CHARLES R. CRANE,

CHARLES R. CRANE, Chicago, Dec. 3, 1903.” (The New York Times, December 3, 1903)

This story too was very satisfying to read and confirmed historically everything I knew about that period. Satisfied that my day was not a total loss, I returned home and the first thing I did was set the alarm clock to wake me up the next day.

Essay 16 – Fear of a Balkan War

Anxious to avoid sleeping in, I set my alarm clock the previous evening to wake me up an hour earlier than usual. I wanted to be by the Delorean bright and early just in case TrueMacedonian decided to pay me a visit. But just as I arrived at the “secret spot” I noticed the Delorean was gone. It was not there and neither was anyone else for that matter. I began to wonder what could have happened. Could the team have left earlier than usual? Could the team have discovered that I was a stowaway and decided to find a new hiding place for launching the missions? How was I going to get in touch with TrueMacedonian when I did not even know where he lived? I decided to hide in the bushes and lay in wait anyway, hoping that somehow things would return to normal and I would again be able to board the Delorean in the usual fashion and the team and I would again be traveling with Tito to secret missions. Just as I sat there, preoccupied with my thoughts, I caught a glimpse of the Delorean appear and then disappear. The team must have returned from one mission and was off to the next, I thought to myself as I was overcome with excitement that all was not lost. But why must the Delorean return to the same time and space from one mission in order to go to the next mission? Could this spot be “ground zero” in space and time for the time-machine and it has to return here to recalibrate its instruments before going to another mission? I could only guess as to the reason for its return but I was happy to see it back. Bored of waiting for the Delorean to return I decided to go home and come back later when the missions were over. I wanted to get in touch with TrueMacedonian and find out what was going on? Why did the team leave much earlier this morning? Was this going to be the new, permanent schedule or was this just for the day? I had to know. I had just returned to my hiding place when I saw the Deloran suddenly appear out of nowhere. It was indeed startling to see. Ah the team has returned, I thought to myself. And as the Delorean’s engines were shut down, I knew this was the last mission and the team would soon be going home. As I peeked through the brush I could see everyone come out of the car and slowly drift away towards the horizon. TrueMacedonian was the last to exit the car and as he did he flicked something over his head with his right thumb. I watched it land and bounce just behind the Delorean. It must be a message for me, I thought. I hope it’s newspaper clippings from today’s missions. I waited until everyone had disappeared behind the horizon before I came out of the bush and quickly picked up what looked like a paper ball of discarded trash. How clever I thought.

I was right, it was a ball of crumpled-up paper with three tightly packed pages. I anxiously and carefully unwrapped them and began to study them. The first one read;

“FEAR OF A BALKAN WAR

All the Powers working to bring about reforms peaceably.

Chief Feature of Innovation is a Governor for Macedonia with Independent Powers – Bulgaria’s good faith doubted.

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Feb. 17. – The sobranje to-day, after a long and heated debate, adopted a resolution approving the action of the Government in suppressing the Macedonian committees. In the course of the discussions the Premier, Dr. Daneff, made an impassionate appeal to the house to support the Government, saying that it was imperative to the welfare of Bulgaria at the present critical moment that the powers should remain without any doubt as to the Bulgarian Government’s intention to keep the people of Macedonia quiet and to help the powers in carrying out the scheme of pacification. VIENNA, Feb. 17. – The Neue Freie Presse announces that the Austro-Russian note was today submitted to the cabinets of Berlin, Paris, London and Rome, and that it will be presented to the Porte on Feb. 19 unless the powers require a revision of it, in which case its presentation will be delayed until Feb. 21. The reform proposals are chiefly of an administrative and financial nature, such as the Porte has heretofore promised but never executed. One new feature is the appointment of a Governor, not necessarily a Christian, who shall have authority to act without referring to the Porte in every contingency. It is believed in diplomatic circles that the Porte will oppose the appointment of such a Governor, and it is seriously doubted whether the reforms will satisfy the Macedonians. The good faith of the Bulgarian Government in ordering the recent arrests of Macedonians is also questioned, in view of the fact that the most prominent revolutionists managed to escape. A formidable outbreak in the early Spring is considered as by no means impossible. According to advices from Salonica, the German, British and Italian military attaches arrived in the city today from Constantinople.” (The New York Times, February 17, 1903)

The second one read;

“PLANS OF MACEDONIANS. Correspondent comes into touch with the insurgent leader.

London Times – New York Times – Special Cablegram.

LONDON, Oct. 21. – After a long journey in the night a special correspondent of the Times in Macedonia has succeeded in getting into touch with the leader of the Macedonian Revolutionists. He was informed that it was the intention of the insurgents to carry on their guerrilla operations throughout the Winter so far as the climatic conditions will permit, in order to compel Turkey to keep a large army of pacification constantly under arms. The bands intend to make another desperate campaign in the Spring. The sole hope of the revolutionary leaders is to prolong the present disturbed state of affairs in order to prove to Europe that Turkey, in spite the enormous forces employed to suppress the insurrection, is unable to settle the Macedonian question. They feel confident that the powers will then force the Porte to grant the autonomy demanded by them. With regard to the atrocities perpetrated in Macedonia, the correspondent says, the insurgent leaders, who have no cause to love the Turks, do not endorse entirely the stories of vengeance perpetrated on innocent women and children that have been circulated by some hysterical correspondents. They say that the Turks massacre all male Macedonians suspected of sympathy with the insurrection and constantly fire on parties of refugees, but wholesale outrages on women and children have occurred only on occasions. The wholesale pillage and destruction of villages and massacres of the males have been the method pursued by the Turks in dealing with the insurrection. The insurgent leaders have adopted a new policy in order to take from the Turks as far as possible any pretext for retribution of this sort. They have established food supplies in the mountains.” (The New York Times, October 21, 1903)

The third one read;