ALL GREEK OITZENS CALLED OUT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 15

ALL GREEK OITZENS CALLED OUT.

| THE COUKTKY DECLARED IN I DAGGER. I April 21. ■ Details of the fighting afc Malnua Pass frhow, that, afcer the Greeks were driven from the pass, and were retiring across the plain below, tbe Turkish artillery kept up a constant and murderous fire from the heights. The shells bursting among the battalions aa they retired in close marching ' order caused terrible slaughter. j The Greeks lafr. 1000 dead and wounded on the field. Hafiz Pasha, who is 80 year 3 i of age, and took part in tne Kusso-Turkish war, was leading the Turkish attack at Maluna when he was killed. An orderly pvggeated that, ho should dismount, but he implied, "I never dismounted during the Kussian war." Bsforo he received his death wound he waa twice struck by bullets in tho left; arm and right hand, bnfc despite his woueds insisted on retaining command of ?ij9 attack. Tne fatal bullet struck him in 'die mouth and killed him instantaneously. Fightirg has been renewed at Tirnovo, where the Turkish artillery siienced tha ' Greek batteries and compelled the Greeks to evacuate the town. In the fighting which took p^ce near , Salonici the Greek irregulars lost 100 men. " The Duke of Sparta reports that the Greeks ' undf-r Colonel Siiolenitz, a former Minister for War, repulsed seven assaults of the Turks on the positions afc Raveni Pasß. ; Fourteen thousand. Turks are engaged in ' the attack on the pass, which commands one ; of the chief entrances to Thessaly. ! The Greek Home Office has issued a pro- ! clamation declaring ths country in danger, ' and calling upon all citizens to join the army. ! The Greek gendarmerie and police have ; been organised as a military force, and have • proceeded to the frontier to reinforce the troopg. I The Turk/3 bombarded the military hospital j at Arta, despite the fact that the Rad Cross . flag was flying. i Great courage and tenacity was displayed ; by tbe combatants in the battle at Maluna • Pass. The splendid victory of the Turks, , which is mainly due to the superiority of • their artillery, was completed, at the point of • the bayonet. ! B jib Greeks and Turks were without food 'or s-leep for .36 hours. The Turks slept on i Monday night. The Greeks abandoned 1 their tentH when they retreated. i The Mayor of Larissa is loading 2000 ! residents of the town to the Raveni Pass to : assist in the defencs, '. After a fierce artillery duel between rha > Greek batteries at Avta and the Turkish j Sorts on the opposite side of the river, the I latter were silenced. i The roughness o£ the sea has stopped the i bombardment of Prevesa. I The Tnrks claim that they disabled two Greek cruiser?. j Tbe Greeks have burned Dainasi. " April 20. Troops guarding the Royal Palace afc Athens, as well as the Garrison at Volo. , have been ordered to reiniorce the Greeks I at Larissa. The Greeks are strongly entrenched in the north and we3fc of Laris.-a. J The Tarkish forces under Edhem Pasha, I which gained a victory at Maluna Pass, are marching upon Larissa. The Turkish commander is proceeding with caution and coolness. He does not I expect the Greeks to offer any stubborn ! resistance at Larissa. I Heavy firing i 3 going on along the line of i route froii Tirnovas to Zirkos, on the southwest, of Laris3a. The Turks have abandoned Fillippiado, and before evacuaticg burned the town. The entire population o£ Thessaly is arming j in readiness to assist the Greek troop 3to i repel the Turks. The struggle at Karya still continues. Handi Pasha's division has been fighting j with great ferocity for the paat 48 hour?. , It is expected that the Turka will &oon suri round the Greeks unle=s the latter retire. The Greek artillery are linking a vigorous attack upon Vogla, a position Cuniinaudiug I Tirnovas. They have silenced half tbe I Turkish batteries and captured two out- : posts. } The Greek pquadron is bombarding tho town of Plafcamona, on the she re of the Gulf ! of Salonica. • A magazine has exploded.

; ] Later despatches state that the Greek fleet i ; , destroyed ths magazines and provision | stores at Platamona and Nigaria. The i ' squadron is now proceeding to lvdterica, j some miles north of Platamona. | i i The Greek artillery destroyed two Tarki3h ! : ' bat/teries at Gerof, to the north-eaab of | ' Elassona in Thesaaly, and caused graat , i slaughter amoDg the Turks. | i The Turks have burnt ytrevina and are ro- | \ treating upon Fentepigadia, where a battle is j , expected. j j Edhem Pasha is massing the Turkish forces j ifc a point some distanca south of Maluna, in j , the direction ot L^rhsa, and is concentrating ! ; his artillery, cavalry, and resevvr s. j ! Edhem Paaha has naked for 40,000 troops ; to reinforce the Turkish divisions on the ', i frontier. j The Turkish reserves ab Ba,lonica are moving towards Larissa. \ The G-raek batteries at Arta compelled a .' section of the Turkish garrison in a fort on j I tbe opposite side of the river to retire into a i i dense forest at the back ot ths town. Thare i they were shelled by the Greeks. The . j Turkish garrison was reinforced, and de- ; feuded the position until nightfall. i j The Greeks made a desperate attampt : ! yeafterday to recapture tbe Maluna Paas, mv. ; were repulsed with tremendous loss. The Greeka have recccupied Salagara, ou { tha Gulf of Arfca. ; I Taking advantage of the present situation 1 S-rvia is agitating for the cjsaioa of a i | Tarkish port, while Prince .L^.-jniioand of > I Bulgaria threatened to mobilise ths Bui- '. iinrian army unless writs for the elsctioa ot' ] five bishops of the orthodox Gresir Church j were granred. The threat proved effective, I for tbe Sultan has yielded and is ordering j i the issue of writs. ] Colonel Vassos stateß that taa Cretan j insurgents ara likely to attack the positions '• I held by the forces of the Powers unless the ; j blockade is raised. ) ] April 23. ; i The Greeks retreating i'rom Maluna P^.-,2 j rallied at Rati, and repulsed the Turks with ! great loss. '' I The ships composing the Greeks' eastern ' pquadron are bombarding K'Stinia, on the > I Gulf of Saloniea. Heavy nring is yoing oh. '• They have destroyed i/ue telegraph lines, tho i magazine, and stores. J The wsstern uquadron has sailed for i ; Epirus. It is rjelitrved thac its presence | there will promote itso rising of. Albanians i , in support of the Greaks. ; The Governor of H«?ruklion, in Crete, re- ' ports that SCOO Cretan insurgents are massed j in the vicinity of the town, which be fears j they intend to attack. The forces of the j ! Powers m the town are inadequate, while , the Turkish troops have no field guns, and 1 '.he foreign warsbips are unable effectually ! to fire on the attackers. j Larissa reports that 400 members of the i < Foreign Legion, including 2fi Englishmen, > { have proceeded to the frontier, the Eugli?h j ' singing national war songs. : j Thetown of Larissai3 overcrowded, '-isjdfocri | lis scarce. The hospitals are full of Greek j t wounded, who are arriving hourly. The roadsi 1 ', are blocked hy fugitives from the villages , : carrying their household good", and many i : pitiful scenes are witnessed. j • The London Daily Telegraph correspondent ! ; states that no incident of the csmpaigu com- ' ■ pares with the scece for pathos &iid r.ragedy. ] i Tbe Greeks on Wednesday fortified Cretiori, , j buh lost thß summit. ! ; Iv the retreat from Maluna P.*ss, the Turk=i ■ I from the opposite Fids of the ravine kept up a ; | terrific fusillade. The Greeka attempted to j i storm tho Turks' position, but were repulsed j ! 1 with great losp. Dieter Pasha, one of the j • Turkish general?, was killed. The struggle i I was renewed at other points on the plains, j , the Turks driving the Greeks ahead. ! | The artillery at a racgo of 2000 yards was j ] rmst effective. ; • Severe fighting continues along the line of { ! J retreat from Maluna. J ; The Turks have captured Nezero and ' ; Rap3ani, to the north of Lirissa. Ths ' Greeks have retreated npon Megakeserli, halfway to Larissa. ( I The bombardment of Katerina by tho ) ' ' Greek squadron caused, such large losses of i Turkish stores and ammunition that Edhem ; Pasha has detached 10,000 men to defend j the Turkish rear, fearing an attack from that direction. ' . The Turkish infantry find a difficulty in ! , attacking the Greeks' fortified position afc ] Kratiri, owicg to the fierce artillery fire ■ maintained continuously. ! The second Turkish pquadron, which \ ' recently sailed under sealed orders, has • joined the first squadron in Nagjtra Bay. April 24. The Greek eastern squadron is bombarding i - Karaburcn, a town ou the Gulf of S)lonica. t Tha western Equndron is bombarding Agiri, on tho coast of Epiru?, opposite tha i Island of Corfn. I ] The reported successes of the Greeks at ! Damasi and Riveni, to the northward of , Lari-sa, are not confirmed. Later reports j I j show that the fighting was apparently of an i i undecisive character. j The Greeks, under the Duke of Sparta, j repulsed 0000 Turkish cayalry at Mati, dis- ] I i abling 500. * j

j The Greeks have occupied Karyna, between j Platsmona andJfkssona. The Gre&k squadron has bombarded ! Hagios and Saranta on the Regian Gulf, and burned a large quantity of stores intended tor Epiruf. Ten thousand Albanians havo joined the Turks. Bulgaria has declined tbe Porte's order to break off diplomatic relations with Greece.