The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1912-07-18
ON rLr rnnNo LINE.
Inis - IA Account sf Isomhaislm, ~
~ i'e.Int, Turkey. b, Ioincr Do.
s,t Lady Who Was an Eye Wit
ness,

her account Of the Italian boibhaft
meat Of Beirut given In private Il
.er 70 the family
Beirut. Syria, Feb 90 10.
We fear you viii feed very anA
tona about us after reading you
moraiug papers bu, we hope yo
have read DR.. Howard Blisss teif
gram TO the Associated Press. tha
We are all safe. Saturday mornin
about seven. two Italian warship
deamed in very close TO shore
1pnading immense Italian flags. w
we're at once astir with the sens
that something might happen, tn
first impression was that they wer
Just going TO blockade the port,
had previously calmed Slit LADY
Rhadijehs fears by telling her tina
II the Italians came. would tak'
her In here. | went right up 10 as
sure her that they would do ne
harm. only blockade. had no'
more than reached her bottom stel
on my way back when crack, crack
lwo shells went whizzing over the
elty from the ships landing as W,
learned later, In he sands. This was
Just to let them know they were
there. We learned later that they
sent n letter to the Vail tGoyernorl
ordering the two Turkish gunboats
which have been lying here for ever
so long, to put out their fires and
surrender or come out and meet
hem; If not. they would fire on
them at nine o'clock. or course
he officials we're in great state OF
mind; the Vail begged for time TO
telegraph to Constantinople but was
refused; 20 they began TO take out
some say to abandoning her, others
he ammunition stored in the maya
zine of the gunboat, preparatory
doubtless with more truth 10 going
lut to encounter the monsters and
after shooting at them. possibly to
others say to sink in any
ase. The Turks are not cowards.
But whatever their bravery they
laye no idea OF promptness and at
line o'clock they had sent off 80 o.
he $50 crew on shore; the remain
ug 100 were fussing around until
hey should be good and ready TO
neet the Italians. News flew that
here was to be firing and the silly
gnorant populace flocked to the
,or TO see the exhibition. A num-
Jer climbed on piles of loose WOOD
o look on. At nine sharp rapid
leadly succession OF shots came
aiming in upon the two poor little
hips. The first shell exploded near
he pile OF wood which served as
,randstand for the spectators, sent
he wood into spllnters in every dir
elton and killed many people, the
est of the poor fools realizing Tor
he first time in their lives what a
hell was, scattered with extraordin-
.ry rapidity. The Italian aim was
yonderfu"y accurate They sent one
not right down the funnel CT the
following it with another.
he powder magazine was immed-
ately below; that from within and a
orpedO sent whizzing at them
through the water did the business
n very short order. About 20 men
Mostly those on deck were saved,
but the 80 below, poor fel-
Dws, were taken out, dead, the next
ay, horribly mangled. The Italian
hips then steamed off. first toward
'ripoli. then placed themselves DIR
city opposite our house and looked
3 though they might be planning
, land troops IN the cove below our
ouse. But instead, one waited
'hile t..e other steamed right up TO
be mouth of the harbor again. find |
ig that the Turkish torpedo boat
ihich | suppose they thought they
ad finished, had steamed around
i'd taken refuge behind the harbor
raft. In about the time that you
ould spell 3, the Italian sent nine
lots rafting into It and that too
INK. That was at one o'clock. by
they steamed away.
never expected to witness ana
ear real war. May ! never again
ie are so used to the sound oil
Ilutos when ships come here, that
duh roll OF empty powder. But
lis rapid cracking sharp explosion
something that hits and the
nging OF missiles through the air
deadly and horrible We We're all
at the rapidity of execution,
lly few minutes, but the port
as strewn with mangled human
,ings. the quay was considerably |
'oken, the new part OF the Custom
ouse was smashed, the tiles ot
e roof being tilted up like the rni-
ed feathers Of an angry old hen
he Imperial Ottoman Bank had one
all broken In; the Salonica Bank
as pretty well smashed and the
entsche Palestina Bank had
lie in It's foundation wall. But !
'lieye none OF the banks lost any
oney. The gentlemen say II Is
1nderful indication OF the accuracy
the Italian aim thai so little
mage was done. The Moslems
re are furious that they shot into
q port but Of course they gave
en- full warning TO steam out and
was the most culpable carelessness
the part OF the local authorities
al they did MOI clear their own
rt Of people or course the truth
's that they had lost their head
mob had at once attacked the /
tracks demanding arms, and ae- !
riding 10 fatal custom al such d
mes, they yielded aud gave out /
antilles OF Martini rifles. The {