The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-06-19
BRAVE DEED OF TURK
HOW FISHERMAN SAVED A TOWN
FROM BULGARS.
BY Remarkable Feat Of Oarsmanship
He Reached the Greek Fleet In
Time to Save kavaia From
PilIage and Ruin.

Here is a dramatic story of war
which shows how a brave Turkish
fisherman saved the town of Kavala
from massacre by the retreating Bull
garian army. 1t is a graphic sidelight
on the horrors due to the reopening
of the war
ct have heard from an eyewitness
most striking and picturesque details
as to the way in which Kavala was
saved just in the nick of time from
fire and slaughter" says the Salonika
correspondent of the London Tele-
graph. "The mass of the Bulgar
army, in danger Of having its retreat
cut of from the north, had evacuated
the town, leaving behind only small
force of 200 men, commanded by a
lieutenant. with orders to burn and
sack the town next day. The terrified
people had hidden themselves in their
darkened houses, behind locked doors
and barred windows. Rumors had
gone about that the garrison quar-
tered in the fortress overlooking the
town was laying in large stores Of Pc
troleum. and that bayonets were being
sharpened and guns loaded. There
was nothing to hope for or to do; only
with unavailing curses and prayers
await the coming of death in its most
hideous form.
Through the pitch-black streets
Turkish boatman crept down to the
port. No boat was allowed to leave
the bay, patrols faced the quay.
searchlights flashed over the still and
on the gray stones, he loosened his lit
tie craft. crawled in, and, with muf-
fed oars. pulled away. None heard
him. and the searchlights playing all
around him left him in darkness. 1t
was, he says, as if a great hand were
stretched over him, and its shadow
lay around his boat
"He cleared the bay, and with all
his might and main bent to his oars.
Far across the sea, Is miles away in
the bay Of Thassos, lay the Greek
feet. Through the long hours Of the
night he rowed. needless of aching
arms and limbs, rowed for his life
and the lives of thousands who lay be-
hind him in the quaking town. In the
early morning the port of Thassos
opened before him. The great ships
straining at their anchors.
With last effort he pulled up to
the side, and the startled sailors hang
ing over the gangway heard a cry OF
warning. a cry for help, rise up into
the night: For the sake of Allah
and for the sake of your God, come
quick. for at sunrise the Bulgars sack
the town
'At morn a thick column of smoke
rose behind the promontory. What !
could it be? With beating, shaking
hearts they watched the nose of a
ship creep round the corner, a long,
low, gray thing with protruding guns
and tunnels vomiting smoke.
at was a destroyer. At the stern |
f1oated something they could not see. |
Yet. God in heaven. it was blue with |
a white cross. The next instant the |
bell was changing out a crazy. jerky /
peal, and a frantic creature was tear |
ing down the streets shrieking The I
Greek fleet, The Greek fieet,'
In one moment shutters were let /
down, doors burst open. and a shout I
ing. sobbing crowd rushed down to /
the sea. The destroyer had stopped. I
a boat was lowered, the captain was
rowed ashore. He hardly had time
to reach the ground before so strong
arms had caught him up and with
and With laughter carried
him shoulder high through the cheer
ing streets, while behind him, content
eddy nodding his red-fezzed head un-
walked the simple Turk
lsh fisherman who had saved the
tnWn-" u