FIGHTING TO THE GASP.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 13 December 1912, Page 8

FIGHTING TO THE GASP.

AWFUL SCENES AT THE BATTLE OF KIRK KtLISSE.

"- RIVERS OiF BLOOD."

-BERLIN. October 29. The first -eye-witness' aceountt of the storming of Kirk Kilisse is published bo-nighit by the "Leipziger INeuestp Niachriebten,'- over the signature of la German doctor, a member of the ReXi Cross staff now with the Bulgarian forces.

!As the Red Cross mem/hers followed \ the army in the field while the war cor- ■ respondents were kiapt 'back,' and .the* present Tiarrative managed trf escap* the strict Bulgarian cetneor, lit is of ! "quite exceptional interest. The Ger- | man doctor states that the folio-wins; were the orders received from the Bulgarian headquarters. -General Zaoff was ordered-to begin the aittoaick on tihe Turj kish fortress last Sunday week at noon. ! The fortress and the adjoining town I fell on Monday morning after one of the fiercest fights on record, in which an uncountable numlber of lives were lost. * " It 'was never supposed," writes the doctor, "that the Bulgarians Would have enough courage to "beig-in, (the aitlack on the .fo-rariidia'ble Turkish jposiI tion, as such an attack seemed, if not jim iiimpossiibility, isurely ia piece »>f ! ghostly folly. j WILD -CRUELTY. I "At the first attempt at stonming ■[ the fortress the Bulgarians were reipul- ;' sod, and w-hiile ithey were retreating ; they were attacked by a strong army of Kurd's land Tartars, who showed the , wildest cruelty ,i n their assault om tho Bulgarian infantry. " Not only" didl they kill every enctay wittort. reach, ibu.t they itortured the wounded -and mutilated the" prisoners m an awful and indcseribaibl© manner. "A seteond attempt to-storm the ftov- < tress was'made, the Bulgarian officers j doing ■marvellous deeds, shouting even while suffering from atrocious -wounds: j ' Go .ahead far Bulgaria "and the Czar!' I The second attack was also repulsed. " Then there was another pause, which was used by the Red Gross brigade to clear the field and help the wounded. , " Happy those who were killed on j tho spot, for they were spared the '. martyrdom of horrible nuii-tilationr per- ; petrated by tho devilish Kurds. Thou»mds of wounded wore flicked up iwdth their ears and noses cut off, eyes put ; out,, etc. . " A third attack was deaid-ed on, as tho Bulgarian commanders discoverec! that tho Turkish airrnnumtian /was giving out. Tho soldiers 'were ordered to '

r attack ruthlessly, and the assault end- i ed in the most armful hand-to-hand fight ever witnessed. •if Tuirks and Bulgarians, shouting •wild onkl>, .faughft degperateLyi -with swords, bayonets, and yattaghans on ffcne battlefield treacherously lined iwdth. explosives and mimes, which killed many. "Those who had no weapons used ■ the Sir fists, even their teeth. Miany Bulgarian wounded were found with their1 throats (bitten through 'by; the wild' i Kurds. " The third attack • vHasted all tHie might. On Monday -«ft dawn the •Bnlgariams bad gained several strongholds ' around the fortress. Th,ey miiade'inmumoralble attempts to- storm the forfcreess, bujfe were aJiways repulsed. COLD STEEL ONLY. "A final attack. was l d-e~iided -on by. General Zaoff, who ordered the soldiers not to use their guns, I>u£ only, their swords and bayonets. 'attack was successful, adthouprh carried o,ut v .unid,eir a d^ssperiaite Turkiish fireC/ .~i ;' -> 1 " dhrietiiain soldnei-s "^thdn Hie fo(rfc , ress surrendered, but the MiahJometoaßS oonitdnued the hand-to-hamd fighifc wdth supsr-hunuan courage. v \ " Tlio Bulgair-ianis' task was now. to , eeize-the town of Kirk Kilisse. They brought their heaviest guns into the fortress amd fired at the town, while r the Buflganian infantry ibroke in wiith bayonets dtnawn. . " This was tho WootKest episod© of the diay. In the etreets blood streamed, like rivers. At every corner soldiiers fought hand-t!o-ha,nidi battles uufbil one, or generally both, dded. ' ■ ." Finally, ,at eighit o'icloick on Moniday morning, Kirk Kilisse fortress and town had fallen Into BuJigiaau'an luamdis. ; " When the vfiotdrs took iposseserion otf the city nothdng was vd^ible of the recent prosqpecnkty, nathnnig (but ruins traehied by nvers df blood."'