The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-11-29
GUEST OF KING
AT FIRST BATTLE
Nicholas Tipped Moses HOStiIl-
ties We're About to Bagi.
SAW OPENING GUN FIRED.
Diplomat, Returning Home, Gives
Graphic Desert ption of the Montene-
gro Victory at Detchieh, Where the
Great Struggle Began, and Tells of
Allies Preparedness For Long Fight

Great Struggle Began, and Tells of
Allies Preparedness For Long Fight.
G. II. Moses Of Concord. n. H, re-
| tlring United States minister to Greece
and Montenegro. is the first eyewitness
| Of the battles between the allies and
the Turks to bring back to this cOun-
try graphic pictures of the grim pre-
ciSiOu of modern warfare. He saw the
first gun Of the war fired and the first
defeat of the sultan's fighting men,
having been practically the guest of
/ King Nicholas
The attack Of the allies upon Tur-
| key was absolutely prcarranGed." he
| said. Every foot OF the campaign and
| the part that each Of the little powers
was to play in tacklinG their giant
reighbor and common enemy were
planned last May. At that time Sc
cret meeting of the military strategists
OF Montenegro, Servia, Greece and Bull
! gara was held in little town in Dal-
malta. Accurate information as to the
/ strength and degree of preparedness of
the Turks was in the possession of
these strategists. They knew just when
and whore to strike
Knew War Was Inevitable.
81 witnessed the mobilization of the
! Greeks at Athens and then the mobil-
cation of the Montenegrins at Cetinje,
the capital of Montenegro. Everything
! went as smoothly as a we'll oiled ma
chine, and even while the big European
powers We're saying peace could he
maintained the leaders of the various
little nations knew war was as inevita.
bic as the rising of the sun, because it
had been determined upon.
1.-TWO days before the Montenegrins
opened hostiities King Nicholas, the
much beloved monarch Of he little
state called me to an audience and
gave me an advance tip.
eff you will so to Detchich,' said
he, naming n little Turkish town just
across the border from Montenegro,
at 8 o'clock next Wednesday morn
ing you will see the first gun of vic
torious war fred
81 followed his advice and promptly
at the dot of 8 a. IN. big piece of
field ordnance belched a solid shot
across the valley to the Notifications
behind the Turkish town. The war
was on.
Instantly all the heavy cannon that
the Montenegrins had secretly moved
across the frontier during the night
and placed in positions previously Sc
lected opened up on the Notifications
and the Turkish guns replied. l stood
back with the staff Of General Martin
ovich, the commander Of the Monte
negro army, and watched the action
through field glasses.
Watching the First Battle.
at was grim. 1t was terrible. But
there was something tremendously in
spring in the sight of the two columns
Of Montenegrins moving forward with
the precision of a football squad ad
vancing the ball. Under cover of the
heavy artillery firing the two columns
pushed boldly up the heights toward
J the Notifications, deploying as they
went, and soon the roar of volley fir
ing supplied a steady undertone TO the
|
81 could see the rending and smash.
ing of the Turkish Notifications under
the exploding shells from the Monte
negrins' guns; watched the long line Of
white cottonball puffs along the para
pets where the red crescent flag waved;
followed the detached blocks of men
clambering up the heights, inexorably
closing in on the doomed fortress.
FINALLY, after about five hours OF
fighting there was faint cheer borne
across the valley, even above the roar
of guns, and l saw the Montenegrins
sweep forward in the final dash up the
slope to the parapets of the fort itself.
Soon II was all over. The red flag
wavered and dropped, and in its place
rose the flag of little Montenegro, while
bugles saluted It,"
Monteneerins Wonderful Fighters.
Mr.. Moses said he witnessed two
other minor engagements at Tuzi and
Tchipchamik and saw the preliminary
skirmishes OF the siege Of Scutari
"The Montenegrins are born fight
ers," said the retiring minister. "Phys-
ically they are such magnificent men
that anybody under six feet In height
is counted a dwarf General MARITIME
vich, the commander, is the one great
dynamo of the country-commande
secretary Of state, treasurer and every
thing else combined. He is a marvel.
"The first Victories over the Turks
were expected by the allies, but 1t has
been a great surprise to them as well
as to the European observers that the
Turks have not recovered from their
initial reverses. The allies expected
grim resistance, yet they have just be-
gun to meet II at the doors of Con
stantinople itself"