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Show MLEDEEED BY TUIIKS VILLAGE INHABITANTS SLAUGHTERED SLAUGH-TERED BY SOLDIERS. Three Hundred Houses Burned and: 200 Persons, Mostly Women and Children, Murdered. Horrible details are arriving at Mo--nastir, European Turkey, of the slaughter of the inhabitants of the village of Smerdash, south of Lake Presba, May 21, by Bashi-Bazouks. It appears that on the arrival of the Bashi-Bazouks, Chakalaroff's band of insurgents withdrew to the mountains without sustaining any loss. As no rebels were left, in the village, the inhabitants in-habitants experienced no anxiety until suddenly, at sunset, the Turks, who had completely surrounded the place, . commenced a regular bombardment, whereupon all the villagers assembled in the streets. Though the artillery ceased firing during part of the night, the Turkish infantry fired all night long. The artillery ar-tillery bombardment was recommenced, at daybreak, but as it was ineffective,, the Turks set fire to the village on all sides and commenced a general massacre, mas-sacre, slaughtering women, children and the aged. About 300 houses were-burned were-burned and upward of 200 persons, mostly women and children, were killed. The women and girls were murdered while resisting outrage. Whole households were slain. One. family of seven was slain and their bodies were heaped on the hearth. Not a living soul was left in the village. -The survivors, many of them half burned or- otherwise injured, fled.. Some of the fleeing villagers were captured cap-tured and had their ears and noses cut off before they were butchered. The report adds that 1400 villagers-were villagers-were in the mountains without food or clothing. One band of these, consisting consist-ing of forty women and children, were caught by soldiers in a ravine and were killed after horrible treatment. |