THE OCCUPATION OF LARISSA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10646, 28 June 1897, Page 4

THE OCCUPATION OF LARISSA.

[Timei Special Correspondent,)

LARISSA. April 26. Yesterday morning two squadrons of eavalry,-followed by the remainder of a brigade and supported by their horse but terlea, entered uud took possession of this town after a short engagement with co mnoh of the Greek renrgnard aa was not oeoupled in pillage or flight. Grnmbkeff Pasha, the German Inspector-General of Artillery (bat holding no aoiivo command), who had arrived a few days age, asked Edhem Pasha, to allow him to go from Tarnavo with ten iqaadroni and one battalion horse artillery, and he took Larlssa on horseback praotloally without any reelstanoe, strongly against Edhenva advice and without the Sultan's knowledge; so that Edhem Pasha was compelled to allow tbe place to be oeoupled, though apparently he had no intention of doing io, The remainder of tbe Greek army, after distinguishing itself by aettlrjg fire to the barraoks and looting tbe shops of the olvil population, in company with the revolutionary scam that rises to tbe top »t snoh moments, judged discretion more servloable than v&ior and fled pellmell. Even the dootora end the hospital ataistanta lef D their charges, some of whom died nutended and alone bsfore they were found out by the Turkish medical oifiolals, The Ciowd PrinOD indeed endeavored to restrain Use excesses of his disbanded Koldleiy and to prevent what might hove once been an orderly retread from lapslug Into the miserable dibAcle whose effects are now before ns. No donbt, ns a Ptlnce and a gentleman be did his best. Bat it In evident chat thn army nnder Ma onto, msnd was as lacking la organisation an it woa In real moral.

Tub puiitiou uioor the Sihembria, the enoleac Penen», was certainly cob a t-ood 008 from ntaotloal polat of view, and the laatant ihat Tawibvo bad Qoaliy fallen tbe fata of Laiiasa wan sealed, Bat some organised attempt to defend the bridge heads woald, at an; rate, have gained time end enabled the main body ct the army to retire to the heights at the southern end of the plain and to make

B9me dispositions for the defence of Volo and the rosd to Athens. As It Is, not only have the troops augraoed themselves as soldiers and oltlz9nß by sacklDg their own town and deserting their sick and wounded, but In their flight to the mountains they have left behind the greater part of their ammunition, many of their guns, nnd the boat of their war material, nnd hsvo divided an already dwindling force into two portions, either of wh'oli U Incompetent to support an attack from a Bingle column of the Turkish army, The latter has been moving up to day, and now two divisions Ho to the right, two to the left, and three ronnd the tov/n, while the lines of communication are strongly guarded, Elaspona becoming for the moment an advance base.

A more miserable fipoctaclo tbanLarlssa presented when I rode In with the cavalry yesterday before a single foot soldier had arrived it wonld be hard to imagine, and doubly atroolous as oiused by its so-called defenders. Mo*t of the shops were shut or broken Into, while in every home the name evidences of pillage met the eye— furniture, olothec, food, and wine Rcattered abont In disorder, much perhapß the hurry of flleht, but mnch also common bilgandoge. Yesterday evening and last night most nf tha Tnrklah cithers hnve been occupied in preventing any repetition of the same class of thine, find tb«y have In almost) every oase succeeded. Not that there have not been several successful attempts at plu'idering among the Albanian regiments ; but they have been isolated, and this morning two soldiers who bad been warned before were shot In the maiket • plaoc for disobedience to orders. Tfmffeat was instantaneous, and the commandant's exemplary aotlon shows better thnu words the discipline that exUts. For it is no small thing to restrain a large body of Ignorant, uncultivated men who have taken a town In lawful war from exercising what teems to them their right, especially when their enemies h»vn half drained the cup.

Security, however, will soon ba restored, for though the Bhopt are not yet opened the Christian merohants are coming back and asking leave to resume their ordinary vooatlons, and id 1b probable that In a few days the town will have again assumed its ordinary appearance- Until the Marshal arrives it is not known whether a provincial olvil governor will be nppolnted In Larhsa, or whether It will remain nnder the military authorities, bat in any case it will apparently enjoy some sort of order and reasonable tranqnlllty now that the restless babble has burst and vanished The Turks have conducted themselves admirably both as men and at soldier", showing qnieb obedienoe and kindness in addition to the coinage for which thoy are renowned, Tho supply arrangements have been perfect 1 , and Edbem Pusha's strategy, if a little Blow, has been successful ond care. A straight line drawn from Zsrkos dne Rash to the sen ronghly marks the territory he nan oooupled.