The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-02-14
THE WAR IN TRIPOLI

Tho many Of our people are interest
ed In the Turko-Italian war, very lit
tie about it appears in the press dis
patches, so the following clipping
from an English paper may be worth
reading 1t was written by British
war correspondent with the Turkish
army. and 1t is hardly necessary to
say he is no friend of the Italians:
Turkish Camp near Tripoli. Feb. q
Our camp at present has highly pic
turesque appearance, due in part to
the varied uniforms one sees, our own
men being often clad in clothes taken
from the Italians. Here one sees
trooper wearing a beautiful cut cap
tain's patrol jacket, there a swagger-
ing Arab strutting about in an Italian
military cloak and cape. Day after
day I hear terrible stories Of massacre
and cruelty, some of them doubtless
''colored." but there is only too much
evidence as to the truth of many of
them. One story was told to me Of
some hundreds of old men-non-com-
batants-found with their threats cut
and their hands tied behind them in a
mosque. While in the hospital tent
yesterday 1 saw a young girl, some Is
to 16 years of age. Her family and
friends were surprised by body of
Italians. and most of them were killed
before her eyes. She fed. but was shot
through the shoulder, the bullet pass
ing through the shoulder blade and
out through the biceps. We were per-
mitted to see the wound. though the
poor little thing was terribly anxious
to avoid our seeing her face, which
she held steadily averted. notwith-
<h4k ~
accordance with custom. With the
best will In the world 1t is difficult to
believe that a woman could have been
thus shot by accident, for the dress OF
the women is so distinct from that OF
the men that the unfortunate girl could
scarcely have been taken for one OF
her brothers or other male relatives.
White Flag sheIled
The white flag over the hospita
seems to be of little use, for we are
continually being shelled, and an aero
plane the other day dropped a bomt
dangerously near the sick and wound
ed. AS to the use Of aeroplanes IN
warfare, we have had a fair experience
already. One came up over us yester
day, apparently on scouting duty, and
was met by a vigorous sniping, which
did IT little or no harm. No bomb:
were dropped, but a heavy shell fir,
started almost Immediately after it:
disappearance from view. BY the way
the aviators deserve credit for thei
distinctly risky operations. Most o
them, I understand. are Frenchmen
but whoever they are, they run a risl
good deal more exciting than wha
they are used to "out ~Hendon way"
int he ~
coming in every day. chanting thei
battle songs. with strange saracel
music. There was a magnificent whit
Arab horse, ridden by the shiek VIII
led in today's contingent, and the maj
himself presented fine figure, hi
Oriental robes contrasting strangel
with his long, straight, twelfth-cen
fury sword, slung over his shoulder
We live in a constant roar Of shot an
shell, accompanied by the patter o
musketry, and the louder and NOR
regular beat Of the quick -firers. Gu
casualties fortunately have been slight
thanks to the friendly shelter of oil
mud walls, trenches, etc. These mu
walls vary from two to four feet i
thickness, and would stop anythin
short of 12-pounder The p1uc
which the Arabs display in rushin
these Notifications is really remarka
Bile. The principle is for the artiller
to make breach in the walls.
number of Arabs rush across the ION
OF our own artillery fire. in deadl
peril. and calmly crouch down be
meath our side of the wall to AVA
the opening of a breach. Once the doc
Is open for them, they know their bus
mess and they do It.