In 1876, the “Lindauer Tagblatt” reported that the Pan-Slavic agitators found little support for the supposed “Serbian holy national struggle”, and that Serbian troops act just like the Turkish bashi-bazouks, burning and looting. Many Serbian recruits for the pan-slavic agenda were also vagabonds, deserters and criminals.
Cited:
“From Croatia, Oct. 12: While Pan-Slavic agitators are certainly not lacking in efforts to rouse the Slavic population’s enthusiasm for the Serbs’ supposedly holy national struggle, all such agitation has reportedly met with little success so far. In particular, financial contributions for their Serbian brethren have been extremely meager; peasants—like the agitated masses—have shown little inclination to sacrifice even ten gulden to support the fighters.
Recruitment for the Serbian irregular forces has likewise been very poor, consisting largely of vagabonds, deserters, and other unruly characters; meanwhile, many young idealists of higher social standing from Agram—who had rushed to Belgrade in the spring—have returned bitterly disappointed by the mismanagement prevailing there, and especially by the increasingly blatant, brutal arrogance of the many Russian officers who act as absolute masters and lords throughout Serbia.
Numerous refugees from Serbia and Bosnia are currently in the country, including many women and children from formerly wealthy Christian families in the cities. These unfortunate people paint a grim picture of the misery gripping their homeland, lament the loss of all their worldly goods, and curse this senseless war and its ambitious instigators. Bosnia and Herzegovina are said to be utterly devastated, with Serbian irregulars—some of whom are the vilest riffraff—behaving just as wildly, looting and burning, as the Turkish Bashi-bazouks and Sipahis.”
Source
Lindauer Tagblatt für Stadt und Land Amtsblatt für den Stadtmagistrat Lindau und das kgl. Amtsgericht Lindau ; amtliches Bekanntmachungsorgan der Gemeinden Aeschach, Bodolz, Hoyren, Nonnenhorn, Oberreitnau; Reutin u. Weissensberg. 1876,7/12 1876. Stoffel u. Wachter.
