The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 2, 1897, Page 1

VOLUME LXC SAN FRANCISCO, 5 FIVE CENTS. - WAR TO FOLLOW - THE BLOCKADE OF GREECE While Powers Prepare Their Plan of Coercion King George Is Not Idle. READY TO FIGHT THE TURKS. “Our Efforts Have Been Directed Toward a Friendly Settlement,” Says Greece's Pre- mier, “But a Pacific Solution Now Appears Improbable.” ATHENS, Greecg, April.L—Although [ live, they say, chiefiy on olives, milk and there has been no defiinte occurrence to | mutton. There isno military organiza- show that it is the intention of the powers | tion among the insurgents. They leave to blockade. the const of Goeace it is a fact | their homes when qperations are proceed- thatsach & blockade will be shortly estab- | ing in which it is necessary that they take lished, Jts imminence is causing an in- | crease of activity. The entry of marines is specially bus; The officers of the fleet have been ordered to hold themselves in | readiness to sail for tho coasts of Epirus | | part and after the fighting is over they re- | turn. The volunteers further say that the | real head of the Greex troops is Colonel | Limbriti, who directs all the movements of the insurgents. LONDON, Exe., April L—Any doubt Energetic preparations that are being | that sll the powers have assented to a madé continue to evidence the stanch patriotism of the citizens. Owinz. to tne lack of Government transports merchants are iending a large number of handy cozsting steamers to the authorities. The-e vessels, which are admirably suited o carrying troops and stores, are plying nd night between the Pirzus and the | as the squadrons must be increasod. This | Produce in Canea, which is but a short portson the Greek frontier. Sofar as essentials ars concerned the | | blockade to the Gulf of Athens has been | finally removed, but the details of the | scheme are not incomplete. The ad- | mirals of the international fleet in Cretan | waters will decide whether and when the | blockade wili be effected. It is obvious | that it cannot be established immediately, | impiies a delay of several days. All the dispatches received here from troops on the frontier are already pre- | special correspondents concur that if the {On the Spar Deck of the Big | British Ironclad Camper- " down. ers in bis camp might be compelled to eat | fo0d contrary to their faith. ‘ The admirals commanding the foreigr | floet in Cretan waters have refused toallow | | the Christians at Akrotiri to sell sheep or | distance from Akrotiri, unless they sur- render their arms. A person who has just returned from pared to teke the field. | step be taken its inevitable result will be | V.%i!PE the insurgents at the camp of There is no evidence of weakness on the partof the King or the Government. M. Delyannis, the Prime Minister, conversing with some members of the Boule, efforts have been directed to- ward a friendly settiement of the trouble, but a specific solution now appears im- that the Greek troops in Thessaly will cross the frontier into Macedonia. The Vienna corresnondent of the Times | telegraphs that it is no secret that King George of Greece has declared that a | blockade of the Greex coast will be im- | mediately followed Ly a declaration of war probable. Events, however, will find us | 8sainst Turkey. ready.” = Itiscredibly stated here that tho ad- Some of the British warships employed | mirals commanding the fleets on duty at in vlockade duty in the waters of Crete | Canea and other Cretan ports have ap- bave captured three small Greek sailing | plied to their respective Governments to Much' indignation is expressed | eaci: send fifty cavairy and half a batfery the affair,as it is pretty clearly es- | of artillery, which they declare are re- | ed that at the time the vessels were | quired to be used for garrison purposes. d they were outside the limits of [ It is stated that the admirals have an- kade, nounced that these forces will bée used The steamer Argolis, which left the Pi- | solely todefend the various forts. =zus Monday with a cargo consisting of | CANEA, Crere, April L—The Greek 1000 sacks of flour for the Christians in | Bishop of Canea is compiling a circalar Crete, returned’ to-day, having success- fully accomplished the object of her voy- | men, appealing to Europe not to crush the age. She reports that she experienced no | aspirations of the Cretan Christians. difficulty In getting ‘past the vessels that| Colonel Vassos has entrusted the Bishop were blockading and that skelanded all | with & courteous letter to the Turkish the Hour. | officials here offering to surrender the two A purty of Ifalians who volunteered for | Turkish officers und forty soldiers who gervice with the insurgents in Crete, and | were captured by the insurgentsat Malaxa, who have been for weeks in the island, ar- | The only condition that Colonel Vassos rived heré to-day, having run the blockade | imposes on the officials is that the men be of rhe foreign warships. They assert that | deported from the islands, He makes the there is no bread in Crete except in the'| offer out of consideration for Turkish camp of Colonel Vassos. The inhabitants | religious scruples, fearing that the prison- letter, addressed to the foreign newspaper | | Colonel Vassos, the commander of the Greek troops, sta‘es that the bombard- { ment at Izzedin did little damage, No- body was killed and only six men were wounded. There were only 630 insurgents engaged in the fight, The informant says that.in conversation with insmrgents he was told that they would always be willing to communicate with the European troops under a white flag provided ‘no Turks were present. Tuey admitied that it was impossible to | | fight against combiaed Europe, but de- | clared they we acting under orders from the Greek Goverament in battling with | the Turks. ( G 0y the 3 Declined by the Porte. BERLIN, Germaxy, April L—A dis- paich from Constuntinople to the Frank- iort Zeitung declares that a proposal to | purchase tie island of Crete, made by | Greece, has been declined by the Porte, | which would not undertake separate ne- | gotiations so long as Turkey remains in | the European concert. | ST | Powers Are Answerable. | LONDON, 5., April L.—The Chronicle | to-morrow will print an extract from a letter from a leading member of the Sul- tan’s entourage in which .the-writer con- firms the view the powers are answerable | for the present critical situation growing l VEILE | AL = — e The Torpedo-Boat Destroyer Ardent, One of the First Ve‘ssels in the Allieél Fleet to Shelt the Cretffn Insurgents on Wednesday. ' It Was the Big Shells From the Camperdown That Compelled the Insurgents to Abandon Their Position. outof the Cretdn question. He says that neither Turkey nor Greece is anxions for war, but that taéy are being pushed into | it by & European concert ostensibly act- ing for the maintenace of peace. The two countries most concerned in the matter could and would easily come to an agree- ment if they were left to themselves, but the powers forbi TooK ;’UI\WH ON A TRAIN. Sensatjonal’ Suicide of a Girl Who !Vas Going From Denver to Get Married. HASTINGS, Nes., Aoril L—Miss Lottie Merrill, a comely woman of Denver, com- mitted suicide on the Chicago, Buflington und Quincy flier yesterday while en route from Denver to Lincoln, where she was going with her lover, Frank Massey of Denver, to be married. There is a great mystery surrounaing the whole affair. Massey said to-day tbat they did not elope, but decided to go to Lincoln, Nebr., and get married. He sajd he could think of .no reason why the girl committed suicide. However, the girl had made up her mind before she ‘left Denver that she would kill iberself, as she wrote a letter to her mother while at the Union devot in Denver, stating thut she intended taking her own life, and shortly after the train left Denver tke young woman began to attract considerable attention by occa- sionally bursting out in tears and ap- peared to be in distress. When the train arrived at Oxford Dr. Brady was summoned and the girl was found to be in great agony. After an ex- | amination it wasfound that she had taken adose of morphine and it-was im possible to save her life. Sl Arh : .. Kismorek's Birthday. BERLIN, GerMaxy, April 1.— Prince Otto vor Bismarck ceiebrated the eighty- second anniversary of his birth to-day. Two years ago, when he reached four score, the grand o/d man of United Ger- many, ad@ressing fiom the balcony of his home at Friedrichsruh the delegations that had gathered from all parts of the empire to do him honor, expressed in pathetic tones and language the belief | that he was not much longer for this ‘world. e Admiral Ewasell Dead. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 1L—John | Russell, rear - admiral, retirad, died here | to-dav. aged 60 years. BLODDLESS BUT VERY LIKE AR Rattling Bit " of Mimic Fighting in Defense of Fort Scott. HILLS DOTTED WITH SPECTATORS. Attacking Party Surprised and Routed, Foot, Horse and Dragoons. DEFENSE OCCUPIED EVERY AFPROACH. Some One B'undered About the Orders and the ‘“Blues” Had * All the Advantage. Fort Winfieid Scott was successfully de- fended yesterday against 8 gallant attack of land forces under command of Captain Brant, First Infantry. The battle was sharp and decisive, the enemy . being repulsed with what would have been heavy loss had the guns been loaded. As it was the fighting and maneuvering offered a spirited picture of war to the spectators and an eacellent ob- ject lesson to the troops. The day was fine, with a smart breeze blowing from the sea. The callto arms was sounded et 10:25 o'clock and the brigade charged with the duty of defend- ing tbe fort fell in on the grounds in front of tha infantry barracks and the attacking party on the cavalry parade grounds. This party was dressed in the brown clothes of “'police duty?" Both parties were of equal strength and composition—two troops of cavairy, two companiés of infantry, one of heavy and one of light artillery. - Orders haa been issued by Colonel Young thé dav previous for the vractical | working out of a tactical problem under the eye of Colonel George H. Burton, ine | spector-general of the United States army. .| The problem was the defense of a battery | posted on the heights above the fort as against attack from a land force moving against it from the rear or from the land— the direction of the garrison. The attack was to be in tfie nature of a surprise—that is, the men were to be called from the bar- | racks to arms and to_take position at once | to-meet jt. | Under the order the signal to begin the attack was to be given in just one hour | from the call to arms, in which time the party of defense was to move out all the way to the fort and immediately return { and take up their positions covering the several approaches to the heights. | That is as Captain James Lockett of the Fourth Cavalry, who was charged with the defense, understood it. He laid his plafs aid executed them excellently | in accordance with that understanding, | He bad' ridden over the ground tbe day before’ with capable aids, and chose his position-and instructed the officers under him just where they were to be > =R es~ i == A 7 - n{r‘:“/ L the A tack of Land Forces at Fort Point Yesterday the Carture of the Battery on the Heights, Under Lieutenant Birkheim:r, Was_the Object. i the Battery, Which Kept Up a Lively Fire During the Engagement, 2 “The Afiacking Force 'Was ST A ¢ > - Prevented From Approaching