Macedonia.

Manawatu Herald, 7 October 1902, Page 2

Macedonia.

“ The Times ” states that as the result’of pressure brought to bear by M. Zimovieff, the Russian Ambassador at Constantinople, the Sultan has increased the Turkish forces in Macedonia to three hundred battalions.

Continual disturbances have been going on during the last few months on the Turkish frontier. A remarkable encounter between Turkish troops and Macedonian insurgents, which resulted in carnage altogether disproportionate to the numbers engaged, occurred early in August, near Gvadsko, a Turkish village near the Bulgarian frontier. The insurgents were preparing to blow up the bridge on the railway from Sofia to Uacub, when a detachment of Turkish troops, under Lieut;. Mahmud Nedim Bey, surprised them. The insurgents hurriedly withdrew, and entrenched themselves in a strong position wherein they could only be attacked on one side and under conditions extremely unfavourable to the aggressors. They numbered sixtyfive, armed with good rifles, two machine guns well supplied with ammunition, besides dynamite and nitro glycerine explosives, all smuggled from Bulgaria. Meanwhile the Turks brought reinforcements. Two thousand troops advanced to attack the handful of rebels, who, knowing that their adversaries would give no quarter, defended their position with desperate determination. Again and again the Turks pressed forward to storm the*position, and time after rime two insurgents forced them to retire. Tbe unequal contest began at four in the afternpon, and continued all night and ail next day. Finally, after fifteen hours, every one of the sixty-five were either killed or wounded. The victorious Turks promptly slaughtered the latter, and afterwards backsd their dead bodies to pieces. According to despatches from Koatendil to the “Hirlap” and other ournals, the Turks sustained heavy losses. Two accounts received from different sources assess the Turkish casualties at about 350—150 killed and 200 wounded.