Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 March 1878 — Flying Turks—Horrible Sights. [ARTICLE]

Flying Turks—Horrible Sights.

A correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph writes from Pera: “ I left Tatar Bazardjik by the last train that ran; The right was appalling; thousands upon thousands of fugitives clutched to the train as their only haven;. they clambered on to the tops of the carriages, the steps ana buffers; these last were crowded. They even put their women and children on the rails to prevent the engines from advancing. At last we got away, but the same sight greeted ns at every station. Further on we met trucks full of - these wwtched people, scores of them crowded , into sheep carriages, layers one above the other, waiting to be carried on. In many instances these living truck-loads had remained for five days stationary, not a man, woman or child daring to leave them for fear of losing their places. The scene was most horrible. In one instance I saw eight dfead bodies in a truck. Moreover, dysentery prevailed frightfully among them. Without food, exposed to piercing cold, in a state of filth, the position bf these poor wretches can hardly.be imagined. Such a sight I never witnessed. As we proceeded I saw wretched little children thrown away, starved and frozen to death, into tiie snow; they were dying in cart-loads. We traveled on; one night near to Hermanli occurred a dreadful scene. The train W as too heavy for us to mount an incline, and we had to back. We lifel pTofceeded "tinly a few yards when she heard- crunch, ettcmch, bump, and thought the engine was off the rails. We quickjy came to a standstill, and got off to ascertain what had happened. We found that in backing several'of the poor wretches on the buffers had been throWn off between the metals. The iron guard id &dnt pi the engine had caught them, add Wiled crunched them np, two or tlirett'tbgether, in a mangled mass of humanity. It was some time before we could extricate their, remains. Another poor fellow, a soldier, who, having done good service, was on his way home, had ■ his two legs cut off at the thigh,• hb was still living. This was one oi the many frightful scenes I Witnessed. The whale? population is moving en masse .toward the capital in a state' of terror and panic perfectly indescribable. The suffering, misery and mortality is fearful. Christian liussia!”