Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 4 – Greek betrays Delchev
Risto Stefov
September 08, 2009
If we "must" believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, "invented" the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a "Time Machine" because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito´s time.
Thanks again to Kristina X for supplying us with the material for this episode, we will be boarding the Delorean at 8 AM promptly tomorrow morning but again if I am going to board unseen, I have to be there before everyone else shows up. Wish me luck!
The next morning I arrived at the spot where the Delorean was hidden just minutes before 8 AM and snuck into it unseen, so I thought! Unbeknownst to me however, TrueMacedonian had arrived before me and from the edge of the woodlands, saw me sneaking into the car´s trunk.
The next thing I knew the trunk door flew open and TrueMacedonian was staring down at me as I crouched trying to hide. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" commanded TrueMacedonian in a stern and authoritative voice. I said, "Allow me to get out of the trunk and I will explain everything to you." Thinking that my goose was cooked I decided to tell TrueMacedonian everything.
As I spoke TrueMacedonian listened intently and must have realized at some point the predicament we were both in so when I was done talking he quietly said, "Your secret is safe with me but the others will soon be here and may not be so forgiving so please get back in the trunk and we will pretend we never saw each other."
That was good enough for me so I popped back into the trunk and closed the latch behind me. "One question," I muttered. "How does he do it, I mean how does Tito convince people to become Macedonian and to write about Macedonians?" "It´s the women," he said. "But keep quiet now, Tito and the others are coming."
What could TrueMacedonian have possibly meant by "the women"; a statement that would keep me preoccupied for the rest of the day and overnight. In the meantime, as the rest of the team arrived and boarded the Delorean I overhead Tito bark his next orders. While fiddling with the time control knobs Tito said, "We are going to Galveston, Texas, to Sunday July 28th, 1895. Prepare to meet with the Galveston News Daily editor. Also bring plenty of rakija."
"Are we going to his home?" I overhead TrueMacedonian ask. "Yes, we are going to his home," barked Tito. "Where else do you suppose we would be meeting him on a Sunday?"
Tito was in one of those moods, perhaps he was recovering from a hangover from the night before and what better way to recover from a hangover than with more rakija! Drinking too much rakija would definitely give a person a hangover. After all Tito was a socialite and booze in those days was the poison of choice.
The team´s mission became apparent to me the next day when the Galveston Daily News printed the following story;
"MACEDONIAN SUCCESS
London, July 29. – The correspondent of the Chronicle at Constantinople says:
The Macedonians, after a sharp conflict with the Turkish troops, have captured the town of Mendik, southwest of Nevrokop. The victors burned the telegraph station and the Turkish headquarters.
The Vienna correspondent of the Chronicle says;
According to the statement of the Roumanian minister at Constantinople many of the insurgents arrested in Macedonia were found to be Russian officers. The Porte intends to send the documents found in their possession to the powers as proof that the Macedonian uprising is due to Russian agents and energy.
The Chronicle also has an editorial on the above information which regards affairs in the Balkan land as menacing the peace of Europe.
´We see no way out of the trouble´ the editorial says, ´except by summoning another congress, failing in which we may expect atrocities in Macedonia and Albania."
THE GALVESTON DAILY NEWS, MONDAY JULY 29, 1895".
As I waited for the team to return, I could hear Tito from a mile away yelling at the top of his lungs. I could not make out what he was saying but he was mad! Something may have gone wrong; perhaps it was too much rakija or perhaps it was the mention of the Russian officers in the article. Could The Galveston Daily News have double crossed Tito and used the above piece for its own purposes? I guess I will never know for sure.
Everyone was quiet when they boarded the Delorean. I guess they had to be if they didn´t want to be berated by Tito. "We are going to Brooklyn, to April 22nd, 1897," barked Tito as he quickly set the time travel dials and pushed the activation button.
We were there in seconds and everyone left the time machine in silence. I had no idea what the next mission was going to be until I read the next day´s paper which in part read;
"Every friend of Greece will hope that not only the Bulgarians but the Macedonians and the Albanians, will also demand a redress of their grievances and threaten to mobilize their troops unless the Sultan consents to their wishes.
The friends of Greece would not be sorry if the Sultan should refuse to do what the Bulgarians and Macedonians and Albanians want and if there should be a vigorous attack upon the Turkish intruding army from the rear." (The Brooklyn Daily Eagle – Friday, April 23rd, 1897)
Bravo to Tito and his team, they managed to squeeze the words "Macedonian" into the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on Friday April 23rd, 1897 when Tito was only five years old. What an accomplishment! Do you still believe Tito "created" the Macedonians?
Tito was in a happier mood as the team returned to the Delorean to go on the next mission. "Next we are going to Washington, Monday August 24th, 1903," I overheard Tito say in a quiet mellow voice. This was unusual for Tito but it was better than listening to him bark and whine.
The team´s next mission was revealed in the Washington Times article the next day which in part read;
"An alliance [between Turkey and Greece] such as this would prove more effective than anything else in checking the designs which Russia is credited with having on Constantinople, and would prove of such inestimable advantage to the 8,000,000 Greeks living in the Ottoman Empire, giving them a preferred position over Bulgars, Serbs, Roumanians, Macedonians and Armenians that they may be relied upon to use all their influence to promote the successful conclusion of the negotiations." (The Washington Times, Tuesday, August 25th, 1903)
This was indeed a quick mission and the team in no time was back for another one. I overhead Tito say, "We are going to New York, May 25th, 1903."
Now what was unusual about that date? I could not put my finger on it until I read the next day´s news in the May 26th, 1903 New York Times article which read;
"MACEDONIAN CHIEF´S DEATH
A Greek Spy Betrayed Deltcheff´s Whereabouts to the Turks.
London Times - New York Times
Special Telegram.
LONDON, May 26. – Detailed report of the death of Deltcheff, the famous Macedonian chief, says the Sofia correspondent of the Times, shown that he accompanied a band under Voivoda and Kirtchovski, together with the poet Tavaroff, and entered the village of Banitza, near Seres, where his presence was betrayed to the Turks by a Greek spy.
A large force surrounded the village, and all the members of the revolutionary band were killed after a long resistance. It is stated that the inhabitants of the village, to which the Turks set fire, were also killed.
Deltcheff was thirty-two years old. He was a schoolmaster, and practically created the present Macedonian organization, which has ramifications in all parts of the country.
The Vienna correspondent of the times says persecutions and arrests continue in the vilayete of Andreanople. Numbers of priests and schoolteachers have been taken into custody. Arms have been found in six villages. The male population has fled, and agricultural work is at standstill." (The New York Times, May 26th, 1903).
My heart dropped when I read the sad news that our most revered hero Gotse Delchev had died. Even though this was history, reading the news from a genuine, just published newspaper seemed to me like it happened yesterday and I could not imagine how the Macedonian people of his time, who depended on his wisdom and guidance, must have felt. What a tragedy!
Just as I was engrossed in reading the article, I heard rustling in the distance. The team was returning. No one said a word as the time Machine swished its way back to the future. Quietly everyone disappeared and retired for the night. I was left alone in a sad mood and the Delorean was all mine.
Sad as I was, I decided to take another random mission of my own. This time I went to Canada, November 1902 where I met an impressionable young man named John, A. Ewan and convinced him to place the following passage in the Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature;
"One thing that has to be remembered is that neither Macedonians nor Bulgarians are Greeks. They are mainly Slavs and will put up a stiff fight in the hilly country which will be the scene of operations if an uprising takes place." (The Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature", Vol. XX, November 1902 to April 1903 inclusive, by John, A. Ewan, page 479)
Still smarting from the sad news of Delchev´s death, especially since it was caused by a Greek spy, I decided to do so more "adventuring" and spun the time dial wildly. I ended up going to Beirut, Syria to March 16th, 1844. There I met a man, a General no less, called Jochmus and convinced him to write a letter to Colonel Churchill which in part read;
"I have already told you that I cannot partake in your enthusiastic views in favour of the Greeks. The idea of seeing them one day at Constantinople is preposterous, and there is nothing in the nation which warrants such a supposition.
The modern Greeks possess none of the qualities that make nations great. Their existence is due to the battle of Navarino, for in the autumn of 1827 Greece was unquestionably conquered by the arms of the Grand Visir Reshid Mehmed and by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt and again the "untoward event" of Navarino could only occur at a time when Phil-Hellenism was a sort of social disease, caused by hallucinations and by the illusion of finding in the present mongrel inhabitants of the Morea and Attica the descendents of the ancient Hellenes." ("The Syrian War and the Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1840 – 1848", by Baron Augustus Jochmus, Vol. 1, pages 99 and 100)
Somewhat satisfied with my last two solo missions, I returned the Delorean to its original place and time and retired for the evening but still wondered what TrueMacedonian meant by "the women".
To be continued.
Other articles by Risto Stefov:
http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov
http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446
Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
Risto Stefov
September 08, 2009
If we "must" believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, "invented" the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a "Time Machine" because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito´s time.
Thanks again to Kristina X for supplying us with the material for this episode, we will be boarding the Delorean at 8 AM promptly tomorrow morning but again if I am going to board unseen, I have to be there before everyone else shows up. Wish me luck!
The next morning I arrived at the spot where the Delorean was hidden just minutes before 8 AM and snuck into it unseen, so I thought! Unbeknownst to me however, TrueMacedonian had arrived before me and from the edge of the woodlands, saw me sneaking into the car´s trunk.
The next thing I knew the trunk door flew open and TrueMacedonian was staring down at me as I crouched trying to hide. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" commanded TrueMacedonian in a stern and authoritative voice. I said, "Allow me to get out of the trunk and I will explain everything to you." Thinking that my goose was cooked I decided to tell TrueMacedonian everything.
As I spoke TrueMacedonian listened intently and must have realized at some point the predicament we were both in so when I was done talking he quietly said, "Your secret is safe with me but the others will soon be here and may not be so forgiving so please get back in the trunk and we will pretend we never saw each other."
That was good enough for me so I popped back into the trunk and closed the latch behind me. "One question," I muttered. "How does he do it, I mean how does Tito convince people to become Macedonian and to write about Macedonians?" "It´s the women," he said. "But keep quiet now, Tito and the others are coming."
What could TrueMacedonian have possibly meant by "the women"; a statement that would keep me preoccupied for the rest of the day and overnight. In the meantime, as the rest of the team arrived and boarded the Delorean I overhead Tito bark his next orders. While fiddling with the time control knobs Tito said, "We are going to Galveston, Texas, to Sunday July 28th, 1895. Prepare to meet with the Galveston News Daily editor. Also bring plenty of rakija."
"Are we going to his home?" I overhead TrueMacedonian ask. "Yes, we are going to his home," barked Tito. "Where else do you suppose we would be meeting him on a Sunday?"
Tito was in one of those moods, perhaps he was recovering from a hangover from the night before and what better way to recover from a hangover than with more rakija! Drinking too much rakija would definitely give a person a hangover. After all Tito was a socialite and booze in those days was the poison of choice.
The team´s mission became apparent to me the next day when the Galveston Daily News printed the following story;
"MACEDONIAN SUCCESS
London, July 29. – The correspondent of the Chronicle at Constantinople says:
The Macedonians, after a sharp conflict with the Turkish troops, have captured the town of Mendik, southwest of Nevrokop. The victors burned the telegraph station and the Turkish headquarters.
The Vienna correspondent of the Chronicle says;
According to the statement of the Roumanian minister at Constantinople many of the insurgents arrested in Macedonia were found to be Russian officers. The Porte intends to send the documents found in their possession to the powers as proof that the Macedonian uprising is due to Russian agents and energy.
The Chronicle also has an editorial on the above information which regards affairs in the Balkan land as menacing the peace of Europe.
´We see no way out of the trouble´ the editorial says, ´except by summoning another congress, failing in which we may expect atrocities in Macedonia and Albania."
THE GALVESTON DAILY NEWS, MONDAY JULY 29, 1895".
As I waited for the team to return, I could hear Tito from a mile away yelling at the top of his lungs. I could not make out what he was saying but he was mad! Something may have gone wrong; perhaps it was too much rakija or perhaps it was the mention of the Russian officers in the article. Could The Galveston Daily News have double crossed Tito and used the above piece for its own purposes? I guess I will never know for sure.
Everyone was quiet when they boarded the Delorean. I guess they had to be if they didn´t want to be berated by Tito. "We are going to Brooklyn, to April 22nd, 1897," barked Tito as he quickly set the time travel dials and pushed the activation button.
We were there in seconds and everyone left the time machine in silence. I had no idea what the next mission was going to be until I read the next day´s paper which in part read;
"Every friend of Greece will hope that not only the Bulgarians but the Macedonians and the Albanians, will also demand a redress of their grievances and threaten to mobilize their troops unless the Sultan consents to their wishes.
The friends of Greece would not be sorry if the Sultan should refuse to do what the Bulgarians and Macedonians and Albanians want and if there should be a vigorous attack upon the Turkish intruding army from the rear." (The Brooklyn Daily Eagle – Friday, April 23rd, 1897)
Bravo to Tito and his team, they managed to squeeze the words "Macedonian" into the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on Friday April 23rd, 1897 when Tito was only five years old. What an accomplishment! Do you still believe Tito "created" the Macedonians?
Tito was in a happier mood as the team returned to the Delorean to go on the next mission. "Next we are going to Washington, Monday August 24th, 1903," I overheard Tito say in a quiet mellow voice. This was unusual for Tito but it was better than listening to him bark and whine.
The team´s next mission was revealed in the Washington Times article the next day which in part read;
"An alliance [between Turkey and Greece] such as this would prove more effective than anything else in checking the designs which Russia is credited with having on Constantinople, and would prove of such inestimable advantage to the 8,000,000 Greeks living in the Ottoman Empire, giving them a preferred position over Bulgars, Serbs, Roumanians, Macedonians and Armenians that they may be relied upon to use all their influence to promote the successful conclusion of the negotiations." (The Washington Times, Tuesday, August 25th, 1903)
This was indeed a quick mission and the team in no time was back for another one. I overhead Tito say, "We are going to New York, May 25th, 1903."
Now what was unusual about that date? I could not put my finger on it until I read the next day´s news in the May 26th, 1903 New York Times article which read;
"MACEDONIAN CHIEF´S DEATH
A Greek Spy Betrayed Deltcheff´s Whereabouts to the Turks.
London Times - New York Times
Special Telegram.
LONDON, May 26. – Detailed report of the death of Deltcheff, the famous Macedonian chief, says the Sofia correspondent of the Times, shown that he accompanied a band under Voivoda and Kirtchovski, together with the poet Tavaroff, and entered the village of Banitza, near Seres, where his presence was betrayed to the Turks by a Greek spy.
A large force surrounded the village, and all the members of the revolutionary band were killed after a long resistance. It is stated that the inhabitants of the village, to which the Turks set fire, were also killed.
Deltcheff was thirty-two years old. He was a schoolmaster, and practically created the present Macedonian organization, which has ramifications in all parts of the country.
The Vienna correspondent of the times says persecutions and arrests continue in the vilayete of Andreanople. Numbers of priests and schoolteachers have been taken into custody. Arms have been found in six villages. The male population has fled, and agricultural work is at standstill." (The New York Times, May 26th, 1903).
My heart dropped when I read the sad news that our most revered hero Gotse Delchev had died. Even though this was history, reading the news from a genuine, just published newspaper seemed to me like it happened yesterday and I could not imagine how the Macedonian people of his time, who depended on his wisdom and guidance, must have felt. What a tragedy!
Just as I was engrossed in reading the article, I heard rustling in the distance. The team was returning. No one said a word as the time Machine swished its way back to the future. Quietly everyone disappeared and retired for the night. I was left alone in a sad mood and the Delorean was all mine.
Sad as I was, I decided to take another random mission of my own. This time I went to Canada, November 1902 where I met an impressionable young man named John, A. Ewan and convinced him to place the following passage in the Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature;
"One thing that has to be remembered is that neither Macedonians nor Bulgarians are Greeks. They are mainly Slavs and will put up a stiff fight in the hilly country which will be the scene of operations if an uprising takes place." (The Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature", Vol. XX, November 1902 to April 1903 inclusive, by John, A. Ewan, page 479)
Still smarting from the sad news of Delchev´s death, especially since it was caused by a Greek spy, I decided to do so more "adventuring" and spun the time dial wildly. I ended up going to Beirut, Syria to March 16th, 1844. There I met a man, a General no less, called Jochmus and convinced him to write a letter to Colonel Churchill which in part read;
"I have already told you that I cannot partake in your enthusiastic views in favour of the Greeks. The idea of seeing them one day at Constantinople is preposterous, and there is nothing in the nation which warrants such a supposition.
The modern Greeks possess none of the qualities that make nations great. Their existence is due to the battle of Navarino, for in the autumn of 1827 Greece was unquestionably conquered by the arms of the Grand Visir Reshid Mehmed and by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt and again the "untoward event" of Navarino could only occur at a time when Phil-Hellenism was a sort of social disease, caused by hallucinations and by the illusion of finding in the present mongrel inhabitants of the Morea and Attica the descendents of the ancient Hellenes." ("The Syrian War and the Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1840 – 1848", by Baron Augustus Jochmus, Vol. 1, pages 99 and 100)
Somewhat satisfied with my last two solo missions, I returned the Delorean to its original place and time and retired for the evening but still wondered what TrueMacedonian meant by "the women".
To be continued.
Other articles by Risto Stefov:
http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov
http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446
Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
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