The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-10-21
BACK FROM BALKANS
WITH TALES OF WAR
Continued from first page1


aured to wear Serbian uniform and
Capt. Mallory's choicest souvenir OF his
experiences is complete Serbian mill
tary outfit.
Interesting Sidelights on Serbia.
The young captain entertains some
very pronounced views on the European
situation and to Times man yesterday
he enlarged upon them in an entertain
ing fashion. The Serbian army is COM
posed of very hardy men. giants as fight
ing men go, and capable of enduring
much suffering without murmuring. Of
fieers are competent, but the soldiers,
while courageous under the most exact
ing circumstances, are lacking individual
~ in intelligence. War has sacrificed
the very flower Of Serbia's youth, and
disease in the earlier stages Of the big
conflict decimated the ranks OF the fight
ing men. Women of Serbia did all OF
the work in the fields last spring and
summer and one OF the largest crops in
the history Of the nation was theirs to
harvest this fall.
Regarding the outcome of the greatest
debaele that has yet been chronicled,
Capt. Mallory says "The result OF the
war will be determined, In my opinion, in
the territory where 1t began--in the
Balkans" He believes that the allies
and the Germans are hopelessly dead
locked on the western battle front and
that Germany and Austria have little to
gain by their apparent successes against
Russia in the eastern theatre. If Serbia
II
Bulgaria at bay and prevent them from
conjunction of forces in the immediate
future, until the allies can hurry large
army to their assistance, he thinks the
issue in favor of the central powers will
be postponed indefinitely even though
overwhelming victory does not rest with
the triple entente.
When Capt. Mallory left Nish on his
return home Sept. 81, Bulgaria had not
entered the war, although Boardman
Robinson and John Reid, with whom
readers Of a popular American magazine
are familiar, and who were met in Nish
by Capt. Mallory, arriving from Sofa on
the last train that left the Bulgarian
frontier, told of Bulgaria's mobilization
plans. At that time, wien Capt. Nal
Tory was on the point of leaving for
America, Serbians were looking confident
ly to Greece and Rumania as allies. With
these two powers lined up on their side,
Serbians said they had nothing to fear.
Travelling through Greece en- route to
America in the late days of September,
Mr. Mallory saw preparations for war
going on everywhere. Young men from
the Greek village were fastening forward
TO re-enlist and among the middle and
lower classes the talk was of immediate
action should Bulgaria continue her war
like movements. Even then 100000
Greeks were massed on the Bulgarian
frontier. But German influences in the
Grecian royalty had their way and Meth
err Greece or Rumsnia has responded in
Serbia's hour of need.
The detection of the Balkan powers,
Capt Mallory lays strongly up to the
failure Of the allied expedition in the
Among military critics. he
says, the opinion prevails that Great
Britain and France should have aban
doned the campaign two months ago and
devoted their energies In the near East
TO making a display Of strength. Had
the star OF the allies been in the ascen-
dency in the Balkans two months ago, he
believes, Bulgaria would have cast her
lot with the triple entente and Greece |
and Rumania would not have remained /
inactive in the very theatre where, rs Mr.. 1
Mallory opines, the deciding issues of
the war are to be fought. The allied
experts made the mistake of
Turkey as a military /
power, Capt. Mallory goes on TO say, and
this was not the least Of a series of mill |
tary mistakes which have cropped out in /
the aftermath Of hostilities and diplo- |
matte intrigues.
In the course Of his interview, Capt. 4
Mallory exhibited a number Of camera
prints which he secured while abroad. /
Many Of them were taken in and about /
Nish and serve TO furnish most illuminat-
ing sidelights on the conduct Of military |
operations in Serbia. While displaying |
The pictures. the captain contributed d.
gerting stories Of Serbian resourcefulness
md daring. In one Of them he told of a
hand grenade which Serbian inventors
originated for the men in the trenches.
Enoased in metal with a percussion cap,
he grenades are slightly bigger than the
average mans fist. When the little bombs /
gere first distributed. the soldiers were
Iold 20 strike the percussion cap on q
stone or the heel % their rifles, count /
'even and then throw them. Evidently 4
hey were too fast, for the Austrians in
he trenches opposite learned 20 catch
hem and make quick return To the
Serbian trenches. where oftentimes they
,xploded with considerable force. After
! few days Of unsuccessful operations Of
his kind the men were told 10 hold the
rremades four seconds after striking the