"Vengeance," Cries King.

New York Times 100 years ago today, July 13, 1913:
Constantine Vows He Will Punish the Bulgarian "Monsters."
    ATHENS, July 12.— Vowing vengeance against the Bulgarian "monsters" and protesting to the world against their deeds of blood, King Constantine has sent this message to the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs:
    "The commander of the Sixth Division reports that Bulgarian soldiers, carrying out the orders of their captain, gathered together in the courtyard of the school at Demirhissar two priests and over one hundred notables, whom they massacred. The bodies have been disinterred in order to prove the crime. Bulgarian soldiers attacked girls, one of whom, resisting, was cut to pieces.
    "Protest in my name to the representatives of the civilized powers against the acts of these monsters in human form. Protest also to the entire civilized world and say that, to my regret. I see myself compelled to wreak vengeance in order to inspire these monsters with terror and make them reflect before committing more outrages of this sort.
    "The Bulgarians have surpassed all the horrors of barbaric times, and have proved that they no longer have a right to be reckoned among civilized people." It is semi-officially announced that the Greek Government has replied to the Russian proposal for the cessation of hostilities that peace must be concluded on the battlefield. The proposal was supported by Great Britain and France. It is reported that the Greek troops to-day occupied the town of Drama, northeast of Seres, hitherto held by the Bulgarians. They are also said to have taken possession of the port of Dedeaghateh on the Aegean Sea.

    SALONIKA, July 12.— The Greek troops have fully occupied Seres, recently in the hands of the Bulgarians, and martial law has been proclaimed there.
    The number of Greek residents massacred by the Bulgarians before they left Seres was 200, including most of the prominent citizens. During the Bulgarian evacuation seventy Greeks who had been imprisoned escaped in the confusion. Twenty thousand persons at Seres are without shelter.

Bulgars Retort, Accusing Greeks.
    SOFIA, July 12.— An official statement has been issued by the Government as follows:
    "The Greeks daily publish calumnious statements, accusing the Bulgarians of massacres and incendiarism. In this connection it must be pointed out that the Greek troops killed thousands of Bulgarians at Kilkish and Doiran and burned their villages. A number of the refugees, who succeeded in escaping hive already arrived at Sofia. This is in addition to the monstrous action against the Bulgarian garrison at Salonika."
    A semi-official statement says:
    "Gen. Ivanoff worthily commanded the Second Bulgarian Army, which, with insignificant forces, executed a brilliant retreat. With three brigades it checked the advance of the whole Greek army, 100,000 strong. It is known that the Greek army was held up for three days at Kilkish, where the Bulgarians had only six battalions. The Greeks took ten days to reach Mt. Beles.
    "The movements of the second army will remain remarkable in history as successful movements of weak contingents against a force of overwhelming superiority. The Greeks will perhaps have an opportunity of testing the military art of Gen. Ivanoff and the high morale of his troops.
    "Under the circumstances it is absurd to talk of the capture of Gen. Ivanoff and two divisions."
    All the belligerents in the Balkan war have given Russia full power to find a way to bring hostilities to an end.
    Another Rumanian column of troops to-day occupied the village of Tchifut on the Bulgarian frontier, between Silistria and the coast, and is now advancing on the town of Bazajik (Dob-ritch,) which is overcrowded with refugees from the surrounding country, consisting mostly of old men, women, and children.

    LONDON, July 12.— King Constantine's protest to the civilized world against Bulgarian atrocities destroys the last hope of those who thought Russia would succeed in inducing the belligerents to accept arbitration. The spectators of the struggle have been confident that Servia would be amenable to counsels of moderation because of the appalling losses she received in ejecting the Bulgarians from Macedonia, but were less hopeful that Greece would listen to reason, as her people and army are obviously intoxicated by the victories over the Bulgars.
    The strength of King Constantine's language and dispatches from Constantinople to-night indicate that Bulgaria may not merely be stripped of the fruits of her victory over the Turk, but may even have to submit to diminution of her own territory, for Rumania is credited with the intention of annexing a larger strip than she at first proclaimed, while Turkey is joining hands with Servia and Greece, and has already ordered her troops to advance.
    Sofia chronicles the unopposed advance of the Rumanians, but maintains silence regarding the operations of the Servians and Greeks.