The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-04-26
Greek Refugees in
Saloniki
Many Hundreds Driven from
Their Homes by The Bulgars
and the Turks take Refuge
Here


Of the Associated Press)-High up on
the hills of this busting Macedonian
city is a picturesque settlement where
5000 Greek refugees. driven from
Asia Minor by the lnassacres OF
1914, make their homes Hundreds
Of other Greeks who We're interned by
the Bulgarians in DobrudJa during
the war have joined them recently.
The houses in this refugee camp
were constructed by the Greek gov
ernnlen. \ space equivalent to a
large New York furnished room is al
lotted to a family of from five to eight
The settlement has been given the
pretenticus name Of The Quarter or
the Triumvirate" in honor OF Greec",s
three great modern patr:ots-Prellllei
Venizeos. Admiral Kountouriotis and
General DanglaiS, who rcpudlatlnS
King Constantine. espoused the cause
of the allies when Germany sought TO
win over the Greek army. Many CT
the people have been helped by the
American Red Cross and speak crate
fully Of the United States and its peo-
pie.
AS the Associated Press correspond
ent was visiting the village. two OK
carts loaded with Greek refugees VINO
had been driven by the Turks from
the villages along the Sea of Mar
mora in 1913 and 1917 and who dur
ing the present war were expelled
from Maccdonit by the Bulsars. made
their way slowly UP step mounian
road. The refugees had just come
from Dobrudja, to the south OF Rp-
mania, 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 We're little tots
from one to five years old. The Won
der was how these little ones. sickly
and undernourished. We're able 10 Sur
vive the long trip by train, motor
truck and oX-calt.
The faces ot these returning refu-
gees wore an inexpressibly sad and
aarassed look. For FIVE years they
were driven hither and yon by T2@N
and Bulsar and had never known
what it was during that time to have
q roof and shelter. Under the Bul-
gars they were forced to live IN the
open fields Or IL dugouts Or sta Dies
Eighteen hours day at hard labor
under constant intimidation, was the
lot of some of them. Three-ffths OF
pound OF black bread a day was
tnc pitiful recomp nse theA. received
fror.? the Bulgars. Often those TOO
weak to work were beaten by their
ruthless masters.
One refugee declared to the cor
respondent that ut one time there
were moro than so deaths day among
;hc refugee colony il! !)obrudja from
( inal-nutrition. exhaustion and expos
ure. In certain sections he said, the
Greeks were forced TO live largely on
the rinds of watermelors which III"
bulgarian soldiers threw in the streets.
The older residents Of this refugee
suburb OF Saloniki, most Of whom
had fled from different parts Of Asa
Minor during the wholesale massacres
there in 1914. have bitter experiences
| to relate about their treatment by
the Turks Some of these people liv-
ed in the city Of Phocis, where tnc
whole Christian population either hat
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
/; intelligent peasant woman, who de-
clared that in a butchcr-shop oppo-
site her home in Phocis. she saw th,
Turks take young s:rl who va.
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 Christ ians.
What most imprcsscs III" eye Of tllc
visitor in speaking with ti1ess, un-
| fortunate people is their sad. wan and
| fllrrovved faces. They have been driN-
en- about by the invading foe until
they have reached the point almost
of despair and distraction.