13 Sep 1913: Troops Commanded to Murder and Pillage, The Express and Telegraph

express telegraph 13sep1913

ALLEGED TURKISH ATROCITIES.
TOWN AND VILLAGES BURNED.
TROOPS COMMANDED TO MURDER AND PILLAGE.
CHRISTIANS KILLED,TORTURED AND OUTRAGED.


The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA),
13 Sep 1913.

       The "Daily News" of London has been
calling public attention to the grave events
which  followed  on  the  advance  of   the
Ottoman troops from Chataldja and the re-
occupation of the  territory  wrested  from
them by  Bulgaria  last  Autumn.   The, ac-
count  given  by  Mr  Noel  Buxton  of  the
indiscriminate   vengeance   and  slaughter
wrought by the Turks was  confirmed  two
days  later  by  telegrams  from  Constanti-
nople, which  quoted reports from the con-
suls  of  the  Powers  in  Thrace  and from
the assistant  bishop  of  the  Metropolitan
of Rodosto.
         Subsequently the London journal re-
ceived   from a source which places its au-
thenticity  beyond question, a summary of
this  latter  report,  which  is of so terrible
a  character  that  it  has  been  necessary
to  alter  or  suppress passages describing
the worst forms of outrage.
      The assistant bishop was a member of
a  Commission  sent  out to investigate the
charges  of massacre  which  early had be-
gun  to  reach  Constantinople.  He had as
colleagues four  Christians,  of  whom  two
were  Greeks  and  two  Armenians, and  a
Turkish  mufti.   His  report  is  dated   July
25   and  reached  Constantinople  on  July
30.

             Bombs and Petroleum.
        "On our arrival at Malgara," he writes,
"we  saw  burnt   houses.     We  found  on
making  enquiries  that  the  Bulgarians left
on  the   15th,  and  had not done anything
wrong.   Then  Mehmed  Ali  and    Mustafa
Pasha came from Gallipoli  with  the   Turki-
sh troops.   They  were  met  by  the  popu-
lation, who saluted them. 
         "On July 17 the army commenced pil-
laging  the  houses  of  Christians.   At even-
ing   a  fire  broke  out,  caused  by  bombs
thrown  into  Armenian   houses   by Turks.
Petroleum   carts  went  about  the  streets
all   night,  and  soldiers  threw   petroleum
over  everything.   Panic  occurred;  people
fled   from  the  burning  quarter  to  other
houses,   but  were    fired   on  by   troops.
Several  fled  to  the bazaar, where thirteen
Armenians  and  five  Greeks, were  at once
killed.  At night  the  town  was  abandoned
to   the  troops.   The  bazaar  and many Ar-
menian   houses  were  burnt.    The   wind
changed and  burnt  some  Turkish  houses.
Nearly   300   houses,   of   which   67 were
Greek,   15  Ottoman,   and  the    rest   Ar-
menian, were destroyed.

                   Priest Tortured.
          "On the same day, July 17, the army
passed  to   Kalivia.   When  they  entered it
a   trumpet  was  sounded  and   an   officer
gave  the   order,  'Plunder   and  massacre!'
(Yagma,  Yakun,  Kessin).   Thereupon   the
army   dispersed  and  killed  all   the  Chris-
tians   they  met.    All   the   houses    were
looted.   A  priest  told  us that  they  caught
him  by   the   beard,  tortured   him  till   he
lost    consciousness,    and    robbed    him.
Women   were  seized.   An eye-witness tells
us he saw a  girl  jump from   a   window  to
avoid   a   Turkish    soldier.                  The
Canon   of  the  Greek   Monastery,  with his
priests,   took    refuge   in  the  belfry;  but,
seeing the danger, they   tried to  fly.   They
were   caught  by  the  troops,   and   ropes
were   put   round   their   necks,   but   the
canon had his throat  cut  at   once; a priest
was   also  killed.   The  village  and   neigh-
borhood    are    full    of   corpses  of  men,
women,   and   children.    Many    girls   al-
lowed   themselves   to   be  burned in their
houses in order to  save   themselves  from
the  soldiers.   Several of  the  victims went
mad.
        "Sakche was a hamlet of seven Greek
families.   When  the  army  appeared    an
officer demanded of  a  man  whether   the
hamlet  was  Christian   or Moslem, and on
his reply   gave   orders   to   burn it.   The
order was obeyed.  The   inhabitants   who
had not fled were burnt.
          "An eyewitness at Haskeuy said that
after    the  entry   of  the  army  he  heard
shots; many women and girls were  caught
by soldiers  and  were taken  to  a windmill.
Afterwards  they  were  stripped naked and
sent  off.   A   little   later  Moslem  villagers
arrived,  and  pillaged   everything   belong-
ing  to   the   Christians.   Then  fire   broke
out, and the village was burned.

                   Hunted by Dogs.
           "The Bashi-Bazouks had  many dogs
with   them.   They  hunted   refugees,  and
the Bashi-Bazouks shot them. Our informant
saw  Christe Lambro, a  notable,  who   had
had  his  eyes  gouged  out and his nose slit
because he would  not  say  where  his valu-
ables were hidden."
     The report gives details not unlike those
of  Haskeuy,  in  regard   to   the villages of
Thimitkeui, Kurtli and Temberitkeui.


The entire news report can be viewed at the source below


Source: ALLEGED TURKISH ATROCITIES. (1913, September 13). The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA : 1867 - 1922), p. 6. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article210112629

 

Note

More information about the massacre of Greeks perpetrated by Ottoman troops in the Malgara region in July 1913 can be found in The Persecution of Greeks in Turkey since the Beginning of the European War by Archimandrite Alexander Papadopoulos (pp. 32-52).  

In this source the following details were recorded:

At Rodosto: 23 Greeks were killed.

At Kalyvia: Wholesale massacre. On the 4th of July the Ottoman Army entered Kalyvia and began forcibly entering homes, firing at citizens and setting fire to houses. Many girls chose to stay in their homes and were burned to avoid being raped. The Abbot, the priest and an assistant were butchered. Wells were chocked with dead bodies. All houses were burnt. The church and monastery were destroyed.

At Haskeuy: The Ottoman Army entered the village on the 4th of July and began firing at men, women and children killing a large number. Women were raped.

At Thymetkioi: Ottoman soldiers entered the village on the 4th of July. The church was stripped and burned. All houses were looted and many were massacred. Women were raped. The village was burnt to ashes. 

At Kiourtle: Army entered on the 4th of July and for 2 days began to plunder, beat and murder the residents. They burned most of the houses and partly burned the church. Turks from the region entered and took everything including furniture, cattle and food.

At Temberikioi: The Army entered on the 4th of July and burned the church and 30 houses. They then looted and massacred many of its inhabitants.

 

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