Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-07
.DEN|ESBULGAR|A
BROUGHT ON WAR
Prof. Stephanove Charges a
Conspiracy to Blacken
Country's Name.
ASSERTS FORMER ALLIES
| FEARED GROWING POWER
Lays Atrocities in Thrace at th,
Door of the Greeks end
Seryians.
Special Correspondence OF The star.

y-
Special Correspondence Of The Star.
NEW YORK, September s. 1913
Constantine Stephanove, professor OF
English literature in the University of
Sofia, Bulgaria, has written letter to
friends in New York in which he de-
tends Bulgaria from the allegations free
ly made against her that she was the
aggressor in the latest Balkan war, and
that Bulgarian troops have committed
a series of atrocities in southeastern
Europe.
The letter is dated Sofia, where Prof.
Stephanove resides. and was written in
August shortly after the conclusion Of
peace at Bucharest. The writer begins
by describing the isolation in which Bull
gara had found herself for several
weeks past Her enemies. Servia, Rou-
mania. Greece and Montenegro con-
spired to make 1t practically impossible
for Bulgaria to communicate with the
outside world during the first months of
the lighting, taking advantage of this
condition to circulate abroad a number
Of misleading and even mendacious
statements concerning the progress of
the war. all rejecting on Bulgaria.
Tells of secr.t Treaty.
He then outlines the secret treaty con-
cluded last May between Turkey and
Greece, by which Greece guaranteed
Turkey armed assistance for the reoccu-
patton of Adrianople, Turkey in return
pledging her support to Greece for the
seizure of Thrace. The conspiracy of
SeIvia, Roumania, Greece, Montenegro
and Turkey against Bulgaria is char
acterized as one Of the most complete
recorded in history, and a distinct and
notable phase of this concerted action
was the circulation of baseless and lying
reports, all destined to injure Bulgaria
| in the eyes of the world, and which Bull
garia was at the time powerless to re-
flute or deny. Continuing his interesting
presentation of Bulgaria's side of the
case. Prof. Stephanove writes as fol-
| lows:
1.-The charge that Bulgaria was the ag-
gressor in this warfare in which her
| former allies were arrayed against her, is
unjust and untrue. Bulgaria did her ut
most to persuade Servia to fulfill the stip-
ulations of the Serbo-Bulgarian treaty for
| the protection of Macedonia, but without
success 1t was for the freedom of Mace
donia that Bulgaria engaged In the Bal
kan war. With her army still at Tcha-
talja and Gallipoli it was unthinkable
that Bulgaria should declare was upon her
former allies.
| 0u4Sd1lduS 4npI1SOASu.
"Servia and Greece inaugurated a series
Of cruel attacks, meanwhile, upon the Bull
garian population of Macedonia. Thou
sands were imprisoned and maltreated,
and many even suffered death; other thou
sands escaped into Bulgaria. Then fol-
lowed the Greek riots at Series, Angista.
Negritta, ETC., in which many Bulgarian
soldiers were killed from ambush by
Greek bands. The Bulgarian outpost al
Angista resisted, and in revenge the
Greek general staff planned the attack or
the small Bulgarian garrison at Saloniki
There were other similar skirmishes or
the border What could Bulgaria do:
She appealed to Russia, the arbiter of the
Serbo-Bulgarian treaty, but Russia re-
fused to- act. She appealed also to the
fpoWers, but her cry was ignored. Ser
via and Greece, fortified by their secret
understandings with Roumania and Tur-
key, rapidly became unbearable in their
attitude.
Part Of the Bulgarian troops at Adria-
nopIe and Tchatalta had been brought
across the border into Macedonia by June
80 The burning and looting of the vii
lage of Zleto, by the Servians, was the
first serious incident to provoke war. A
Macedonian leader named ArbeZa retail
ated on the Servians for this attack, and
against the regular Bulgarian army. The
Bulgarian troops retaliated and drove
their enemies back for a distance OF
twenty miles
Fighting Became General.
That same day the fighting became
general all along the border. Bulgaria
was attacked by Servians, Greeks and
Montenegrins. Against the entire Greek
army of 200. 600 men Bulgaria had barely
600 men under Gen. Ivanoff. Neverthe-
less on the first and second days of the
| fighting. Bulgaria routed her enemies in
fiicting tremendous losses
1.-The defeat of the Servians and the
Greeks was complete. when. to the con-
| sternation of the Bulgarian soldiers, there
came orders to stop fighting and return to
their original positions. The order was a
| fatal one The army cried bitterly when
| called upon to obey it. But Russia, who
| had promised to settle the differences be-
tween Serbs and Bulgars. had to be
| obeyed. Bulgaria did obey. but not so
| Servia The Bulgarian ENJOYS sent TO tell
| the Servians of the order We're murdered.
| Then came a furious attack upon the
| Servians, but MACEDONIAN volunteers
| saved the day. This was followed by
| general fighting. with no decisive results.
Gen Ivanoff made a successful retreat,
L
| Bulgarfans opposed to the Servians held
their own, and even captured 5000 Ser
vians Bulgaria crossed the Servian
border and seized kniajevatz, Zaitchar.
etc, and cut the railroad which connected
Belgrade and Macedonia
| Just as Bulgaria was about to exc
cute brilliant maneuver and admin
| lister death blow to her treacherous
enemies Roumania attacked her from
| the rear and seized northern Bulgaria.
At the same time Turkey sent troops to
retake Adranople. Roumania declared
1 Bulgaria must stop her invasion of
Seryia Shon of her strength by her
war with Turkey, Bulgaria had to con-
| cede.
Great Powers Intervene.
THE powers then interviewed, and after
a preliminary meeting at Nish an
armistice was concluded at Bucharest. 1t
| is now believed that a subsequent con-
ference of the great powers will revise
the Bucharest convention and settle per-
manently all territorial differences be-
tween the Balkan states.
| "A foreign diplomat has summed up
the situation thus: The Bulgarian army.
by it's brilliant success in Turkey, in