The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-05
MILES PLEADS FOR
HELP FOR BULGARIA
Former Head of the American
Army Tells of Sickening
Scenes at Sofia.
PEOPLE ARE STARVING
Money, Clothing and Food
Desperately Needed by the
Vanquished Bulgars.
Rv In,erna,ionsl News Service.

BY international News Service.
NEW YORK. Jan 4.-'If our peopl'
realized the extreme misery of The peo
pie of Bulgaria today they would literal
IL flood that unhappy land with relief
Thus spoke General Nelson A. Miles
retired today at the Union League club
wiere he is staying while on visit tc
the city. The rIgors OF severe winter
he said. add TO The terrible plight OF
thousands OF wounded and dying soldiers
and their homeless and starving fami
lies.
"The scenes / witnessed last July In
Bulgaria were actually worse than any
thing l ever saw I'm my experience as a
soldier" said General Miles. "The whole
kingdom Is Frustrated. The Bulgarian
people are actually starving.
LAS an officer OF the Red Cross /
urge the American people 10 send now
all they can give TO aid the victims OF
the terrible tragedy In Bulgaria
Money. clothing and food are desper-
ately needed Bulgaria has been de-
vastated by the most unreasonable. un-
tustifiable waste or life and treasure or
any OF the five wars ] have seen; She
win rise again because her people are
energetic and OF a high patriotic spirit.
but she needs helping land.
Enormous Losses.
when the war between Bulgaria and
servia began il was a clash OF ma tions
that few weeks before had been close
~ allied in fighting Turkey Bulgaria
had borne the brunt OF the Turkish war
and had lost $4,000 killed and wounded.
within few. weeks time she lost more
than 10000 killed or wounded.
with Bulgaria and Servia at war, Ru
mania evidently thought II would be a
lrNZ tn F.Nt af~, aof- Oh.
modified her army and moved 2000 900
men across the Blue Danube, occupying
territory that always belonged TO Bull
Earia. In fact, Rumania moved her army
up within thirteen miles OF Sofia, the
capital.
''At the same time Turkey renewed
hostilities and moved back, reoccupying
Adrlanople and other strategic points, In
Guiding most OF the territory she had lost
In the late war.
This all resulted in Bulgaria. a ter
iitory about equal TO the size of New
York. being surrounded by a Gordon of
four armies numbering at least 1 900, 900
men. Under such conditions there was
only one thing for Bulgaria TO do--to ac-
cept the terms Of her enemies. however
unjust and humillatlng they might be,
Pitiable Condition.
While in Sofia saw $1,000 disabled
men brought back from the army into
the city. The permanent hospitals and
all the temporary ones were overcrowd-
ed, while 1000 men without shelter from
the sun or min had TO lie on the fields.
The soldiers who were seriously disabled
were left on the bettlefields TO die. Thou
sands OF them perished In that way.
II saw. myself. in different parts OF the
territory al least 100. 900 refugees who
had fled from the atrocities of the hostile
armies wandering about without food or
shelter. All the able-bod!ed men weIe
swerr Into the Bulgarian army, leaving
The crops unharvested. excepting what
work could be done by women and old
men.
From their ruined homes some of the
refugees Travelled $50 miles to reach
safety in Sofia. women carrying thelr
llttle children on their backs
Homes were burned. belongings OF
families DESTROYED in a twinkling, The
queen of Bulgaria in the garb OF n Red
cross nurse. went about the hospitals In
sofia trying 10 alleviate the suffering
Her gentle ministrations helped immense
".
Now Bulgaria must he lifted up and
our people ought to pause long enough
20 do their part. ! do not think they
wfli fail"