Office of the Historian
[Extract.]

Mr. Tuckerman to Mr. Seward.

No. 6.]
Legation of the United States, Athens, July 4, 1868.

Sir: I have received from our consuls at Canea, in Crete, and at Syra, confirmatory reports of a recent act of atrocity on the part of the Ottoman soldiers in Crete, of which the French consul is said to have been an eye-witness, the details of which have been furnished me, as per copy herewith, by the Greek minister for foreign affairs.

I receive with very great caution many of the reports in circulation from that distracted region, and I certainly shall not bring any to your notice which do not appear to be supported by corroborative evidence. Such enormities as are here said to have been committed on defenceless old men, women and children, be the number of victims small or great, [Page 125] do not come within the “horrors of war,” but seem to be the result of fanatical passions which the Turkish authorities, however much disposed to do so, cannot control. If, for want of means to continue the struggle, the Cretan insurgents are finally compelled to lay down their arms, I confess I do not see what protection to life and honor will be afforded them in the midst of a Turko-Cretan population who will be masters of the situation, and without moral restraints. Fortunately, or unfortunately for the people of Crete, the olive crop promises to be abundant, and in afew weeks will be ready to be gathered in. It is not however probable that the Turks will permit this harvesting on the part of their enemies. In such case will the temptation of oil and food be too strong to be resisted by the impoverished and half-fed Christians? If they continue the struggle in the face of such discouragements as are now gathering thickly around them, it will be an appeal for European intervention which the neutral powers can hardly withstand. A Greek gentleman called upon me yesterday with a letter from a member of the so-called provisional government of Crete, in which he is requested to ask me what would be the probable success of an appeal from the people of Crete for “protection from the United States.” I reminded him that matters pertaining to the subjects of the Sultan do not fall within the province of this legation.

* * * * * * * *

I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHARLES K. TUCKERMAN.

Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.

Official account of the massacre in Crete.

[Translation.]

News has been received from Heraclea (Candia) bearing date June 10–22.

The 3d–15th of that month the native Ottomans, numbering about 2,000, formed themselves under the eyes of the local authority, and even with its approval, into a corps denominated Zourida, i. e., free corps, with the well-understood intention of making an incursion into the province of Pediade. They wished to avenge themselves for their late defeats, and they thought that, by the pillage and massacre of those Cretans who had already made their submission, they might accelerate the termination of the insurrection.

In fact, these bandits fell upon the villages of Embaro, Panagis, Sgouro, Kephali, Kassano, Martha, Karavadis, Meliarades, and Kassems, and after completely sacking them, carrying off all kinds of animals and property, they put to death more than one hundred persons of both sexes, and returned in triumph, the 5–17th of that month, to the city of Heraclea, where they sold their booty without molestation.

The 4–16th of the same month, a detached party of the same corps put to death, in the village of Bedia, seven other villagers. The number of victims sacrificed in this manner between May 31st–June 12th and June 12–24th.

P. S.—Recent intelligence from Heraclea informs us that after this massacre the general government of Candia proceeded to Heraclea, under pretext of making an investigation and of punishing the guilty parties, but really in order to attenuate the atrocities committed, But the French consul in Candia had also gone in person to the places, the 14–26, and after obtaining authentic information on their acts of vandalism, he was convinced that they were in fact perpetrated by Ottomans.