ful for our victory. He told me that on the day we captured Nebi Samwil three wounded Arab officers were brought to his hospital. One of them who spoke English said, "I can hip, hip, hurrah for England now." The officer was told to be careful, as there were Turkish wounded inside, but he replied that he did not care, and in his unrestrained joy he called out: "Hurrah for England!" During the war there were executions at Jerusalem. Before the first battle of Gaza the Mufti of Gaza and his son were brought to Jerusalem. The Mufti, who advises the Cadi on matters of religious law, was hanged on a gallows erected near the Jaffa Gate, and his son was shot. The Turks made their headquarters in the Hospice of Notre Dame, and before leaving they sent away all the furniture of that French religious establishment. Less than a fortnight ago General Falkenhayn ordered that all Americans should be removed from Jerusalem, but the Turkish doctors, who had seen the good work done in the American hospital, protested that the doctors and staff should remain. Their protests succeeded, but only two days before the surrender a number of Americans were taken away. Details of the Fighting I propose now to give some details of the fighting which relieved Jerusalem from the Turks. Throughout it has been extremely keen. The soldierly qualities of the troops have never been put to a higher test than during this great battle for the Holy City. An army which has endured the trials of desert warfare, cheerfully maintained its indomitable spirit through the trials of heat, thirst, and sandstorms, has suddenly found itself in a mountainous region, where the nights are desperately cold. Worse than all, the luck of the weather was against us. Just as the movement for positions before the attack commenced, a pitiless rain began to fall, soaking through every officer and man, turning the one road into a quagmire, making the movement of guns next to impossible, marooning the transport, and preventing the camels securing a foothold. The poor beasts were sliding all over the place, and when once they fell it was almost impossible to get them on their feet again. It was only by the heroic efforts of the gunners that the heavy pieces were got into position at all. The guns were frequently man-handled, but, although all the artillerymen were anxious to expend their last ounce of energy, it was in many cases a physical impossibility to move the guns, and in parts of the line attacked by us the infantry carried out the advance without artillery preparation. Truly Epic Fighting Truly, it was epic fighting, but the spirit of our troops was as high as the goal to be reached, so they braved all trials, and, by deeds which will rank high in our military history, secured a triumph which will send resounding echoes through a world at war. The cold was so intense that soldiers who had borne the brunt of a long day's fighting could not sleep. They lay huddled, waiting for the dawn which seemed long in coming, and when the first streaks of light showed themselves in the eastern skies they cheerfully pushed forward to objectives of tremendous strength, without thinking of the cost to themselves, their only thought being for the empire's battles and what the world would think of their success. To add to our difficulties, a deep pall of fog hung over the hilltops on which the enemy was intrenched, and no airman, however daring—and all our airmen take the greatest risks could penetrate the mists. Observation from the air for the artillery was impossible in the early hours, but that extreme disadvantage was disregarded and the work went on without cessation. Despite mud, rain, and fog, we beat the best of the Turkish troops, formed into storming companies with steel helmets and the latest equipment that Germany could provide. We have performed what the enemy thought impossible, and our brave boys are the happiest and most cheerful troops in the wide world. Capture of Samuel's Tomb The country we fought over is most difficult. There is hardly a square yard of flat. It is one continual succession of hills and valleys, all thickly strewn with boulders, with descents and ascents alike steep and forbidding to any but the most robust and gallant men. Every summit scaled is crowned by well-made trenches, with strong points crammed with machine guns and communication trenches. Ridge after ridge was held strongly, and nothing but a wonderful determination and will to victory enabled us to take them. Since I last wrote there have been repeated attempts by the enemy to retake the top of Nebi Samwil, that crest on which Samuel was buried, and whose tomb and mosque near by have been wrecked willfully by the Turkish gunfire. The Turks attacked the London territorials here four times with their new storm companies, but all were completely repulsed with heavy losses. At the final attack on Jerusalem, south of the Jerusalem road, the Londoners took a line splendidly. The dismounted yeomen made their attack north of the road, pivoting on Nebi Samwil. Welsh and home counties troopers had the honor, which they deserved, of taking Bethlehem, leaving no trace of the war's struggles on that holy place. There was a Turkish battery firing at them from close to the town, but no reply was made, for fear of touching one stone of the town. To these Welsh and home counties men was given the task of operating to the south and east of Jerusalem, and they played a glorious part in the great victory. The Final Conflicts On the night of Dec. 7 all the troops moved to their assigned positions. The Londoners were to attack a strong line of works commanding Ain Karim, which is Miriam's Well, and Deir Yesin, a place full of trenches and machine guns. One brigade was to make a frontal attack; another was to turn the enemy defenses by climbing up a spur southwest of Ain Karim village. To do this the troops had to clamber down a very steep mountainside into a deep valley, then to climb up terraced spurs to works on the top. The brigade which was intrusted with the turning movement was equipped with packs, and had to make roads as it went along. When it got to the top it found a battalion of Turks in position, and had strong fighting before winning its ground. Then the two brigades together stormed the main line of works before daylight, and by 7 o'clock their irresistible attack had given us the whole western defenses of Jerusalem. From this position the ground rises very steeply to a sharp ridge covered with large boulders on which the Jewish colony stands. The turning brigade was unable to get right round, as it was heavily shelled by a Turkish battery south of Jerusalem in a position quite close to the Holy City. It was impossible to find positions for our field guns on this steep ground, but two howitzers were brought up with infinite labor, and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon the brigade making the frontal attack fixed bayonets, and all the battalions charged the ridge and carried it by a gallant rush after a strong fight, the Turks leaving many dead on the ground. The dismounted yeomen also had difficult work to accomplish. They had to take a strong line of works in and around the village of Beit Iksa, but though the Austrian and German gunners poured in an accurate shellfire they secured their objective early, and pushed up to the line of Nebi Samwil and the village of Beit Handina, 260 prisoners being taken on the way. As soon as the Londoners had got well into the suburbs of Jerusalem the dismounted yeomen were in a position to face north, not only gaining the whole of the most-coveted ridge of Nebi Samwil, but the high ground of El Burg, and getting on the Jerusalem-Nablus road before the Londoners, who were thus materially helped by the yeomen's advance. The Welshmen had the honor of driving the Turks from the Mount of Olives. The Welsh and home counties were held up by fog and by roads blown up by the enemy, but by dint of strenuous exertions the troops operating from Bethlehem overcame the difficulties and drove the enemy down the Jericho road. In Jerusalem we found 750 wounded Turks, without medical stores, and practically without food. Christians and Jews Rejoice How the British Occupation of Jerusalem Was Received in Different Circles by on his taking of Jerusalem, and in recognition thereof awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, which is the highest grade in that order; he previously had made him a Knight Commander of the Bath. The British Academy, under the Chairmanship of Lord Bryce, sent him the following telegram: The British Academy and large audience assembled at annual public lecture on Biblical Archaeology, Viscount Bryce presiding, offer you and valiant army, the gallant liberators of the Holy City, profound congratulations on glorious achievement, the realization of longcherished hopes, fraught with highest possibilities for the future of humanity. We rejoice that this historic triumph will ever be associated with British prowess and with British ideals of freedom, liberty, and equal rights for races and creeds. I. GOLLANCZ, secretary. Jewish Congratulations Dr. Hertz, Chief Rabbi at London, addressed the following letter to King George the day Jerusalem was occupied: On behalf of the Jewish communities of the empire, whose ecclesiastical chief I have the honor to be, I humbly beg to congratulate your Majesty on the world-. historic victories of your Majesty's army in the Holy Land. The occupation of Jerusalem, following so closely upon the epoch-making declaration of your Majesty's Government on Palestine as the national home for the Jewish people, causes the hearts of millions of my brethren throughout the world to throb with deepest gratitude to Almighty God, who alone doeth wondrous things. The House of Israel, that for 2,500 years preferred Jerusalem above its chief joy, fervently prays that everywhere the heroic efforts of your Majesty's forces may speedily be crowned with complete and lasting success. The following reply, signed by Lord Stamfordham, the King's private secretary, was sent to the Chief Rabbi: I am commanded to express the King's deep appreciation of the congratulations which you have conveyed to his Majesty in your own name, and on behalf of the Jewish communities of the empire whom you represent, upon the victories of his Majesty's army operating in the Holy Land, which have culminated in the occupation of Jerusalem. The King further thanks you for the assurance that the House of Israel fervently prays for a speedy victory to the Allies and for an honorable and lasting peace. To General Allenby the Chief Rabbi sent the following telegram: British Jewry, thrilled by glorious news from Palestine, sends heartfelt congratulations on historic entry into Holy City. A special form of praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God for the taking of Jerusalem was included by the Chief Rabbi in the Synagogue Sabbath service. On Dec. 13 the Cardinal Vicar at Rome published a manifesto regarding the taking of Jerusalem, which announces a thanksgiving service for the following Sunday in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The manifesto said that the " strictly religious joy and triumph which the Cardinal Vicar experienced was clouded by the fact that the liberators of the Holy Sepulchre were not all united in the Catholic faith. The Osservatore Romano, the organ of the Vatican, had the following note: The news of the entry into Jerusalem of British troops is welcomed with pleasure by all, and particularly by Catholics, who can only be satisfied that the Holy City is in the hands of a Christian power rather than in the hands of a non-Christian power. The feeling of satisfaction is all the more great and reasonable when one thinks of the ideas of liberty and equality which inspire the actions of Great Britain, for they give rise to the hope that in a land which was the foundation of the Christian religion the rights and interests of the Catholic Church will be recognized and respected. The Catholic Corriere d'Italia said: Our great dream is at last a reality. Between the walls of Jesusalem the alliance of nations consecrates today the justice of its cause. This war, let loose by the thirst of an empire for the hegemony of a single race, has become a war for the liberty of the world. The odious alliance of the Turks and Germans in the Holy Land has been defeated. Every Italian heart must today rejoice at the capture of the Holy City, and the political results of its conquest can be looked upon with satisfaction by the Catholic Church also, as it puts the Holy City under the dominion of England, which has always adopted a spirit of liberty and respect for the religion of her subjects. Catholics expect, therefore, at Jerusalem a régime of full liberty and respect for the historic religious traditions which rendered their rights to the holy places sacred. French Comment The following was the comment of leading Paris newspapers. Le Journal said: The Entente has a pledge of undoubted value. Palestine is a trump card, of which the full value will be appreciated when the time comes. Already its occupation has two consequences. It closes Arabia to the Turks and condemns them to the immediate and absolute loss of such control as they had over the holy places of Islam. On the other hand, the road to Syria is open. Jerusalem is scarcely more than 125 miles from Damascus. Syria is one of the brightest foci of French influence, and one of the nations groaning under the yoke is already looking for deliverance. It has its eyes fixed on the tricolored flag that is floating side by side with the Union Jack. Le Temps said: By freeing Palestine, General Allenby has rendered a valuable service to the British Empire. The Suez Canal, the key to the sea communications between England and India, is now secure. Egypt, which, with Spanish Morocco, is one of the two points whereby German influence might make itself felt in Africa, is now far away from the frontier. The British Government, however, is pursuing no selfish aim in Palestine. The Holy City and its surroundings will be placed under an international authority, and the aspirations of the Allies will be respected. France is all the more cordial in acceding to these because she has herself an important disinterested mission to fulfill in the Levant. German Comment The Roman Catholic Kölnische Volkszeitung said: The associations of the word Jerusalem are so deeply rooted that the conquest of the city gives considerable kudos to the conqueror. Especially in the case of the Anglo-Saxon world stimulation of war spirit has been attained which, owing to the lack of successes in the main war theatres, would otherwise have been difficult to effect. The interests of the Jews in the Entente countries, especially of the supporters of Zionism, in the Palestine campaign has shown itself in unambiguous form. In view of the tremendous influence which Jewish capital possesses in warfare, Entente financiers and politicians will welcome the favorable effects of the capture of Jerusalem on these powerful Israelite circles. From the military standpoint it cannot be denied that the battles which led to the capture were well prepared and cleverly planned, but regarding the war situation in the Orient as a whole there is no reason to overestimate the event. Jerusalem can, at the most, serve as a valuable base on the line of communications, but it lies too far from the really important aims of the British to give ground for anxiety. It may with good reason be expected that on a line more to the rear, more easy to defend, the Turks will call a halt to the British advance. A Dutch View The Amsterdam Maasbode, (Catholic,) commenting on the capture of Jerusalem, said: By this moral success, added to that of Bagdad, the British have entirely wiped out the stain which the Gallipoli adventure and the check to General Townshend had left on their military name. For the fall of Jerusalem means the collapse of one of the principal pillars of the Turkish Empire in Asia. American Comment The New York and New Jersey Synod of the Protestant Episcopal Church, at its annual meeting in New York City, adopted the following resolution: Whereas, The holy city of Jerusalem, sacred alike to the Christian and to the Jew, has been wrested from Turkish dominion, after many centuries of oppression and misrule, this provincial synod thanks God for the result herein expressed, and hereby recommends to the clergy and churchmen of this province that some sensible assistance be given to the work of our church in Jerusalem. The remainder of the resolution provided specific means for raising and sending financial assistance to the Anglican Church in Jerusalem. German Plotting in Russia By Abraham Yarmolinsky The publication by the Department of State of the United States of the messages interchanged between the German Minister to Argentina and the Imperial Foreign Office exposed the active participation of the diplomatic representatives of the German Government in intrigues against the United States and other neutral nations, with which Germany was then on terms of amity. Further light on the extent of the German Foreign Office's plotting, which contemplated assassination and the blowing up of war vessels, is furnished by the confessions of a Russian Secret Service agent named Dolino, who committed suicide a short time before the revelations were made public. The manuscript containing his confessions was intrusted to Vladimir Burtzev, a distinguished Russian publicist, and its authenticity was attested by the Russian newspaper Birzheviya Vedomosti, which published it on July 19, 1917. The authenticity of the document was further attested by a Russo-French publicist, J. W. Bienstock, when it appeared in the Mercure de France, Nos. 464 and 465, Oct. 16 and Nov. 1, 1917. Dolino had been an agent provocateur as well as an agent of counterespionage, under the former régime in Russia. Shortly after the March revolution a special board began to examine the archives of the Secret Service. When Dolino discovered that his name was about to be revealed he made his confession to Burtzev, giving him the manuscript, and then returned to his lodging and committed suicide. Dolino's confession states that the German Ambassador to Switzerland in March, 1916, a man named Romberg, personally intrigued with him to go to Russia and organize on a large scale revolutionary propaganda among workmen and peasants, and to foment agrarian disorders, sabotage of machinery, and pacifist movements; also, that a high German functionary, von Bismarck, suggested to Dolino that he proceed to the Black Sea to blow up the Russian cruiser Empress Maria. This he did not succeed in doing, but it is a fact that shortly after the time at which he was intended to execute this order, (he had been diverted in the meanwhile,) the cruiser Empress Maria did explode and was entirely destroyed, 700 men losing their lives. The explosion was caused by a fire which broke out on the ship and penetrated through the ventilating pipes into the munition magazines. The District Attorney was not allowed by the military authorities to make an investigation until twenty-four hours later; they had appointed an investigating committee, but no light was shed on the cause of the catastrophe. The translation from Dolino's confessions here presented was prepared for CURRENT HISTORY MAGAZINE by Abraham Yarmolinsky, an instructor in Russian at the College of the City of New York. S HORTLY after the March revolution a Russian Secret Service agent of the name of Dolino, before committing suicide, came to Vladimir Burtzev and handed over to him a voluminous manuscript. It con tained a detailed account of Dolino's manifold activities in the Okhrana, [the Czar's Secret Service.] Few documents given to publicity by the "Sherlock Holmes of the Russian Revolution," who is at present its most competent chronicler, and to whom the Provisional Government had intrusted the archives of the Secret Service of the old régime, are more interesting than these confessions. The excerpt from them presented here throws valuable light on German plotting in Russia and on Russian counterespionage. In October, 1914, at the request of one of his acquaintances, Dolino met a certain Bernstein at Milan, Italy. Dolino's narrative follows: "Bernstein told me that he had left Russia a great many years ago, settled in Turkey and naturalized there, and that he resided in Constantinople. It was shortly before Turkey declared war on Russia. In Constantinople, he added, he had associated himself with the Committee of Young Turks, and they had charged him with the mission of entering into relations with the Russian revolutionists for the purpose of committing terroristic acts in Russia aimed at disorganizing the Russian military power. The group was to work independently, and its first act was to be the destruction of the railway bridge over the River Yenissei, Siberia. To my question what that had to do with the war he replied that this act would cripple the transportation of munitions from Japan to Russia. Bernstein proposed that I form a group to go to Russia, &c. "I asked him for several days to consider the matter and to find the men fit |