Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1912-11-08
TURKISH DISASTER
MOST COMPLETE
suLFAN's SOLDIERS SLAIN eY
THousANDs AND HIS ARMIES
DEMoRALlzED.
DEFEAT LIKEMED TO SEDAN

Hns'iah Mar Correspondent the First
to Give theS Events Of the Few
Weeks That Seem to Have Brought
About the Downfall Of the Ancient
Turkish Empire.
Lendon.-The rout of the great
Turkish army in Thrace, in which
10000 Turkish soldiers fell and rs
per cent of their artillery was cap
tured. is told by Martin H, Donohue,
war correspondent for the Daily
Chronicle, who was with the Ottoman
troops In their panic-stricken flight
Mr. Donohues thrilling story, which,
to escape the censor, was sent from
Thoriu. the Turkish army headquar-
ters. to Constantinople, and thence by
boat to Constanza, Roumania and
cabled from there to London, is as
follows:
"1rrevocable disaster has broken
the Turkish army. 1t has suffered an
appalling defeat. This has been fol-
lowed by confusion and a rout for
which there Is scarcely a parallel In
history--a rout which in its later
stages degenerated into wild panic.
stampede, which communicated It.
SELF to the whole fighting force.
AS I am writing this dispatch the
army corps forming Abdullah Pasha's
splendid army lie battered and deci.
mated, and the defensive lines have
fled peil-mell before the advancing
Bulgarians.
Defeat 10 Like Sedan.
ut has been the most complete mill.
tary disaster since Mukden, the great.
est debacle since Sedan. Forty thou
sand men, the flower of the Turkish
troops. have fallen. while Abdullah
Pasha himself narrowly escaped their
fate, Seventy.five per cent of his
artillery was captured. His men
seemed to melt away like snow before
the summer sun.
After the disintegration began 1t
soon became general; brigades dis
solved into regiments, regiments into
companies, and the companies be-
came small groups until all cohesion
disappeared and ne decentralization
became ccmp'Jle. BY handfuls the
remnants VI the army have found
their way back to Tchorlu, the Bull
garian artillery cruelty harassing
them. moving them down In thou
sands
FOR like disaster one is COM
peiicd to turn to Napoleon's memcr.
able retreat from Moscow.
The Bulgarians. advancing in large
numbers. strongly supported by their
artillery, speedily drove back the
Turks, who retired in the direction of
Luie Burgas. Throughout the terri.
bic fighting the superiority of the Bull
garian artillery was pronounced. The
Turks were unable to stand the mur.
derons fire and withdrew slowly.
"The gunners being dead and ma
iority OF the horses being killed. the
artillery was forced to abandon guns
to the enemy. The Bulgarians, who
displayed extraordinary energy, press.
ed forward, determined to make the
most of their advantage
Turks Die Braveiy.
BY the afternoon the Bulgarians
had sheiled the Turks out of Luie Bur.
gas.
Fortunately the inhabitants had
fed and the loss of life among non.
combatants was small. Having ef-.
fectuaily silenced the fire of the Turks,
the Buigarians launched an infantry
attack, which stormed the town at the
point OF the bayonet.
The greater part OF the Turkish
garrison had already withdrawn, but
the men of the rear guard were
caught like rats in trap The sol
dlers Of the fourth corps, although
they had been without food for two
days, offered stubborn but unavaii,
Ing resistance. They died to man.
Sees Troops Slaughtered.
THE Turkish commander in chief
had watched the fight from the heights
near the village OF Satikeui, due east
OF Lude Burgas. AS he observed the
Turkish artillery and infantry being
moved down his face grew grave
The Turkish artillery had from the
beginning been poorly supplied with
ammunition. What IT had was practic.
ally expended in the morning fight
and now many gunners stood around
the empty limbers with folded arms.
Unable to reply to the Bulgarian
fire they awaited death. which came
swiftly. with true Ottoman courage.
Along the whole Turkish front the
troops were harrassed by terrible
tire. AS time went on 1t became sim
ply carnage, men falling in hundreds
The morale of the troops vas com
pietesy destroyed by the appalling
shell fire. When night closed in or
the decimated Turks 1t brought only
Her Object.