Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-11-12
Story Told by Jean
RodeS, Celebrated French
War Correspondent, of Awful
PrivationS of Su|tan'S Army.
DESCRIBES RETREAT
AS AN INFERNO
-ong Lines of FamlShed Men
Beg for Crumbs Of Bread;
Wounded Without Medical
Aid; Horror of Retreat.

iBy Morning Journal Special Iensed Wire
Paris NoN. IA staff cores
pondent OF the Temps. Jean Rodes,
the war zone, sends Il vivid picture Of
The misery of the Turkish soldiers and
the disorganization Of the Turkish
army. He says.
We have witnessed the failure OF
tho Turk as a soldier We have seen
him dying of hunger. worn out by
fatigue wrecked by suffering and
running away after having abandon
ed his place in the combat.
II have never seen a more poignant
picture of human distress than that
presented by these unhappy men.
thrown into one of the most terrible
wars in history, without food. with
out medical attention. almost without
chiefs. almost without arms. And at
Seidler ! saw soldier whose right
hand had been severed, hold out to
u.s. begging for medical help. the
bleeding stump around which he had
tied piece of twine.
Il saw long lines Of famished men
who came to our tent begging for n
crumb of bread and staggering with
that we had none to give. saw
thousand leaving tran OF blood as
they dragged themselves towards
Tchorlu. | saw hundreds of others
fall hy the wnyside- diving from
wounds and fatigue.
AT Tchorlu, column of soldiers.
terrible In appearance, struggled
through the streets In a rain and wind
storm. No one paid any attention to
them. They had no shelter nothing
to eat. From a nearby bakery an Of
hcer threw out handfuls Of bread and
the soldiers fought for the loaves.
More than half Of them got nothing
and turned away, placid and weak.
''Al the houses were closed. Prac-
tically all the population had fled and
those who remained barricaded
themselves within, trembling with
fear The soldiers knocked vainly at
the barred doors. Groups, shivering IN
the cold, tried the doors of stables. to
seek refuge; even the stables remain
ed inhospitable Refugees smashed
iHtii way iItb SnppS anu utNpuTtu uli
they found, including raw vegetables
and candles and sucked at pieces of
greasy wood.
Il never saw such an image of in
ferno. one OF the most miserable OF
the wanderers succeeded In getting
into house where we We're staying.
drenched to the skin and teeth chat
tering. Take all my money; take my
If you will he cried but I
beg you to give me some bread
II questioned him. He said he came
from Asia Minor and had not eaten for
eight days. | gave him slice of bread
and chocolate tablet and he went
away to join the remnants Of the re-
treating army, where this was the end.
Thus did the Turkish soldier ap-
pear to me. He seemed to have no
understanding of the great drama in
which he was participating, but his
infinite misery and his horrible ami
NAL distress were enough to break
)nc's heart.
II do not know whether the accu-
'ations of n massacre are exact, but
SO far as | have observed. I can only
lffirm that not only have the Turks
committed no excesses, but I believe
10 army in the world under such
rightful circumstances would have
'een more moderate, more docile."