HEROINES IN ZEITUN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1264, 21 May 1896, Page 39

HEROINES IN ZEITUN.

London, March 26

The Daily Nows publishes some interesting details gathered from a private letter regarding tho siege and capitulation of Zoitun. Tho correspondent says:— It seems that the Zeitunlis first took up arms to save themselves from the soldiers. When I asked what tho excuse was for sending so many soldiers there before any trouble had broken out, tho reply was, “ a massacre was ordered.”

There is a cliff 2300 foot abovo and 250 feet below tho town. Then there is a fort on a hill opposite, that commands the town, and this is always garrisoned with Turkish soldiers. There is only one approach to tho place, and the Zeitunlis first secured that, aud they know they must also get possession of that fort before other soldiers reached there.

They could not storm the fort with flintlocks exactly, so they merely cut off the water supply by pouring in sand and kerosene oil. Tho Turks had flour, but thoy could not make their broad with tho spoiled water nor use it for drinking. Thoy were kept in this condition for three days, and then, after continuous fighting for 56 hours, surrendered. Two hundred and fifty-six men w r ore made prisoners and quartered on tho citizens, and 9600 cartridges, together with rifles, were taken. While tho men wore fighting for the fort there still remained tho Governor and 65 armed guards in the town. These men wore preparing to do some mischief when tho women armed themselves with axes and attacked them, forcing them to surrender their arms, and then stationed them around tho town for safe keeping.

After they had taken the fort and the 250 prisoners, thoy confined tho latter in tho Governor’s establishment. Then followed a great battle with tho newlyarrived troops. Every man and boy over 13 years of ago was away fighting—no one could bo spared to guard tho prisoners. They wore just breaking out to fiio the town when the women in desperation rose again, killed ovory man of them, and threw thorn down tho cliff. You must romembor thoy wero fighting for their lives, and for tho lives of their babes—to save not only themselves but 120) refugees who had tied from their villages before the hordes of Turkish soldiers. Once they had offered terms of surrender, and the reply carao, “ Surrender at once, and wo will spare two in every ten—wait one day, and we will havo tho life of every man, woman and child.”

Once they cannonaded the town. Out of the 2370 shells 12(H) fell harmlessly into tho mud walls and roofs of the houses, aud tho rest did no serious damage.

The women gathered up the unexploded sholls, emptied out the powder, of which they wore in great need, and converted tho shells into bullets. They say simply, “ The shelling of tho town was a great blessing to us,” and havo no moro of an idea that they havo done anything heroic than any woman has when she has done the duty nearest at hand. Once during this time the Zeitunlis collected a great flock of mountain goats —a few men secreted themselves amongst them and came down close upon the Turks. There was a mist, and tho Zeitunlis fired, a few shots. This completed tho illusion, and the 1 urks, thinking surely a great army was upon them, turned and fled. J3y this manoeuvre the Zeitunlis killed a largo number. (We ourselves have been deceived in thinking that a flock of goats was a detachment of soldiers, and even at a quarter of a mile distant it was hard to be suro of tho difference. The goats keep in almost perfeet ranks, are black with white faces, and walk almost as fast as soldiers walk. There is reference to a similar incident in Homer, I believe.)

At another time during this long three months, 15 Zeitunlis, disguised as Turkish soldiers, managed to get inside tho Turkish lines—once in the midst of tho soldiers they began firing. The panic immediately spread, anu the Turks thinking, doubtlessly, that a mutiny had commenced, began firing on each other, and in this way several hundreds were killed. There were engaged on the Turkish side 36,000 regulars and 36,000 Bashi Bazouks (irregulars). I believe they admit 6000 were killed and several hundreds wounded. (Be sure they give a low enough estimate.) There wero 60,000 fighting men of the Armenians, and during the “ war ” only 50 weie killed. But when the Consuls were coming, and an armistice had been declared, the Turks were able to get advantageous positions, and they just poured shots upon the placo for three days, and 100 were killed in the streets. Tho town itself could have held out much longer, for it was pretty well provisioned, and it could be conquered only by starvation. But tho 12,000 refugees from the destroyed villages were suffering extremely from famine and lacked salt. That has been tho greatest need. Four thousand of them were already dead. Smallpox carried off hundreds of children, and sickness was fast thinning out tho old ones.