The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-16
THOUSANDS FLEE TO
N|SH FROM BELGRADE
(By Associated Press.)

Nish, Servia, Feb. 16.-Nish,
normally q town of some twenty
thousand, has been transformed into
q city Of more than one hundred
thousand souls. The stranger with
in the city gates wonders where all
the people seen on the streets sleep
at night. The small public park.
as we'll as the two principal shop
ping streets. are as crowded during
the daylight hours as Broadway and
Fifth avenue on q late afternoon.
The problem OF caring for the thou
sands who fed here from Belgrade
and the northern communities Of the
country when war was declared has
been q difhcult one.
Every house with vacant rooms
was commandeered by the govern
ment but even this action failed to
provide shelter for hundreds Of fug-
i ftiAs from the battle districts. In
the dilemma n which servian peo-
pie found themseiyes the American
Red Gross mission came a. o vsrlt.
able God send. Everywhere the As
ISOLATED Press correspondent has
travelled he has encountered EVIL
dences Of good work done by Amer
lean citizens and has everywhere
found grateful appreciation on the
part Of the Servian people. This ap-
probation was ofifcially expressed
by M. Milosh Petronievitch. one Of
the admin istrators Of the diplomatic
press bureau, who speaks English
perfectly.
"Our constitution" said M. Pat
ronievitch, land all Of our institu-
tions are really modelled from those
Of the United States of America. and
some day we nope to be really an
American state here at the end OF
europe and the beginning Of Asia.
That, a. we'll ss the sympathy and
aid for our wounded sent US by the
American Red Cross during all three
Of our recent warn. accounts for the
very warm welcome we shall always
give to any American who cares to
come out and study US at closer
range. -..-s,----
1--WE are not 30 hospitable to all
foreigners. servis is more accus-
toned to having enemies than
friends. From the time the Serbian
empire came under the Turks in the
fourteenth century, until its liberia
tion in the early part Of the nine
teenth century Serbia as cut on ai
state from all the rest OF the
world. Her Turkish tyrants had but
one idea, to destroy the soul Of the
race. the memory OF it's glorious and
martial past, Of its aristocratic ira
ditions and OF its racial unity will
the other Slav peoples. Its chivalrI
perished in the great battle Of Kos
sova in 1899. Kossova is a vast plair
about 100 miles southwest OF Nisn
where the battle OF Turkish con
, quest between the forces OF the Sui
tan Murad /. and the Serbian EN-
peror tazar was fought in the four
, teenth century. This great battl
ended with the complete overthrow
of the Serbian empire and the fiv
|, hundred year domination Of tn
a whole Of southwest Europe by tn
Turks. This domination iGclude
all the peoples now comprising tn
Balkan States. Ali the sons of tn
noble Serbian families were carrie
OF to Constantinople to form tn
famous guard of the Janissaries
THEY were reared In complete ignor
= ance Of their parentage. and Wit
d but one ideal, the sultan. A certai
II number Of the great Serbian famili'
X escaped into Russia, Austria an
!. Montenegro. From these and SUI
70 sequent emigrations have sprung Il