Page 677 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

lieving than isa would not come back anymore, than the Mutesarif visitied Mr. Mashkov asking his permission (?) for isa’s return and his going back to Kolašin in order to resume his search for rifles as he was claiming that there were 150– 200 more rifles hidden!
Surprised at this request, Mr. Mashkov replied to Dje- mal-bey that he had no rights whatsoever to give or not to give permission for such a thing as he was not a mutesarif but if they asked his opinion, he would advise and entreat them not to allow isa to return to Kolašin anymore after all the violence he had committed there...
To this the Mutesarif replied, trying to protect isa, that isa did nothing improper but Mr. Mashkov interrupted him saying that he was detailedly informed about all the violence and atrocities perpretrated by isa, thus silencing the Mute- sarif who could no longer deny it. The Mutesarif promised that isa would be sent to Kolašin but that he woul be allowed to stay there only three days and that he would not commit any violence.
“if isa does not go to Kolašin now, the albanians could rebel and strike the town thinking that we have given up the intended quest for weapons in Kolašin under foreign pres- sure”, said the Mutesarif.
Mr. Mashkov insisted that he was not entitled to grant any permission whatsoever for something like that but that he was kindly asking them not to send isa back to Kolašin.
On the question of the Russian Consul why Serbs do not have right to carry weapons while all albanians, in this state of general insecurity, are allowed to carry guns overtly be- ing condoned by the authorities, the Mutesarif answered that neither he nor the High Porte has anything against if Chris- tians as well possessed weapons (!) but they could not allow that Serbia, as a foreign country, was arming their subordi- nate citizens and that they wanted to prevent that.
as the evidence that Serbia was supplying the popula- tion of Kolašin with arms, Djemal-bey produced one Turk- ish Martin-type rifle which had arabic numbers on its visor while the rifles belonging to the empire had Turkish num- bers; this was because, said he, Serbs found those rifles in occupied Niš and changed the visors!
i don’t know if this is the truth but knowing this mali- cious, vile and fanatical companion of Mufti’s, i tend to be- lieve that this is a lie.
To justify the mayhem and violence inflicted upon Kola- šin, Hamdi-pasha, Mutesarif and Mufti needed to find guns from Serbia and isa’s method proved successful in finishing the commenced action. in order to improve isa’s quest, the authorities invited Keća, zaptiah’s chaush and long-time guard of Kolašin, and priest arsenije Matović, representative of prince and governor of Kolašin to Priština thus depriving Kolašin of its leaders.
Zaptiahs’ commander fiercely attacked and criticized Keća chaush, accusing him of being a traitor to the empire as he allegedly knew that there were rifles from Serbia in Kolašin but did not want to report that to the authorities!
at my request, Mr. Mashkov telegraphed to the embas- sy urging them to demand that Keća and priest arsenije be returned to Kolašin as soon as possible. isa Boletini was es- pecially furious at these two. He threatened he would burn
Serbian Priests in Peć serve the funeral above the beheaded Serbian Josa Radić from Šekular village, whom the ethnic Alba- nians from Rugova killed; they played with his head for two days on the village streets, after which the priests were able to propiti- ate for its funeral
them alive when he caught them. Scared for the lives of these two, the Turks had them evacuated evidently feeling pity for them!
When i have recently sent a kavaz to Mitrovica, isa told me that Father Vukajlo Božović was the leader of the Kola- šin Serbs and that he was distributing rifles to them and that he would have skinned him alive if he could catch him.
as i informed You in my coded telegram dated 7th this month, Mr. Mashkov is determined to personally visit the villages in the region of Mitrovica and investigate the atroc- ities commited by isa Boletini. From there he will proceed to Kolašin and then to Novi Pazar. i urged him, and this time encouraged him, to definitely do such a thing this time.
i was willing to accompany him on this trip, but he asked me not to do it in spite of the fact that i would be very help- ful to him. The reason was that he had been instructed to avoid all foreign agents and taking joint steps with them.
as You instructed me to travel with Mr. Mashkov if he did not object to it, i returned to Priština to inform You of the development of the situation in Kolašin.
it was sufficient that Mr. Mashkov and i appeared to- gether in Mitrovica spending three days there. it had a strong impact on our compatriots in Mitrovica which instanta- neously reverberated through the entire province of Kosovo and districts of Mitrovica and Kolašin. and while the Turks were confused, our compatriots regained their composure, the panic giving way to self-confidence and hope. There was powerful Russia standing behind Serbia and both countries were taking an interest in poor Serbs and their plight in Ko- sovo and they were willing to defend them from terror-mon- gers—this was met with loud acclamation over the hills and valleys of the sorrowful Old Serbia, revivifying it and restor- ing its smothered life.
Sources and Testimonies
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