Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1860-08-09
Religious Intelligence.
THE MASSACRE In SYRIA.

NIISlOuS
THE MASSACRE In SYRIA.
A Thrilling Account by n Young
Lady.
BY the City of Washington at New York
we have the London News, containing let
ter dated Beirut, July !, giving further shock
ing accounts of the massacre of Christians in
Syria. We copy the following:
1t is now ascertained, and nominal list oil
them has been made, that up to last night
the Druscs have burned and pillagcd no less
than 151 Christian villages since the Goth Of
May last. while no less than $4,000 to 80
900 Christians inhabitants of Lebanon-many
of whom were, month ago, wealthy men,
others in quite easy circumstances, and all
strangers TO anything like poverty or want
are homeless bcggars, depending on actual
charity for their daily bread. Over and above
the number of Christians shot in the actual
warfare, between seven and eight thousand
have been utchered-hacked TO death would
be the filter term-as no butcher ever used
in his calling half the cruelty Of these blood
thirsty mscreants--in cold blood by the Drr-
scs And besides this, more than 5000 wild
ews, who, until this Druse campaign, were
happy wives and mothers, have lost their
husbands, brothers, fathers and all male rel
ativeS, even to the male infants at the breast
and / 600 children are now orphans. More
over, fifty millions sterling would not pay
for the towns. villages, hamlets and silk fac
tories destroyed throughout the mountain
all the property of the Christians There is,
besides, fearfully long list of converts,
churches and nunneries belonging to the same
people, all of which have been plundered and
then destroyed by the Drusts.
For the last twenty days it has Eeen moth
ing less than Wholesale massacre OF Chris
tians by the Druscs, and wanton destruction
of all property belonging to the former by
the latter. To give you some idea what these
Druses are, will enumerate few instances
of their frightful barbarity, all of which /
have heard from the unfortunate sufferers
now refugees from Lebanon. One
poor woman-I knew both her husband and
herself well at DER el Kamar. where they
were wealthy people-told me that when the
Druscs attacked the town the second time,)
should mention that it had surrendered, and
all the inhabitants had given up their arms
some twonty-four days previously to the Dru-
ses, and had been promised pru to :tion by their
sherks) her husband was hacked to pieces
before her eyes by the large knives of the
Druses, who then declared that they must
kill all male children in the house. The
mother tried to hide her two sons, one Is, the
other years old The Druses, however,
found them out, and as she begged and pray.
ed for their lives, and endeavored to cover
them in corner with her person, but the
Drnses hacked at the lads over her shoulder,
and gashed them until they both dropped
down apparently lifeless. The Druses then
made off, and the woman, thinking her two
sons dead remained in sort of stupor for
Two hours-so far as she can calculate. At
last she was aroused by hearing tho eldest lad
call her in a faint voice, trying to assure her
that he was not yet dead. On this she felt
the body Of the youngest boy and found his
heart beating. She got some water, aud af-
ter giving it to both her children-so far rs
she could get them to drink it--she started
into the town to see whether she could pro-
cure assistance to get her and her boys away.
She got as far as the seralo, or government
house, but there she found that some 500
Christians: who had taken refuge there, were
being cut to pieces by the Drrlscs, who had
been invited to enter the precincts of the
rison--tncse latter helping in the butchcry,
and being so far worse than the Druscs that
they abused in the most Infamous manner al!
The women. Seeing no help could be obtain
ed here, the poor woman turned to fly, when
she came across an old Drusc, who had form
orly been a farm-servant of her husbands
A ftcr great deal Of outreaty on her part, the
man consented to protect her and her child
rem down to the sea coast, about four hours
on condition of receiving an order
on her brother, a wealthy man in Beyrout,
for 10 900 piastrcs. To this sho agreed, and
they returned to her house. She had not
been abscntmor than an hour, but she found
her two children cut into pieces, joint by joint
limbs and trunk severed to use her words,
las butchers cut up sheep'--heads, legs, arms
and bodies being hacked up into a shapcless
mass of bloody flesh and recking bones. Some
other poor woman then joined her, and to-
gcther they made their way to mulberry
plantation outside the town, were they spent
the night. At daybrcak they were discover
ed by party of Druses, who after stripping
them to find whether they had any money Oh
their persons, and taking away what little
they possessed, told them they might 60 were
they liked. Four Of the poor creatures had
babies, all under year old. OF these infants
two were girls and two were boys; the former
they did not touch, but the latter they said
would grow up to be men and bear arms a.
gainst the D-uses; they therefore took the
poor little creatures, and before their moth
crs' eyes tore them up the middle and limb
by limb--"exactly," to use the poor woman's
own expression, "os you tear up a fowl that
is to be cooked with pilTau." Remember all