TREACHERY IN ALBANIA.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 61, 11 March 1916, Page 15

TREACHERY IN ALBANIA.

Simultaneously with Albania's declaration of war against Austria, .the Italian Censorship has passed for publication an Illuminating cable from the Albanian correspondent of the "Gazette di Veoesia." It appears that the populations of Tirana land Elbassan had been induced to assume a hostile attitude towards the incoming Serbians and .those of Northeru Albania, and to overt rebellion againet the Montenegrins, with the result that miserable bands of refugees were assailed, stripped, robbed, and massacred, amkfct rugged ravines, by semi-savage Albanian tribes. Two entire Serbian regiments were surrounded, decimated, and despoiled of 1400 head of cattle and "90,000 francs in cash. The bodies ot over half .the total male fugitives, civil servants, clergy, etc., littered the dreadful patii of the exodus. Moreover, the Austrian prisoners whom the Serbian Army had brought themselves underwent the ghastly * consequences of wholesale plunder of provisions by hostile tribes, for out of 70,000 prisoners captured by the Serbians barely 20,000 reached the Adriatic coast. The other 60,000 died of hunger and cold by the wayside after Tiloody fights among themselves to secure possession of herbs and roots and the carcases of animals encountered along the route. When the prisoners were drawing near Durazzo a strong force of Austrian agents pounced down and enabled scores of Austrian officer prisoners, of whom there were 700. to change into Albanian costume and hide in the neighbourhood, so that they might take the leadership of the projected Albanian revolt. The majority of tEese have now been traced and transported to Italy.