Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1914-11-26

| WashingtOn,N Nov. 19.-WhIe re1Orts
| Of the captains steam launch OF the
! armored cruiser Tennessee being
fired upon BY Turkish forts at Smyrna
were confirmed in official advices TO
the navy department all action by the
United States government in the mat
| ter is being deferred until more com
plete information regarding the Incl
| dent can he obtained.
Through Ambassador Morgenthau
| at COnstantinopIe and from Captain
Decker of the Tennessee the state
| and navy departments sought to get
more detailed accounts of what l,ap-
pened.
Captain Decker's brief report to
! Secretary Daniels leaves a great deal
to be desired in the matter of furnish
! ing a complete understanding of what
has occurred.
| While officials here admit the grav-
| ity of the possibilities contained in
the incident, they earnestly hope and
| believe that it may be satisfactorily
and speedily adjusted with proper ex-
| plantations.
Count en- Turkish Friendship.
Officials here are counting on the
Turkish government to manifest a
! much less beIligerent disposition than
that of the Turkish military governor
Of Smyrna, who is believed to be re-
sponsible for the firing on the Ten.
nessees boat While Smyrna has
been for months hot bed of anti
foreign sentiment, the Turkish gov
er1'ment both before and after TUr-
keys participation in the war has
shown every indication of a desire
to maintain the friendliest relations
with the United States. 1t is believed
therefore, that the porte will either
disavOw the action at Smyrna and
apologize or else '@esent an expIana-
ton which the United States can &C.
cept without loss Of prestige or dig
nifty. In this connection it is pointed
out that the United States is caring
for Turkeys interests in several
countries with which she is at war.
Fears for u. S. Consulate Safety.
Real anxiety, however, entirely sep
arate from the incident of the firing
IS caused by the statement in Captain
Decker's report that Consul General
Horton at Smyrna is apprehensive for
the safety of the consulate. This
statement, it is feared, implies that
conditions in Smyrna are bad and
that the anti-fOreign sentiment which
has long been gathering there, has
reached a dangerous pitch. Further
information on this point is anxiously
awaited. There are about fifty Ameri-
cans in Smyrna, mostly missionaries.
Surprised at Morgenthau's Act.
Great surprise was felt here when
it became known that the Tennessee
had gone to Smyrna at the ambassa-
doris suggestion. This was due to
the fact that many weeks ago, when
Turkey Joined the war, the United
States learned that the harDor had
been mined end that foreign war ships
were desired not to visit that port.
The military governor of the port fur
tier declared that if Smyrna was BON
barded, in the event Turkey entered
the war, he would massacre all Chris. |
tians and destroy the city.
Officers here were satisfied also that
Captain Decker had no doubt that the
shots were directed at his steamer |
rather than they were merely being |
fired across his bows to warn him to |
stop. His use of the words fired at"
is regarded as convincing evidence of |
this feet even thought it is admitted |
that CAPTAIN Decker might have been
mistaken in his conclusions as to |
whether the Turks really were firing
at his beat CT not.
Says tennessee Bombarded Smyrna. |
Paris. Nov 19.-The Paris Hara;9's
correspondent at Athens teIegi apis |
tat it is announced from MityIeno |
that the United States armored CRUZ |
ser Tennessee lying in the pert of |
VuTlah asked the town authorities oil
Smyrna for permission to enter t. al
pert. The authorities refused to give
the desired PERMISSION. The Tennes
sees launch. nevertheless, approached
the outer forts Of the town and was
bombarded and forced to retreat.
tt ereupon the commander of the Ten.
nessee, according to the dispatch, an.
nopnced that if free ACCESS to the
port was not granted the cruiser
would force her way in. The Smyrna
authorities, fearing that the Tennes
s"e would bombald the town left for
the interior. The port of Smyrna i.
Carrisoned BY $4,000 Turkish troons