Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-02
HORRORS OF THE CONFLICT
Story of Atrocities Perpetrated by
the Allied Forces.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN SLAIN
Demand of Houmanians for Com
pensation Discussed-Greeks'
Heavy Sacrifices.
By Wolf Won Schierbrand.

By Wolf Won Schierbrand.
VIENNA. January 20. 1913.
The AustrO-Hungarian monarchy is still
in the throes of the war fever. OF course.
the renewal Of the triple alliance on the
old terms has done much to tranouillize
excited public feeling, although the re-
newal itself was not much more than a
matter of form. for every body had looked
upon 1t as foregone conclusion. Still,
with Germany and Italy to back her up,
this nation holds that she is secure against
sudden and unpleasant surprises. Cen
eral appreciation. not only in polit-
zeal but in wider circles. is here very
strong because of Germany's unvarying.
steady and single-handed support of the
Austro-Hungarian policy in this nefarious
Balkan trouble and the ties of affection
that bind the Danube to the Spree have
been correspondingly strengthened Lead
ing journalists in both portions of this
monarchy have pointed out during the
last few weeks that Germany's splendid
faith and assistance were unmatched on
the other side-i.e., the side of the triple
entente. where all the members had par
ticular axes OF their own to grind.
Stagnation Of Business.
Thus. while it is true that Austro-Hun-
gary at this juncture does not fear a
general embodiment in the wake of the
Balkan struggle. long incertitude as to its
ultimate outcome, and complete stagna-
ton of the hitherto fourishing business
with those states. have led to a lingering
crisis which paralyzes trade and industry.
/ hear that the export business from Aus
tria toward the entire east has come to
an almost complete standStill. Vienna,
Graz. Agram, Prague. Brunn and Reich
enberg are particularly affected thereby,
but so are Trieste and Ffume. the two
harborS nearly monopolizing oriental tran
sit for the monarchy. One manufacturer
of hardware in Bohemia wrote me that
his business had declined from 6O00. COO
kronen per annum to less than 100. 0OO
With the rencOrous animosity now sub
sisting between Servia and Austria-Hun-
gary, curious fact deserves mention.
At present and for some time past it is
Bosnian regiment, each man wearing
the red fee. that Is enjoying the high
privilege of safeguarding the life and
security of the aged emperor, Francis
Joseph. and that is mounting guard in
the HOfburg. the imperial residence here
Now. these Bosnians are by race Servians.
also by language and tradition. They be-
long to the 100000 Serbo-Croatians nv-
ing under the shelter Of the double eagle.
Alleged Atrocities.
English-speaking Christendom has, Of
course. been immensely Influenced in this
Balkan war by the attitude Of England
and the English press toward the bellig-
erents. But has it really been a war of
liberation? Or merely a war Of conquest,
one In which the so-called Christian ag-
gressOrs were not a whit more civilized
than the Moslem Turks? There seems to
no mnch oVfdenCcs fandfpO tn oh IA
latter. 1 have carefully collated data
gathered by the Turkish co1suls in Vi
emma and Budapest, as well as by the
austrian cOnsuls in Ueskub. Prisrend,
kumanOwa. Mitrovitza, Cavalla and other
points. These demonstrate clearly that
on the part Of the Balkan allies the whole
war has been carried on with a ruthless
cruelty and a fiendish brutality that have
seldom been eQualed in history.
I do not wish to repeat all this detailed
information Indeed. much of it is unfit
for print), but few facts taken from
the mass Of discriminating atrocity will
tell their own tale:
The Albanians have Jared badly with
the Servians. The Austrian vice consul
In Mitrovitza, L. Won Tahy, was eyewit-
meas to their being massacred wholesale
by the Servian troops. Servian journals
preached determination of all Albanians
In Prizrend all Albanian men. women and
children were slaughtered. The same was
done in Ceskub. kumanowa and Veles,
and in the River Vardar the Albanian
corpses drifted by thousands for weeks.
man by the Servian soldiers on their
transport to Nish and Belgrade.
Wholesale Massacres Reported.
The Bulgarians did even worse. Fero-
cious Bulgarian bands-so-called Komi-
tatchiss-put to death, mostly with great
tortures. more than half the Moslem
population of the vilayet Of Saloniki, in
all some 10000. Only those were spared
who embraced the Greek orthodox faith.
They behaved similarly in the vilayets
of Menlik, Demirhissar. Strunitza. Os-
manye. Sores and Petrici. In Radovista
and Avrathissar not single Turkish
> person escaped the sword or rope. In
Sores 1900 Turkish women who mad
sought refuge in the mosque were roast
ed TO death. In Saioniki, after its cap
ture, both Greeks and Bulgarans be-
haved like bloodthirsty monsters Not
only the Moslems, out III like manner tine
Jews were dealt with in a spirit Of
Destiality. At Jewish funeral in the
shot to death. The synagogues were
broken into and pillaged. Two hundred
and fifty Turkish soldiers. prisoners Of
war, were butchered. The powder maya
zine in Saloniki was blown up. 80 Turk
fsh prisoners meeting their doom on this
occasion. For weeks the path leading
along the railroad between Saloniki and
Florina was incumbered with the mutt
lated bodies OF old men, women and chill
dren murdered to safe the craving for
b,ood-women strangled with their own
long hair. children with eyes gouged out
and tongues slit, men Gecapitated, suck
Erg babies cut in two
Are these the champions of the Chris
tian world? Are they "liberating' their
brethren? And liberating into what
ney- tate"
Demand of the Roumanians.
During conversation l had with the
former Roumanian secretary of war, Gen.
Argentojano, at present il Vienna. this
gentleman made several statements
which show the Roumanian demand for
"compensations" in somewhat new
light. The rectifcation OF the Dobrudja
frontier. he said. asked for by Roumania,
dates from the Berlin congress of 1873,
and is therefore by no means a recent in
Vention.
THAT these demands are just and equi-
table. he stated. was then and Is now
admitted by ali the powers. These de-
mands are reiterated at this time and
Will be. il need be. enforced. because Bull