The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1913-01-03
CAPITAL SAVED BY
OTTOMAN BRAVERY
BuIgar Plan Of Advance Upset by
the Stubborn Defense OF
kdrianople
PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT THE WAR
Uncensorsd story by Frederick Palm
sr Tells How AllIeS Net Their
Match When the Turks Finally
We're Aroused.
BY FREDERICK PALMER,
star Correspondent Of the Chicago
Record Herald in tho Balkan War

star Correspondent OF the ChlCaDi
Record. Herald IN tho Balkan War,
Mgstapha Pssha The minarets o
Sultan Sellmi
NeedIe-like, I have seen them rise
over the indistinCt mass Of Adriano
pic from the distant hills, then al
substantial columns from the nearby
hills. and again so close from tbs
Bhelipro0f Of an advanced infantry
position that / could make out the
things on ths dome Of the greaI
mosque Itself.
The simple grace Of the minaretf
dominated town, and landscape and
siege. Weary drivers Of the wcarJ
oxe Of the transport and stlIl wear
ier artiIlerymen. bringing up ada
tioual guns through seas Of mud, say
them for the FIRST time as q token OF
defiance o. work unfinished Of bat.
lies ft' Fl. OBJ. ought, and Of lives yet
10 be lost
I~nfantrymen IN the advanced
trenches saw them Oh the goal
against a foe which had fallen back
without any adequate rear guard Bee.
ton, but which had begun to fight
desperately under their shadows
That Turkish garrison, as II with.
drew into the shelter Of itp forts,
seemed to ind something of the spirit
of old Sultan Selim tho Magnificent.
for whom tho mosque was named,
but with this difference: Sultan
Bellm was not given 10 falling back
on forts and mtnarcts He Hormed
forts; he vent ahead to plant new
Ginarsts IN the eoll Of C]hrtstendom
Rousss Old Turks' Spirit
From the first IN this war the Turk
took the defensive, from the first he
accepted 1t ns his part and portion Of
the campaign.
In bulgaria. whore many Turks still
live under Christian rule, we had
seen the Terrible Turk. the great
lighting man Of the past, whose soul
was supposed to be above lowly toll,
~ n newer Of wood aud 4 carrier OF
water He did odd Jobs IN the alb
senco OF the Bulgarian at the front.
Tho Hon Of the past had been trained
to dog harness.
All the early victories of tho Bull
garian army completed All Impression
OF q onetime lordly race demoralised
and %enervated, who retained only the
fatalism OF "Kismet, IN lta ]lexocon.
The warriors cry, For Allaht" was
lost forever But at Adrlanoplo FOR
Allah For the Minarcts, For the
Pndlsha!' rose again to the dignity
which abandoned bravery always com.
mands,
The sheer, Impetuous fearlessness
OF the Bulgarian, we'll drilled and
coolly manipulated, was the frat
great revelation Of the campaign, and
The second was how In the hour of
hopelessness, his desperation arous
ed the old qualities OF tho Turk.
Every situation, every development
In the a reverted TO Adriauonle II
was the nut to crack in the frat plnn
OF strategy Of the campaign. II how
cred over the arst army before
Tchatslja as n nightmare. II gtood
In the way Of the prompt supplies az
breaf and bullets for the arst army.
" delayed the signing of the armlp.
uce for ten days; it has been the
main subject Of contention before
the London peace conference. # was
responsible for the treatment Of the
military attaches, who saw nothing of
the war. and of the correspondents
who saw little.
War Hinges on A%drlanopIs.
Even our phlegmatIc little English.
speaking censor assistant At Mustn.
pha would lose his temper NJ tho
very suggestion Of any peace terms
with Adrianople still in Turkish nos.
session.
We shall have a revolution II we
don't get A~drianople" | have heard
many officers say
We shall not go home witbnp,
A~drianople," the wounded soIdi,rs
returning from the front kept repeat.
Ing
Such were the instructions which
Or nsuen, the Flihu Root Of the nal
kans, took with him to London Aa.
rianopie was craven on the minds ,f
his countrymen ny diplomacy he
must get a fortress which was mot
yet taken by force Of arms.
Glance at a map and you will spe
that The whole success Of the allies
depended on bottling up the Turk ON
the peninsula, 30 that all the Other
Turkish forces from Scutari to Adri.
anople. from kumanova to tIassono
should DO cut OF from communic,,
ton The Greeks, Serbs, and Mon.
tenegrins were the backs. The Rp,.
garians undertook to buck the line
bulgaria did not have to consider
a reserve army. European public
opinion and the jc~Rloustes OF the DOW
ers acted as efficient substitutes. for
the bulgarian military craftsmanship
understood that II Bulgaria were beat.
en- the powers would never permit
Turkey to take an inch OF Bulgarian
soil II was a case OF Heads | win.
tails | don't lose"
the Turks knew this. too. Il was
Care OF Broken Chin,