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The Solun Assassins By Krste Bitoski (Translated from Macedonian to English and edited by Risto Stefov) The Solun Assassins Published by: Risto Stefov Publications [email protected] Toronto, Canada All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written consent from the author, except for the inclusion of brief and documented quotations in a review. Copyright 2017 by Krste Bitoski & Risto Stefov e-book edition ************ August 18, 2017 -- In honour of Macedonian Army Day -- I would like to dedicate the translated version of this book to my friends in the Macedonian military and to all Macedonian officers and soldiers who fought and are fighting to protect Macedonia and the Macedonian people. Risto 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ..........................................................................................5 PART ONE ..............................................................................10 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE APPEARANCE OF THE GEMIDZHII CIRCLE .......................10 EUROPEAN CAPITAL INVESTED IN MACEDONIA ...............10 ECONOMIC REVIEW OF VELES ................................................17 FORMING AND SHAPING THE GEMIDZHII CIRCLE .............20 IMAGES OF THE REVOLUTIONARIES .....................................31 Iordan Popiordanov-Ortse (1881-1903)...........................................31 Kosta Ivanov Kirkov (1882-1903)...................................................33 Dimitar Mechev (1870-1903) ..........................................................34 Ilia Trchkov (1884-1903).................................................................36 Vladimir Pingov (1883-1903)..........................................................36 Georgi Bogdanov (1879-1939) ........................................................37 Milan Arsov (1886-1908) ................................................................37 Pavel Potsev Shatev, (1882-1951) ...................................................38 Marko Boshnakov (1874-1903) .......................................................39 Tsvetko Traikov (around 1860-1903) ..............................................39 PART TWO .............................................................................44 THE GEMIDZHII AT WORK ....................................................44 GEMIDZHII - THE REVOLUTIONARY ORGANIZATION -.....44 SUPREME MACEDONIAN COMMITTEE ..................................44 UNSUCCESSFUL MISSION IN TSARI GRAD - DIGGING A TUNNEL IN SOLUN ......................................................................55 IN SEARCH OF MONEY AND DYNAMITE – DIGGING A NEW TUNNEL..........................................................................................64 COLLISION WITH THE MRO CENTRAL COMMITTEE ..........73 SOLUN RESOLUTION FOR UPRISING - RELATIONS WITH DELCHEV .......................................................................................81 FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE SOLUN ATTACKS – ATTEMPTS TO DELAY ................................................................91 THE SOLUN ASSASSINS ...........................................................102 IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES OF THE GEMIDZII ACTIONS ........................................................................................................123 PART THREE........................................................................134 AFTER THE ATTACKS...........................................................134 MASSACRES................................................................................134 3 EVENTS IN BITOLA AND OTHER PARTS OF MACEDONIA ........................................................................................................145 ECHOES OF THE ASSASSINATIONS ABROAD.....................164 PROSECUTION AND IMPRISONMENT OF THE GEMIDZHII ........................................................................................................175 IORDAN POPIORDANOV’S TWO LETTERS...........................206 FATE OF THE GEMIDZHII SENTENCED TO DEATH ...........213 CONCLUSION..............................................................................219 4 PREFACE A number of events during the pre-Ilinden period, more or less, revealed to Europe and to the world that a revolutionary movement was brewing in Macedonia and foretold of the storm that was about to explode in this backward, politically disadvantaged and exploited Ottoman province. The Vinitsa and a number of other failures, the conflicts between the Macedonian armed bands and the Ottoman army, the terror perpetrated by the Ottoman authorities against the Macedonian population, all appeared as normal occurrences of a deep revolutionary situation causing many problems inside and outside of Macedonia. The Solun assassinations, carried out several months before the Ilinden Uprising, were very bloody and serious enough to get the attention of the European public and the diplomatic circles in Europe. The bombings were the work of the Gemidzhii (boatmen, sailors), a small group of people composed mainly of young men, hoping that, through a great struggle against the European establishment in Macedonia, they would force the European Great Powers to ensure Macedonia would be awarded its autonomy, which was promised to them under the 1878 Berlin agreement, and for which the Great Powers were morally responsible. The entire Macedonian population in almost all of Macedonia had accepted the idea of Macedonia being liberated by revolutionary means. At the head of the revolutionary movement stood the Macedonian intelligentsia which believed that Macedonia’s liberation could be achieved through long-term political and material preparations, i.e. through the conscious revolutionary action of the most disadvantaged and exploited people. However, there were some young people who were impatient and felt that individual revolutionary actions and self-sacrifice could replace the collective effort of the many people and thus save them from the consequences of a general and bloody uprising. The Gemidzhii circle in Solun was a child of the times when the Macedonian people were organizing a mass struggle against their centuries-old oppressor… at the time when they were fighting to attain their national and social freedom. Beyond that, the Gemidzhii 5 circle was also a product of a time when anarchism in Europe was “fashionable”, a way of asserting rights and correcting wrongs. Even though the Gemidzhii were influenced by European anarchist and nihilistic ideas, their attitudes and their revolutionary actions were different from those of the European anarchists. The Gemidzhii were extremely compassionate towards the innocent and subjugated population and always took care to minimize suffering caused by their actions. Their attacks were different, especially in their preparation. They never put their own lives ahead of others. They were never careless. They put a lot of effort into their preparations, lasting months and sometimes even years. More importantly they never hesitated to give up their own lives, after their work was done, to prove that they were not common terrorists but fighters fighting for the freedom of their homeland Macedonia. The Gemidzhii neither could nor wanted to penetrate the essence of anarchist ideology. They were not interested in it. They were preoccupied with the question of how to do the job “easier” and “faster” and how to minimize casualties in the liberation of Macedonia. This is why they took the road that they did and the means they applied, which, according to them, would have given them the desired results. The Gemidzhii were a small group of individuals consisting mostly of intellectuals supporting one another in their own little circle. They did not belong to any international organization, party or any part of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. Everything they did was voluntary and was done under the disciplinary norms they themselves had created. Iordan Popiordanov-Ortse was recognized as the leader of the Gemidzhii circle, thanks to his character and traits. The main cohesive force that firmly connected the Gemidzhii was their fanatical devotion to their work. They felt responsible for one another and together were responsible for Macedonia’s liberation. The Gemidzhii were a modest bunch, withdrawn, full of love for their people and full of hatred for the enemy. They were young with boundless courage. They did not think of life without freedom, they preferred death over slavery. Their sacrifices were made to convince 6 the people of Europe that a society able to give birth to such heroes was worthy of living a life of freedom. They were preparing for one terrible thing; something that would upset and disturb Europe. They were preparing for a terrible act; to end life. The Gemidzhii worked like shadows always seeking to be anonymous. No one outside of the ten of them knew exactly what they were preparing for and who was going to do what. Very little was known about their ideals, determination and attitude to life and freedom. They were prepared to sacrifice themselves for Macedonia and, except for their work, did not want to leave any trace of themselves in history. The Macedonian armed revolutionary bands, for example, always wanted to be photographed. They wanted to be seen in well- dressed revolutionary gear, well-armed, with big beards. They wanted to look “fearless”.

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