, 1860-08-03

Horrible Massacrcs by the Drusea.

Correspondence Of ihe Landcn Daily Scxa]
BEEEorr, July L. 1se0.
Until last evening had hopes that this mail
would tuke home more cheering news respect
ing this unhappy province. Unfortunately,
our prospects get darker egery day, for each
hnur brings either news OF fresh atrocities CON-
that the acts Of the latter are counived at By
the Turkish Government 1t is now ascertain.
ed, aud nominal list of them has been made,
that up to last night the Druses have burned
nnd pilIaged no less than one hundred aud fifty
nne Christian villages since the eY.h Of May
last, while NJ less than from 5000 to s0,V00
Christian inhabitshts Of Lebanon-manv Of
whom we're month ago wealthy men, othersin
qsits easy circumstances, and all strangers to
anything like poverty or waat-are homeless
beggara, depending on actual CHARITY for their
daily bread. Orer and above the number Of
Chrtatians shot in actual warfare, belWeen 1000
ard 5000 have been buteaesed-I.ack.d
no butcher ever used in his calling
half the cruelty Of these b1ooltlirsty mis-
creants-in cotd blood By the Druses. And be-
sides this, more than 5000 widows, WIN, until
this Druse campaign, we're happy wires and
mothers, have lost their husbands, brothers,
fathers, und ult male relatives, even 10 the male
infants ut the breast; anti sixteen hundred chill
.lren are nov orpbuns. All these figures have
been very carefully compared with others, and
weighed in the bal ancc, Of English {1ocal) opiu.
ion, before given rs facts. And after conytrs-
ing, comparing, and digessing all hear, after
bringing my own four years experience in
Syria to bear upon The subject, nm bound to
say that | have considerably understated the
case. Moreover, fifty millions sterling would
not pay for the towna, villages, hamle;s, and
silk factories destroyed throughout the lnoun-
taiu-afl the property of the Christians. There
Is besides fsarfully long list of converts.
churches and nunneries belonging to the same
people, all Of which have been plundered and
then destroyed by the DrnscR. 1u short, what
commenced a. civil war between the two sects
can no lopgerbe called by that nan,e. For the
last twenty days has been nothing Iess than
wholesale massacre Of Christians by the Druses,
and wanton destruction of all prnpertv be-
longing to the former by tho latter. To give
you some idea what these Uruses are, will
euun,erate few instances Of their fIightful
batbarity. atl Of which hava 1,earI f-e.ta the
unl0rlunate sufferers themselves, how refugees
from Lebanon. One poor womau-1 kuew Both
ller husband and herself well at Deir-el- Ia
mar, where they we're wealthy people-!old me
that when the Dtusea attat ked the town the
second time Il should mention that it had sur
rendered, and all the Inhabitants had given up
their arms some twenty four hours previously
to ths Uruses, aud had been promised protec.
tion br their sheiks), her husband was tucked
to pieces before her eyes By the large knives
Of the Druses, who then declared that they
must xiii all male children IN the house.
TIE mother tried 10 hide her two sous,
one fifteen the other nine years old. Tho
Uruses, however, tound them out, and as she
begged and prayed fur their lives. and endcav-
orcd to cover them in a cornerwith her person,
but the D1uses hacked at the lads over her
had
dropped down apparently li!eless. The Druses
then Nude of. aud the woman, thinking her
two boys dead, remained in sort Of stupor
for two hours, as fa- as she could calculate. At
| last she was reused by hearing the eldest 1ad
| call her in faint voice. trying to assure her
that he wns not get dead. On this she felt the
| body Of the youngest boy, and found lis heart
| beating. She got some waier, and after giving
| it to bo:h her cllldrrn-so far Us she could rel
them to drink ,t-started into the town to See
whether she could procure assistance to ret her
and her boys away. She got as far US the se.
taglio, or government house, but there she
found that some 500 Christians, who had taken
refufe, we're being c9t to pieces By the Druses,
| who hud been invited to enter The precincts ol
the building by ths Turkish soldiers of the gar.
rison, these latter h=lping in the massacre, an
being 20 fur worse than the Druses that they
| abused in the most Infamous manner all the
| women.
! Seeing no help could be obtained here the
| poor woman turned to ID, when she came across
an old Druse, who had formerly been farm
! servant Of her husband. After great deal ti
| entreaty on her part, the man consented to p.o
tect her end her children down to the Eea coast
shout four hours journey, on condition OF re-
ceiving an order on her brother, u wealthy mau
in Beyroat, for 10000 piastres. To this she
agreed, and tneJ returned together to her house
she had not been 1bseEt more than an hour
but she found her t#o children cut into piece
] joint by joint. limb and trunk severed" ftc
use her words, "as butchers cut up Sheep
heads, legs, afms, and bodies being hacked Ut
into. shareless mass of bloody flesh md resk.
ing bones. Some other poor women then joined
her, and together tlley made their way to q tnul.
berry plantation outside The town, where tl.sy
passed the night. 1t daybreak they we're dis
covered By party Of Druees, who, after strip
plug them to find whether thcy had auy monef
on their persons, and taking away what li.t]e
they possessed, told them they might 70 where
they liked. Four Of the poor creatures had ba
| were girls and two boys; the former they did
not touch, but the latter they said might grow
up to bc men, and bear arms against The Dru.
ses; they therefore took the poor little crea.
turrs, and before their mothers eyes, tore them
up the middle. and limb By limb e1 actly, to
use tue poor wosnan's own expression, " as you
tesr up fowl that is 10 be cooked with pi]lau. u
affai+;n1 ,.nt d.;h.r.,.1r t., ~ ~ ~ sle ueas
tuKu'lps, ons 1enoe.a'ety; , IN cola olood: And
a nave nsard hiFd o. eesen o.ner exactly slmilar
easss ,so .; Gn,,a a oy NE Droses IN nine
o. "n'en ~ nnpnS;'ay pemese' nas1ng every Tea'
SUI ~ ~ 3D. usaf e st Nan'ar o contained month
af"s "no p"p"a.on au u sey sons, o. which about
4,Vvo ~e,e men auo laos, 5,ao0 women and
Hii's, anu soo ennore1 anoer len years old: Ol
ths ween % a,d % III. 'hn ahont 10y na 6ase
,ne nou'en uaa E.iie' aoout .'Voo nave reached
nesloat; aaa o. tae young children, less than
.%o aund5g" ale ase. Dont forget, too, thai
et;n. sn's nea,su t'aSssea - nas perPetfa9ed upon
| PoEu'atlon Much tMeh.y-1our daJs preslously
ised protection BY them, and we're d;sarmed
previously to their murder.
-Four days ago "a English gentlemen here
ceed to AooAtara, the seat of great Druse
there to convene all the principal shieks and
try to get them to make peace, or at auY rats
for the present to put an end to the sceuo o.
slaughter. His mission has been entirely IN
successful; the chiefs will listen to nothing. auc
report says ,hat they hare again raised the va
ery, and are proceeding against the Keronan .
district exclusively Christian, very thickis
! roertataA 1v;sh .rd.......t -