2,000 SERBIAN INSURGENTS EXECUTED. HOW THE RISING WAS PUT DOWN. FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT WITH THE SERBIAN ARMY, SALONIKA, MAY 20. - The Times, June 1, 1917, електронен архив

2,000 SERBIAN INSURGENTS EXECUTED. HOW THE RISING WAS PUT DOWN

Details have been given by Sorbian deserters from the Bulgarian Army of the insurrectionary movement in Old Serbia, which it appears was virtually stamped out by the end of February.

The insurgents numbered about 15,000, including many soldiers recruited in Bulgaria's diisaffected provinces of Vidin and Tirnovo, where the majority of the inhabitants are of Serbian blood. Both German and Bulgarian troops were employed in crushing the movement. One of these informants was in hospital at Nish in March and there heard from comrades the following statements:-

About 6,000 insurgents had been captured, and of these over 2,000 were summarily executed by Germans armed with machineguns. Long deep trenches were dug, in front of which the victims were bound to stakes and shot in groups, their bodies being immediately flung into tho trenches and buried. To Bulgarian subjects who participated in the insurrection no mercy was shown. Every one in this category who was captured suffered death.

The remainder of tho prisoners were deported to Asia Minor and the whole of the rural inhabitants of the districts in which the rising started were removed to Bulgaria, where they were divided into two portions, one of which, consisting of men able to work, was kept in Sofla to provide labour, while the other, mainly women and children, was handed over to the tender mercies of the Turks, who were requested to remove them to their Asiatic provinces.

The same informant adds that a few bands of insurgents still carry on guerrilla warfare in the Babuna Mountains and in tho neighbourhood of Uskub, and that one of these bands last week made an incursion on the Bulgarian rear encampments north of Doiran and got off with booty.