
awake by the thought that my horses
were standing in open trucks under
that cold, incessant rain, but here were
human beings, who, dressed In the
thinnest Of garments, had been flying
all night under the same pililess down.
pour,
The first refugees arrived on foot and
without baggage. I do not know how
they managed to outstrip the refugees
who came later on horseback. Perhaps
they started earlier. Towards noon the
fugitives, with bag and baggage, be-
gan to arrive. That was three days
ago, and am now much further south,
at Chorlu but that stream Of Osmani-
II has never ceased for q moment.
Some Of the fugitives were mounted on
horses, mules, or donkeys, and all their
worldly belongings were tied on their
backs Many came in creaking bull
lock-wagons, laden with children, wo-
men, fowls, bedding, furniture and
clothing, all thoroughly wetted by the
rain. Behind the bullock.carts stag
gered Moslem women, their faces un-
covered and their wet mud-splashed
garments olinging closely to their
figures.
Hills Black With Fusltivss.
Old men with patriarchial boards
tugged at the unwilling mules and bull
locks. Little children were carried by
other children not much larger. Sons
carried infirm fathers on their backs.
Fathers helped the mothers to carry
small children. They were innumer-
able. The hills were black with them.
Swarns Of them splashed and founder
ed in the muddy fields close to the
station. Through my binoculars I
could see them pouring down the hills
afar off. They reminded me Of clouds
which from mountain submits had
seen moving slowly beneath me-
1t was the emigration Of q people. To
find anything approaching II one must
go back to those ancient and medieval
wars wherein the victor swept out the
whole of the conquered population.
men, women and children, landowners
and laborers saints and sinners, and
swept away along with them their
language, religion. habits and customs.
1t would be difficult to imagine a
cleaner sweep than that which has
been made In the Kirk-Killieeh region.
Not a Moslem has been left, II the
rest of Turkey In Europe 10 subjected
to similar treatment, red fez will be
as rare, twenty years hence. In Stam-
boul as 1t Is today In Budapest, anoth-
er ancient capital Of Islam. North Of
Baba Eski and east Of Bunai Hissar,
the departing Turks have taken with
them in their great exodus, not only
their furniture, but also their domestic
animals, their cows, sheep, goats, poul-
try, dogs and cats.
I had left Stamboul on October % in
the same train as the other corre-
spondents. We were told that we would
be brought to Kirk -Killiseh- but at
Seidler we were informed that we mus.
return to chorlu. The explanation was
that the country to the north was bare
of provisions and we would conse-
quently starve there, But the incom-
ing food of humanity told Its own
story and the fugitives confirmed 1t
beyond all doubt.
The Wounded Abandoned,
The Bulgars had made a terrific on
slaught on the Turkish right flank at
Deri Kol, near. the frontier. The at
tack had begun on the morning OF oc-
tober %. North of Deri Kol the Turks
had been constructing trenches for
three days previous, and besides In
fantry, they had artillery and horse.
men. But after a stiff fight they were
forced to evacuate their intrenchments
and fall back Of Kirk -Killisseh. They
entered that town an hour before sun
set In great confusion, many OF them
having lost their arms and equip
ment.
Considerable numbers Of them seem
to have fallen into the hands OF the
enemy and all their wounded seem to
have been left behind, for they did not
bring a single wounded man with them.
Whole companies melted away COM
pletely, for the time being, In the d.
rection Of Baba Eski and Lule Burgas.
Through my interpreter questioned
stray soldiers who were wandering
barefooted and disarmed in the fields
around Seidler: but most Of these mas
terless men were afterwards drafted
into other commands further SOUTH at
chor,u and Chirkesskui.
When the crowd Of fugitive and un-
-.,oa ,oldiara noured into Kirk-KilliS-