The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-07-29
Local. GREEKS
|EA'TCHCAMP
|N ASIA MINOR.
Hold Fine Opinion of
Greek King Con-
! stantine
Them
And They Hate the Turks
Personally and Ira
ditionally

Because they have walked over
Hundreds Of dead bodies Of infant
Greek children, victims Of Turkish
barbarism; because they are per-
sonally acquainted with King Con-
stantine, have talked with him and
fo1ght beside him in mud up
,atgpnd their waist, Fairmont
Greeks read with interest the news
dispatches telling of the success Of
SKing Constantine and his Greek
army against the Turkish nation
1lists in Asia Minor.
sManY Of US are old U. S. citi-
fzens-oEhers Of US get that dis
tinetion by fighting for Uncle Sam
in the recent war. Our interests,
l.of course, are here, but we still
jhaye a kindly feeling for our
mother country, and are anxious to
see our brothers in Asia Minor re-
IN n their freedom" This is the
Repression Of James Sekas, former
Madison street merchant, who came
to this country eleven years ago
and since that time has made FAIR
mont his home.
pemetrius Comuntzis, another
ilIghly respected Fairmonter, who
came to Fairmont many years ago
from Sparta, Greece, and who later
returned to his mother country to
serve 1S months with King Con-
stantine's army in the Balkan War
OF t912=l3 relates some astonish-
ing stories Of Turkish barbarism
which he himself has witnessed in
the cities of Seras and Drama. Mr..
ConnntzisS is loud in his praise for
KfSg Constantine, and likes to hear
.:IE Ele king spoken of not as a SOW
" Eatn but a "plain, ordinary man"
Mr. Gomuntzis has heard the king
tell his men that my bod.' is not
worth more than yours" and he
has mot only heard the king make
such Statements but has seen him
do things which indicated that he
meant what he said. In one week
that C Cdmuntzis was fighting with
the king in the Balkan War, the
ssoyereis.l had two horses killed
from under him while fighting in
tthe fronS ranks. Mr.. Comuntzis
INSISTS that King Constantine is
mot a German sympathizer, but by
ne Joining the allies, thought he
was doing what was best Tor his
country. He realized that if we
had dsclared war on Germany at
the outbreak Of war they would
have swept down upon US and de-
stroyed our small country in o
singel week"
aWhen we come down to history
VA know that Constantinople is our
81 city, even by its name. Polls
fisGreek means city, and Constan.
tinople means Constantine's city"
James Sekas explained that most
of the people in Constantinople arc
Creeks, and the business places
are nearly all run by Greeks.
Mn. Comuntzis has heard his an
cestors tell of the conditions pre-.
yailing in their country when the
yihole Of Greece was under Turk
lii bondage from May 90, 1549 uT
until 1921; how the Greeks were
l. able to seclude themselves at time
under the soil, and there teact
their own religion and own Ian
f1,age, and thus retain the only
lfng reminder Of what was once
aSgreat Grecian empire.
He carries a scar on his fore.
head which he received in the Bal.
!. ..ikan War. When war broke out
he was in Alaska, but came back
"a his home in Fairmont and here
| was Joined by Nick Hrones, the
present proprietor of Main street
shaas shining parlor; Angelo
~ Continued on page four)