Serbia and Bulgaria

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 284, 16 November 1923, Page 5

Serbia and Bulgaria

The Kristitch Incident A CILBERTIAN EXPLANATION. QUARREL, AMONG RIVALS IN LOVE. (By Gable.—Press Association.—Copyright.] (Received IG, 10.45 a.m.) London, Nov. 15. The “Daily Express’s” Sofia correspondent says that a servant girl’s love affairs nearly caused a Balkan war last week. This is established by an official inquiry into the attack on Colonel Kristitch'. Kristitch’s soldier servant was. fond of a maid employed in a neighbouring house. She had two other lovers, both Bulgarians, and the three rivals met in a wine shop. The Serb boasted that he had won the girl’s affections, and the Bulgarians decided bn revenge. Later, when the three were not over-sober, they went to Colonel Kristitch’s house. While the Bulgarians ~ were attacking the Serb, Colonel Kristitch arrived and was struck in the general scuffle. The assailants disappeared. All sorts of theories based on high politics have been advanced to account for the outrage against Colonel Kristitch. The most popular is that it was an attempt by Btilgairian agrarian Communists to make trouble by em- . broiling the Government with Jugoslavia.

The case will shortly go to the International Court at The Hague, which has to assess the damage Jugo-Slavia suffered.—(A. and N.Z.)

It was reported last week that serious complications were likely between Jugo-Slavia and Bulgaria as the result of the attempted murder of Colonel Kiri stitch, the Jugo-Slav military attache ah Sofia, who was attacked in his house by three men whom a soldier orderly unsuspectingly admitted. When Colonel Kristitch appeared two of the men fled. The third one three times futilely attempted to fire a revolver. The two commenced to struggle and Kristitch was knifed in the eye but escaped. He stated that his assailants were Macedonians.

The population of Belgrade were indignant at the news of the affair, and the Cabinet decided to demand an apology with full guarantees for the future.

The Bulgarian Government, replying to the Serbian ultimatum, accepted the conditions, and declared that Bulgaria was not responsible in any way for the trifling incident, but that it was necessary to bow to superior force.