Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram. — 1877-08-24 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

WAR NOTES.  THE BALKAN TRAGEDIES.  ADRIANOPLE, Sunday Morning. Refugees continue to pour in. Groups composed entirely of women and children—faniine•stricken niji weary— are crouched at almost every street-corner. What is to become .of these poor creatures Not only Is money wanted, hut more ilet irs are absolutely needed. The injured women and children require constant and special medical attendanee. Most of them are suffering from niore than one wound, which in some cases are complicated by other physieal ailments. For instance, one woman I saw hail been shot through the body whilst she WU enceinte, and by her lay her babe only a few hours Mil. There was another case almost Its bad. Most of these wounded women have, as their wounds testify, been shot and sabred whilst acting in self-defence: bitt there are others with litilletasseinits in their hacks, suggesting that they were wantonly tired upon whilst attempting to escape. As if their brutality was not sufficiently damnable, the Cossacks indulged in appaling blasphemy on the occasion of these atrocities. There is abundant proof, for instance, that before outraging :Ind murdering the women they made the sign of the Cross on their foreheads. The following story was told me by one Mejanlich : During the Russian Decimation, after the second defeat of the Turks under Ramif Pasha, and before smeiro,,n Pasha's victory, the Muscovs entered and disarmed the Mussulman population, promising them that their lit-es should he safe. Immediately the news of Suleiman Pasha's victory was r,ceived, the Russians retreated, leaving the Cossacks and armed Bulgarians in possession of the village. The latter at onre gave full rein to their brutality. All the young women that could he found were outraged and afterwards killed. Even little girls of eight years of age were not spared, many of them dying from the brutality inflicted upon them. Any one who ventured to expostulate against these terrible outrages was inimediately killed by the Bulgarians. A cry was raised that the Mussulnians had risen. Then the bloody work increased. Old women who were supposed to have hidden their daughters were attacked and killed. At last tioo Circassians arrived. On their approach, the Cossacks fled and the Bulgarians skulked away. The Circassians were able to rescue all the survivors. It should be noted that the " champions of liberty" who committed the crimes above related made no distinction of creed. The Jewish families, indeed, suffered worse than all. The Cossacks were in the village the whole of the time over which these acts of cruelty were spread. and the Russian authorities could not have been ignorant of what was going on, as the detachment was continually relieved from Chipka. The whole story is cenfirrned by the Jewish rabbis here. The fighting in the neighbourhood of Kars, has been followed up during the evening of Sunday and on Monday morning. A reconnaissance of the Turks having been driven back by the Russians, the latter appear to have advanced on Sunday evening and taken lip positions on three heights. Hussein l'ael;a, at the head of a considerable force, advanced to dislodge them, supported by Moukhtar Pacha's cavalry, and such was the impetuosity of the attack that the Russians were driven out at the point of the bayonet, and pursued for some distance, the pursuit continuing at the time the Correspondent sent his despatch. The Russians have published an official account of the previous affair, which they represent as having been undertaken by them with the object of ascertaining the enemy's strength, and that it succeeded in this repect. The Turkish Government have ordered some fifty thousand men of the second class militia to form a new army of reserve at various points in Bulgaria. The most recent deliberations of the Russian staff at Bucharest have resulted in the expression of the opinion that operations should be vigorously resumed at once. A force of Turks and Egyptians has landed near the railway at the southern end of the Dobruilscha, and, supported by , some men from the garrison at Silistria, they contemplate an attack on the railroad, which is now held by Russians. ,