Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-06-18
CREEK REFUGEES
TELL OF OUTRACES
Colony Near Saloniki Victims OF
Dire Atrocities in Last
Five Years.
TURKS And BUlGARS CRUEL
Forced to Live In Open Fields or In
Duqouts and Driven Hither and
Yon by Enemy-Are Grateful
to United States.

Saloniki.-High upon the hills OF the
bustling' Macedonian city is a pic
turesque settlement where 5000
Greek refugees, driven from Asia
Minor by the massacre of 1914, make
their homes Hundreds Of other
Greeks who were interned by the Bull
garians In Dobrudja during the war
have joined them recently. The
houses in this refugee camp were con-
structed by the Greek government. A
space equivalent to q large New York
furnished room Is allotted to fam
lily of from five to eight
The settlement has been given the
pretentious name of "The Quarter Of
the Triumvirate" In honor of Greece's
three great modern patriOts-Premier
VenizelOs, Admiral Kountouriotis and
General Danglais, who, repudiating
King Constantine espoused the cause
of the allies when Germany sought to
win over the Greek army.
Grateful to United States.
Many of the people have been
helped by the American Red Cross
and speak gratefully of the United
States and its people.
AS the Associated Press correspond
ent was visiting the village, two OK
carts loaded with Greek refugees who
had been driven by the Turks from
the villages along the sea Of Marmora
In 1913 and 1914, and who, during the
present war, were expelled from Mace
donna by the Bulgars, made their way
slowly up the steep mountain road
T The refugees had just come from
Dobrudja, to the south of ROumaAia
where they were practically exiled by
the Bulgars. They had been nearly
two months on the way, and virtually
all the food and aid they got came
from the American Red Cross, which
has relief posts along the line leading
from Bulgaria into Macedonia. Many
were little tots from one to five years
old The wonder was how these lit
tie ones, sickly and under-nOurished
were able to survive the long trip by
train, mOtortruck and OK cart.
The faces of these returning refu
gees wore an inexpressibly sad and
harrassed look. For five years they
were driven hither and yon by Turk
and Bulgar, and had never known
what 1t was during that time to have
a roof and shelter. Under the Bulgars
they were forced to live in the open
fields or In dugouts or stables Eight
cen hours a day at hard labor under
constant intimidation was the lot OF
some of them. Three-fifths of Q
pound Of black bread day was the
pitiful recompense they received from
the Bulgars. Often those too weak te
work were beaten by their ruthless
masters.
One refugee declared to the CORE
spOndent that at one time there were
more than sixty deaths day among
the refugee colony In Dobrudja from
malnutrition, exhaustion and expos
ure. In certain sections, he said, the
Greeks were forced to live largely on
the rinds Of watermelons which the
Bulgarian soldiers threw In the
streets.
Tell Bitter Experience.
The older residents of this refugee
Suburb" of Saloniki, most Of whom
had fled from different parts of Asia
Minor during the wholesale massacres
there in 1914, have bitter experiences
to relate about their treatment by the
Turks. Some of these people lived In
the city of Phocis, where the whole
Christian population either had been
driven out or were killed by the Turks
The women wept as they told about
the outrages of the Moslems. The
worst story was that told by an intel
lIgent peasant woman, who declared
that In a butchershOp opposite hel
home in PhOcis she saw the Turks
take young girl who was considered
The most attractive in town and cut
her body into pieces. They hung the
pieces on meat hooks and offered
them for public SALE she said, to show
the Turks contempt for Greek Chris
tians.
What most impresses the eye of the
visitor In speaking with these unfOr
tunate people is their sad, wan and
furrowed faces. They have beer
driven about by the invading foe
until they have reached the point al