The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-04-23
'SCUTAR| HAS FALLEN
INTO HANDS Of NICHOLAS

tory, was allowed to hand over his
sword to King Nicholas In person.
His aides surrendered to the Mont
enegrin commander. Non-combatants
were allowed to come and go at will
and the rank and file of the Turks,
when their arms we're given up. wera
allowed the freedom of the streets.
The taking OF Scutari is regarded
by diplomats here with the utmost
gravity, as 1t seriously complexities
the already strained European situa-
ton. BY capturing the Turkish strong
hold, the smallest kingdom in Europe
flagrantly defed the six great ma
tions and seriously impaired the har-
mony OF the concert of the powers.
With an international fleet. made
up of British, French. German. Aus
tria-H Hungarian and Italian warships,
and sanctioned by Russia, menacing
his coast, blockading HIS harbors and
threatening to land marines II he did
not desist, the imperturbable King
Nicholas went calmly on beleaguring
Scutari and finally took 1t. Not only
that, but he Immediately declared
publicly that he would hold 1t against
the powers with the same courage
that he fought for it against the OF
tomans.
BY taking scutari, King Nicholas
upset all the nicely laid plans OF tho
great powers for the settlement Of the
Balkan allies war against Turkey.
One OF the main stipulations of tho
triple alliance and the triple entente
WAS to give Albania autonomous gov
ernment, with Scutari for its capital.
Now the Montenegrins have Scutari
and how to dislodge them without
fighting the little kingdom is the nut
that the powers will have to crack. 1t
is believed that the willy King Nicn-
olas demonstrated that he would not
sell out" when he turned down an al
legged cash offer of millions to lift the
siege of Scutari. If that story was
true, 1t can hardly be expected that
the king will consider cash offer
now that his soldiers are in possess
sion Of the coveted city and vilayet.
When the powers first served mo-
tice on Nicholas that he must desist
he was quoted as saying:
Il will enter Scutari at the head Of
my troops or will never return to
Cettinje alive.
I'VE are fgf ting for our lives and
against starvation. We have to have
more territory. You cannot raise
grain on rocks. Death in battle is
preferable to life the way we have
been forced to live.',
i While all OF the six powers approv-
ed Of the international blockade and
4 five Of them have ships In the fleet,
1t is almost certainty that II any
power opened actual hostilities,
against Montenegro, 1t would immed-
lately precipitate complications that
might bring on the dreaded European
war, which every diplomat publicly
belittles, but secretly fears. What
solution the powers will now propose
lis a matter OF liveliest speculation
in every European capital today.
The capitol was thrown into utmost
delirious confusion when news OF the
actual fall Of Scutari was received.
Men, women and children thronged
the streets, reading newspaper bulle-
tins and war Office announcements.
Flags futtered everywhere and busi-
ness was at a standstill.
From the gay and joyous abandon
OF the Montenegrins, one would never
have guessed that the warships Of the
great powers of Europe were at the
very gates Of the little kingdom.
threatening dire consequences II the
army Of King Nicholas did not give
up the fruits of five months of hard
fighting; give UP victory bought at
the price of thousands of lives and
the flower of Montenegro's young
manhood
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