The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-31
REPLY TO POWERS
Montenegro Takes Negative
Stand on Representations.
Artillery Before Scutari Re-
ported to Be Active.

Cettinje, March 31.-Montenegro will
reply in the negative to the represen-
tation of the powers made collectively
today that an envoy of the powers
would convey a cipher message to Es-
sad Pasha. the Turkish commander
in-chief in Scutari, containing the
porte's orders to permit the civilian
population to depart.
This information, which comes from
an authoritative source, gives as a
reason for this decision that King
Nicholas has on three different occa-
sions offered to allow the consuls and
all the foreigners to leave the city but
each time the commander of the town
rejected the suggestion
Since yesterday the Montenegro
artillery on the main front before
Scutari has been developing great &C
tivity. The Turkish positions in the
plain before the town have been heav-
lily bombarded and the Turks have been
driven from their entertainments near
the river Kir by the persistent artil-
lery fire.
Report of Siege.
Paris, March GA correspondent OF
the Journal sends an account of the
storming Of AdrianopIe in a dispatch
dated Adrianople. March %. He says
the collapse, after a As hours assault
of the fortress, which had resisted the
efforts of the besiegers for five months,
is soon explained.
When the allies got within the
lines, the terrible forts, which were
supposed to have walls of concrete of
uncomfortable thickness. turned out to
be more or less imaginary. The So
called "indestructible" Aivas Tabieh,
the key of the defense, was really of
brick construction.
During the siege Shukri Pasha had
more heavy guns than the investing
armies, and by moving them was able
to crush the fire on all sides from
which he was attacked. The Bulgarl-
ans, however, conceived the idea of
attacking from all sides at once.
On March "a. General Ivanoff order
ed a general attack from all Sides The
only point where the fire was slack
was opposite Aivas Tabieh. There Iva
noff massed $4,000 picked troops. Their
first operation was to carry with the
bayonet the Turkish advanced posi-
tions at Maslak. The Turkish artil-
lery at Aivas Tabieh opened terrific
fire on Maslak and two Bulgarian bat
teries were wiped out.
The Bulgarians then unmasked so
heavy pieces and directed them on
Aivas Tabieh which soon became
shapeless mass of crumbling mason
ry-
Meanwhile the Bulgarian infantry
crept cautiously forward ready to rush
the fort, from which the fire practical
ly had ceased at nightfall
General Ivanoff ordered four regiments
to advance The Twenty-third got
through the barbed wire entangle-
ments by throwing their boats across
the wires. The Turks did not wait,
but bolted, abandoning their position.
The Twenty-third rushed into Fort
Aivas Tabieh, and Immediately the
Bulgarian field guns and mortors
rushed up and took positions. These
and the guns in the fort We're turned
on the other Turkish defenses which,
attacked on the flank, made slight re-
sistance.
In the meantime two Bulgarian reg
iments entered the city in triumph,
with colors flying and bayonets fixed.
At 10 o'clock in the morning Shukiri
Pasha, who had hoiSted the white flag
on the watch tower and sent out
flags of truce, to ask for a cessation
of hostilities, was taken prisoner in
one of the forts where he had sought
refuge, before any of his messengers
returned.
Turks Lose Heavily.
Constantinople, March 31.-The
Bulgarians left 1000 dead on the field
after the engagement Saturday west of
Biyuk Chekmedye, according to an Of
fetal report. The Turks also found
400 rifles and large quantities of en-
trenchment tools. Since this engage
ment. all has been quiet along the
Tchatalja lines as we'll as at Bulair.
The fall of Adrianople has caused
deepest detection in all sections, which