TRIPOLITAN WAR.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 7, 19 December 1911, Page 5

TRIPOLITAN WAR.

SUGGESTIONS OF PEACE. [ PRESS ASSOCIATION — COPYISIGHT. ] ! Paris, Dec. 18. | 'Lt Temps” leni'ns that thcureiirels i of well-armed Arabs, splendid fight-j ers. are assembling 40 miles south ’ ward of Tripoli. : Constantinople, Dec. 18. The Grand Vizier is introducing a bill to enable tlie Sultan to dissolve the Legislature in wartime w.tnrest the Senate's consent. De <terne-1 that it was intended to diss-ilro. hut the hill was necessity to c>i,;')le lire Government to carry out mrereurr, of urgent importance. Th? to: et'-cst cf these was the conehtshm of p re. The latter remark caused a sensation. THE HORRORS OF MODEPtN WARFARE. GRAPHIC PICTURE OF THE FIGHTING. Stories have been frequent of the horrors of the Tripolitan war. Today wo publish a further sworn statement- by a M”. McCullogh, war correspondent of the “Westminster Gazette.” He says : — As a protest against the murders of innocent Arabs, women, children, and men. last week I returned my official papers as war correspondent to General Caneva. About . 400 women and children have been shot, and also 4000 men, of whom not 100 were guilty. Cripples and' beggars have been deliberately shot. REFUSED EVEN A DROP OT WATER. "Sick people whose houses were burned were' left on the ground and refused even a drop of water. I personally witnessed scenes of horror, and photographed them. There has not been the slightest pretence of justice. The Arab quarters were overrun by crazy soldiers armed with revolvers, who shot every Arab-and woman they met. The officers were worse than the men, and the army was demoralised. On the return of niy papers I was summoned to headquarters. but refused to consider any communication except through the consul, and no further attempt was made to communicate with me. I am now leaving voluntarily. Herr Gott berg, the well-known German military critic and v.-ar correspondent of the Berlin “Lokal Anziegcr,” took the same step. Every British correspondent save one leaves to-day (Saturday). The facts of the massacres are beyond dispute. Tins consuls have already informed their Governments. The scenes are worse than any Russian pogrom or Armenian massacre. Two pro-ftnlian Jews were massacred by mistake. ARABS MOST COURTEOUS OPPONENTS.

"The Arabs did mutilate corpses, but not till after the Italians began their massacres. The Arabs were at first- most courteous opponents, bringing in Italian wounded under the flag of truce. I visited the Italian tror.t of the bat tie on October 26, and found the soldiers paralysed with fear. Very many of the soldiers are now heartily sick of the war. The dreadful persistency pf the enemy day and night affects the soldiers’ imagination powerfully. Up to a few days ago, when heavy reinforcements arrived, the Italian line was in great danger of being rushed at any moment, in which case there would have been a mad, wild rush for the boats, and every European in Tripoli would have run a danger of being massacred. So anxious are the consuls still that they arc desiring the Italian Government to provide transports whereon Europeans may take refuge. GENERAL GANEVA’S ATTITUDE.

“General Caneva persists in regarding the Arabs as r.on-ccmbat-ants. He says he is fighting Turkey, and the Arabs therefore are not regular soldiers in uniform. and must be shot if caught with arms, whether under the white flag or not.

"On October 28 a small, brave band cf Arabs, who broke the Italian lines at Eumeley, was surrounded in a house and fought for 12 hours, till their ammunition was exhausted. They were all butchered, despite the fact that the white flag was displayed. Mortally wounded men in the battle-front would creep up to the Italian lines for the satisfaction of killing one more Italian before they should die. The Holy War has been successfully proclaimed. Bedouins from Egypt and Arabs from the Soudan are all joining the Tripolitans. Only an advance guard of 1500 Arabs is so far

attacking the Italians, despite theridiculous statements of the Italian papers that the cnemi’s losses arc i ho: i sand.-:. LITTLE AR A B VAN* li’A Pi 1 >'S VALOR. "The little Arab vanguaid i--arnrod with antiquated rifles, but fights so desperately that battleships, aeroplanes, seven field Latteries. nine mountain batter:-- '. 10 machine guiro. and an irofinit:-- supply of the best rlil: ::. and aiumunition are employed against them. Splendid land and sea search light s are sweeping the seashore and the desert. Deep trenches, wherein i:-. hide the wire entanglements. are made. ;’i'id ’ ii? ; -■ roe ',,op-hole-1 wails behind which rio-ich ever Italians, of whom MOO are perpiruaily in the trenches. Despite all these adi c.ntagt s. the Italians ai<pi act irally besiegeii. The lialiii:: : Lave retreated cn tiff- eiisi. so iiiei the Arab shai p-shocters in tlie d-iti-palms now rero-h the town with b?’-k-ts. 'i’ll!' ARAB SHARPSHOOTERS. "TI;? ci. ad ■•‘l wherein Genera! Caneva lives was Lit i»y a buiiei today. and ti'? Grriiiro and Airoroi • Conroi.rims Lav? Lro?:> rt pente!iro hit. A soldier was killed roero tlro-.-kmerica’i (‘oiisula* e ».v u Iftilh': fr.ro! an .road uring-lin?. Both the (k'-roim; and A•iro,in Consuls In:. abandoned their Consuiates ri:: J lave taken reiffitts in the town, an-i troybody ir. tlw roffiffis hi-s done thr jiiLic.

THE MURDERED LITTER THE OASIS. • “Great sh:*ll“ from the ships are constantly smashing the date-palms and olives amid wiiifh the enemy is hidden. Loud explosions ever.y day indicate tlie blowing up of bouses outside lire- walls. wherein night the enemy take cover. Soldiers refuse to bury the murdered Arabwho Htter the oasis. Tliere iterrible stench. The Arabs also r«save at the bayonet’s point ami consequently contagion is spreading fast. “The Italian battle losses are 1591). Three hundred dead and 500 -i wore .left on a hospital ship a few clays ago. Attempts are made to conceal ’these figures. They lie generally about- t lie position he;'?. Th'’y have -d officially Ire.ving executed 40 Arabs in one day: whereas L saw 50 men and children executed in one batch alone, and executions on a far larger scale are going on all around.”