The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-03

The situation OF Turkey, when these
first rumors of an allied b~ombardment
reached US, was fairly desperate. on
all sides there were evidences Of the
fear and panic that had stricken not
only the ropulace. but the official
classes Calamities from all sides were
spparcntly closing in on the country
In 10 Jan. /. 1915. Turkey had done
nothing to justify her PARTICIPATION In
the war, on the contrary, she a met
defeat practically everywhere. llleWal,
a. already recorded, had left Constant
tinoplc as the prospective ~.'conqueror
Of Egypt but his expedition udu
proved 10 he a bloody and Illuminating
failure. Euver's attempt to redeem Inc
Caucasus from Russian rule had re
suited in an even more frightfu. mlIi-
tary disaster, lie had ignored the al
vice OF the Germans, winch was 10 ltt
the Russians advance to Stvas ana
make his staud there. and instead he
had boldly attempted to gain Russian
territory in the Caucasus. This army
had been defeated at every point, nut
the military reversCs did not end its
sufferings. The Turks had "A most in
adequate medical and sanitary service
typhus and d~ysentery broke out ,u all
the camps, the deaths from these dis
eases reaching loo, OUO men Dreadful
stories were constantly coming I'm. toll
ing Of the SufftringS of these soldiers.
That England WAS preparing an IN
vaSion Of Mesoputamta was well known,
and no one at that time had M Foa
son to believe that il would not sue
coed. Every dHy the Turks expected
the news that the Bulgariaus had de
Clared war and were marching on Con
s~tantinople, and they knew that such
an attack would necessarily bring in
Rumania and Greece II was no diplo-
matte secret that ltaly was waiting
only for the arrival ~ warm weather
to Join the allies. At the moment the
Russian fleet was bomhardiHg Trrhi-
zond, on the Black sea. and was daily
expected at the entrance to the liUs-
porus. Meanwhile the domestic sit
uation was deplorablc, all over Tur-
key thousands Of the popularc were
daily dying Of starvation, practically
oil ahle-hodied men had been taken
into the army. so that only a few were
left TO tin the fields. the criminal
acquisitions had almost destroyed all
business, the treasury was in q more
exhausted state than normally, for the
closing Of the D~ardanelles and the
hloCkading Of the Mediterranean ports
had stopped all imports and customs
dues, and the increasing wrath of the
people seemed likely any day to break
out against Talaat and his associates
And now. surrounded by ]increasinI
troubles on every hand. the Turks
learned that this mighty armada oI
England and her allies was approach.
ing, determined to destroy the defense,
and capture the city. At that time
there was no force which the Turks
feared so greatly as they feared the
British fleet, Its tradition OF severa
centuries of uninterrupted victories hac
completely seized their Imagination. Il
seemed to them superhuman-the on,
overwhelming power which it wa!
hopeless to contest
Wangenheim and also nearly all o
the German military and naval forces
not only regarded the forcing Of tn,
Dardanelles as possible, but they be
lteved 1t to be inevitable. The posi-
putty or British success was one o
the most familiar topics Of discussion
and the weight OF opinion, both la,
and professional, inclined In favor O
the allied fleets. -Talaat told me tina
an attempt to force the straits woul
succeed-it only depended on England
Willingness to sacrifice a few ships. Tn
real reason why Turkey had sent
force against Egypt, Talaat added, WI
30 divert England from making an q
tack on the Gallipoli peninsula. II
state OF mine hat existed Is shown /
the fact that, on January lst, Il
turkish government had made prepnrt
tons for two trains, one Of which W.
10 take the Sultan and his suite
Asia Minor, while the other was n
tended for Wangenheim, Pallavicin
and the rest Of the diplomatic corp
on January 2. | hAG an iItuminatiu
talk with Pallavicini, lIe showed III
a certificate given him by Bedrl, tn
project OF police, passing him and h
secretaries and servant on one of thcs
hInAFGRnTV trains Has NJgN lnl aA.
tickets for himself and all Of his suit,
He said hat each tram would hay
only three cars, SO that IT could NAL
great speed; he had been told to hay
everything ready to start at an hour
notice. W~angonheim made little IA