The “Terrible Turk.”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7871, 5 August 1911, Page 12

The “Terrible Turk.”

Albanian Cruelties Carried on in Guise of “Reforms

LAST week the cables gave us a brief insight into the horrors perpetrated in Albania by the Turkish soldiery now engaged in “suppressing’’ an “insurrection,” as related by Miss Mary Edith Durham, an English author, painter, and naturalist, who is known for her books on tho smaller Balkan races, the last of which, “High Albania,” was published in 1009. Her other Balkan Books are "Through the Lands of tho Serb” and “Tho burden of the Balkans.” An idea of the ’sufferings of the people of the sitrikon villages may be gathered from tho following letter by Miss Durham, published in a London newspaper to hand this week:

Podgoritza, Montenegro. Juno 13. After over two months hard fighting, the two columns of the Turkish army have succeeded in cutting their way through tho mountains of High Albania and mooting each other—thus dividing tho Christian tribes in half. The insurgents, though outnumbered by something like 20 to 1, are still fighting with tho courage of despair, vowing that they would rather die than again entrust themsolvos to Turkish tyranny. Tho whole of tho original band of insurgents—the men of the five large tribes Gruda Koti, Kastrati, Klementi, and Skreli—have now been driven up right to tho Montenegrin frontier. Every woman, and child of tho Christians is at present taking refuge in, Montenegro. They have poured over the_ border in thousands to escape tho Turkish soldiers, and are now destitute upon the mountain sides. 1 A Devastated Land.

On the eldpes of Korito are 500 families —averaging eight per family—shelterless, foodless, destitute of everything, and exposed to the torrential rain which keeps falling. They are chopping up the leaves of the asphodel—rank stuff that not even goats will eat—and stewing it. Several oases' of starvation have already occurred.

The misery and want is greater than that after the rising in Macedonia in 1903, for the Turkish army has now reached a very high pitch of efficiency. It is now armed with the latest rifles, artillery, and machine guns.- Instead of developing their Empire, the Turks are devastating it. The district was cruelly poor before. Now, for the sake of wringing taxes from a set of ignorant and poverty-striken peasants, they have turned the land into a barren wilderness. .

Every house is burnt; great columns of smoko arc visible daily. No haystack, no fruit tree, no garden or vinoyard, however small, is spared. , Tho churches arc plundered and filthily desecrated. A few unfortunate infirm and aged persons who were unable to fly have been burnt in their houses. In_ one case, at Skreli. an old woman of eighty was cast into her burning house.

No Aid For The Wounded. As usual with ’ the Turks, no aid has been given to the wounded. A wounded man was burnt to death in a house at ICastrali. A band of insurgents hearing his shrieks for help made a plucky dash to rescue him. But; a machine gun was turned on them. To put it briefly the conduct of Torgut Pasha and his army is that of Attila and lus Huns—but Torgut Pasha is equipped with all the modern means of destruction.

Among' the tribes aro somo Moslem families. Tho women of one of these families believed they would bo safe from tho soldiery. The men, moreover, had not joined tho insurgents. But the soldiers mistook them : for Christians. The- two elder women were shot. Tho younger was outraged and carried off by the soldiers, who killed her husband when ho strove to defend her. . The'fact that non-resisting tribesmen have been thus attacked has spread panic among the unarmed tribes of Dukagin apd Pulati. Desperately they have been smuggling in a few arms, and probably tho next few weeks will see the massacre of all. They had not till, recently seen the necessity of flight, and all tho women and children of these tribes are now at tho mercy of tho troops, who are between them and the Montengerin frontier.

In The Name Of “Reform.” We, who are on the spot, wonder how much longer Europe intends to give the Turk license to vivisect. It is time that a check should be put to “reforms" that have for their object the destruction of a whole people. For unless help be forthcoming the whole gf the Christian tribes of North Albania will be destroyed. Even if peace bo made,, there are no houses for the people to return to. Nor is it likely they will consent to return. The “Constitution" which they hailed with such joy three years ago has to them proved to be a cruel engine of tyranny and injustice. For to all those on the spot it is well known that the people have been goaded to insurrection by a long series of unjust and barbarous acts. No single effort has been, made by the Government to meet the people and learn their condition and needs. All proclamations have been given, out in Turkish—a language which they do not know. Had they been handled with the smallest degree of understanding or tact the Turk would have had no more loyal subjects.

War On All Christians, Turkish vengeance is now being meted out not only to tbe insurgents, but to any peaceful Catholic tradesman of Scutari whom the Turks rightly or wrongly suspect of sympathy with the rising. Sixty have already been arrested and cast into prison without trial or explanation, and before the guilt of any has boon proved tho shops of several have been pillaged. Panic reigns, and no Christian life N safe. Last autumn the Young Turk officers of Scutari were boasting that ini a short time all Christians would have to keep Ramazan and close their shops on Friday. "Everyone/’ they said, “will be Ottomanised.”

The situation is urgent. The lives of the 20,000 refugees scattered through the Montenegrin villages and mountains can yet he saved if funds are speedily forthcoming. Montenegro—too poor to support her own population—is giving doles of maize, but can afford only to givo for me month -the ration which tho Belief

Committee in Macedonia judged necessary for a week. And only too often the wretched women, who have tramped six or seven hours over tho rocks to fetch this dole, have to return empty-handed —for tho relief fund is low. Will Europe staud by and watch the process of “Ottoraauising” being carried out to its very bitter end ? M. EDITH DHE.HAM. SNAKE IN A LAW COURT. A sensational incident occurred ro« in tho Lisbon Law Courts. During tho hearing of an important case the judge required some particular documents for inspection, and an -official was dispatched to the chamber where tho archives arc kept to get them. As ho was about to pick tip the papers th*> head of a long hissing snake protruded from the cobwobbod documents. Tho frightened official fled, and breathlessly informed the Court of his adventure. Thereupon tho judge, jury, and most of tho people in court, numbering over 200, proceeded to the archives chamber. A long snako was lying on the top of a pile of documents. Tho reptile at tho sight of tho intruders immediately disappeared amongst the thousands of documents. . Tho Court is in somewhat of a quandary as the documents are necessary for tho trial, but none of the officials will approach the archives for fear of being bitten by tho snake. CENSUS OF INDIA A statement issued by tho Government of India on the subject of the recent census contains many interesting particulars and gives some idea of the enormous task which tho census of the Indian Empire entails. When it is remembered that India possesses a population far greater than that of' any other country of which - a census is taken, and that owing to the general illiteracy of the inhabitants a census staff of about 2,000,000 had to be employed, the fact that the result was published within nine days of tho date on which tho census was taken speaks volumes for the success of tho organisation which made an achievement possible. Tho total population of Indip on March 10th last, as given by the returns, was 315,001,099, an increase of 20,0-10.0-13 on the figures of tho census of 1901. The division of tho population was 24-1,172,-371 in British territory and 70,828,728 in tho native states. Tho Government statement contains among other things a history of the taking of the census in this country, and it is interesting to note how not only the area of operations hut the accuracy of the enumeration has steadily increased. On tho one hand, certain outlying tracts have come under tho jurisdiction of the Government of India during the period since tho first regular census was taken, while on the other hand districts which were under its jurisdiction throughout have become more accessible and under more thorough control. In this way Kashmir. Baluchistan. Upper Burma, and Bhil "country in Itej. putana, and tho Andaman and Nicobar islands have boon added since the first general census of India in 1881, and the next census is expected to witness, lika those before it, an abundance both in area and accuracy.