The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-11-01

NEW YORK, Nov. Thousands
upon thousands OF Greeks, all over
America, are leaving their tiny snoe'
shine parlors, their hat-cleaning
inches and their little corner frult
stands these days and are sailing
home Ito fight" They are marching
down to the docks In New York IN DIG
companies to the Tilt and swim OF
martial tunes and the beautiful blue
flag OF Greece flaps over them.
Butt is vengeance, rather than
patriotism. that animates them.
Nearly every Greek who Is SAILING
has a "grudge to wipe out'-or seems
10 have. And these grudges are all
against the .'bashi-bazouks" or Turk
ish bushrangers.
81 know the six men--I know the
six men" muttered Dimitinos Vranas
between his teeth, as he sat on the
rail OF the steamship "MadonnsT
about to drop anchor for Greece.
IT know them, and they snail oie-
They shall all die. | do not care SO
much about the war itself. DO not
like TO fight. But these six men
now | have the chance to XIII them,
and shall do 1t. | will spend all my
money TO go over just to see them
die.
Our little home was In the village
OF Hemara. My brother and myself
lived there happily-most happily
with our old father and mother we
/. had a vineyard, and made our living
from the grapes.
'One night, Lazar and went to
town TO sell our fruit. When we came
back in the morning, our house hao
been ransacked and burned TO the
ground. Our old father and mother
had died in the flames
I'VE could not bear ever to live
there again. We came to America.
That was three years ago. We start
ed a shoe-shine parlor and made
money.
"A year ago our relatives wrote,
that they knew the six bashibazouks
who killed our parents. The time VIII
come we said then, when we Will
get even with these men.
"Now'the time has come. We have
got our six men marked! we nave
plenty OF lead for them
That Is the way they all talk-these
silent. dark Greeks with the shiny,
patent leather suit cases and the
blankets thrown over their shoulders.
They are going home to Kill that
bush whacker-I know the one. They
say Il openly, and flash their eyes IN
the telling.
"The Americans have no idea oil
the fearful depfedations and atrocities
these bashi-bazouks commit, SAID
Panagis Putkoff. young Greek or
university education, who is also sail
ing ito pay up some old debts
Nearly every night" he says,
bands OF five or six Turkish soldiers
take off their uniforms, put on peas
ant dress and go out on a personal
expedltion'-that's what they name IT,
'They rob everyone they meet, they
pillage houses, they torture old peo-
ple. they attack women and even XIII
babes right in their mothers arms.
There is nothing they will not do for
the sake OF money and to appease
their appetite for cruelty.
I'm the early hours of the morning
they go back TO their camps, and the
next day they are respectable Turk
ish soldiers again"
or course. there are Greeks going
back to fight who have no personal
scores to liquidate. They go for the
sake OF fighting, or for the glory OF
their country. They are called re
servists," and are organized into com
panies of 200 each. Many OF these
companies are in command OF very
wealthy Graeco-Americans.
One of these squads. for instance,
which sails this week. is under direc.
ton of Panagis Phocis. a rich restau-
rant owner in New York. He said he
Is willing to give up his business for
the benefit OF his native land.