The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-18

rep"rtod frightful massacres and Il sys-
temetic prescription Of Moslcms. which
10 found typical of the Greeks muir
dcrous practices.
our document" says tho report
| SiVes particulars. village by village
OF the Moslems who were killed ana
rochcd. Our experience shows tina,
Hsts or this kind In the balkans are
| usually accurate. In the villages un
thcsc excuses seem to havo been the
work OF local Greek bands. The most
active or these bands was led by n
priest and warliko grocer. who was
Il member OF the bishops council. The
TURKS, indeed, accused tho bishop or
directing nil these atrocities.
The burning of villages and the
cSodus OF the defeated population IL n
normal incident. What they have suf-
Tered themselves they inflict on others.
one band. under II certain doncheff.
notorious guerilla chief, was sai0
10 nave burned 3i5 Turkish houses In
one day. smut up the men In inosoues
ana burned them alive. or shot them
1s they attempted to escape vol
untcer OF the Macedonian legion, who
convinced tho commission OF his re-
l'biiity, stated that while MARCHING
through Gumuljina he SAW, among
fifty murdered Bulgarian peasants
the dead body Of Il woman hanrin,
from tree and another with n younr
oapN on tho ground with their ewes
e"ugcd out. in spite OF these acts, II
is the opinion OF the commission that
real effort was undoubtedly made
10 check tho lawlcssness of tho bands
and "a deal with marauding on the
part OF the troops"
In weighing the charges made BY the
Greeks against the Bulsarians. which
nav" already become familiar through
the newspapers. the report says:
The Greeks. rs usual suppress nil
mention OF the provocation which the
inhabitants had given. The BULGARIAN
account Is silent rs TO the manner In
which their reprisals were carried out
Soth narratives contain Inaccuracies
and neither OF them tells moro than a
part of The truth"
I1NTRANAGANT STORIES
DESTROYED IN CASES
The commission disproved scvorn,
extravagant stories of the torture.
death and mutilation OF certain .nd,
riduals by fndinE them nlivo and in
good health. 1t also rejected M In
hcrcntly improbable and unvcrined ac-
cusationa made by some of the dinlo.
matte representatives of Greece In for
eiSn capitals that the nnycrs and ears
or women had been found In the pock-
cts of captured bulgarian soldiers
Ihcrc, nevertheless. remains, when
these manifest traverties of fact are
brushed aside. heavy Indictment
when rests upon incontrovertible evi.
denuc.'
This Indictment, which consists
main'y OF the events at Doxnto and
peml- Hissar. with the burning or
Scrr"s Is carefully weighed and invcs.
tipated In the report OF the commits
sion. which sRys in conclusion:
The case against the Bulcarians
Which remains after critical exarni-
nation OF The evidence. Is sufficiently
grave in each cnse the Bulgarians
Flas
case me accusation IS greatly cxag-
Hcrated, but their rcprisals were none
the less lawlcSs and uumeasurcd"
The coinmi ssson's Judgment on re-
ported excuses committed by the
Greeks among the bulgarian nensor
try was founded or vivid norra,irn.
told by cycwitnesscs. for whose vcrnc-
ny the commission holds Itself rcspon-
sun" An intelligent Bulgarian boy
or fourteen. who escaped the onslaurht
OF inc Creeks by feign!ng death. told
tho commission TINT he saw his ,no,b,r
shot and killed by Creek cayalrv.
man; that he saw his village burn ana
.nht Greek trooper had all hut killed
MIN with revolver shot and sabre
cut the marks OF when he bore Tho
Story was corroborated. and II was the
opinion of the commission that th. in
cidcnt was typical
evidence gathered regarding tho
N'!iaEe of Ahanjel! satisfied ths com
MISSION that although trio village sub.
n''tted from the first. II was sacked
ana burned; the Greek troona y,,,n
themselves up openly to a dchauch ar
iusl' ana that many of the peasants
"e'c killed wantonly ard wl,hou,
ProNocation. The mass OF evidence"
"ccoru!ns TO the report. goes to show
.na' 'heVe was nothing singular IN
INC cases which the commission I,.cIt
investigated. In one instance nun
oef OF Europeans witnessed the brutal
conduct or n detachment Of Greek reru.
i"rs under three officers Fifteen
wounded bulgarian soldiers took refuge
In the Catholic convent of polIortsi
ana were nursed by the sisters. Father
Al!oati reported this fact TO tho Greek