3-074-747 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Sketches of the Insurrection in Servia; Insurgents Marching through Paratchin, 1883. 'The report of a complete suppression of the late partial revolt in the newly created Kingdom of Servia is not yet confirmed. It seems that the insurrection began with the peasants of the eastern districts who were instigated by Revolutionary conspirators, in complicity with some of the Panslavists of Russia, to resist the execution of the decree for collecting a large number of militia rifles, issued by the Servian Government during the Turkish War of 1877. About thirty thousand of these rifles had been retained by the peasantry, and it was considered dangerous to leave that quantity of such weapons in their hands. The insurrection has prevailed for two or three weeks, between the Timok and the Morava valleys; the town of Alexinatx still remains in the power of the insurgents, who are in force at Kujacevatz. Short skirmishes took place at Banja and several other places, between isolated bands of insurgents and the troops of King Milan I., and our Sketches represent some incidents of this unhappy struggle. Many of the political ringleaders have been arrested and tried by court-martial; a priest, a schoolmaster, and a farmer, were shot at Zaitchar last Monday'. From "Illustrated London News", 1883.