Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-07-28
Eastern Correspondence of the Traveller.


The Civu War in SyrIa-Iseirut in Danger.
BEIRUT, June %, 1900.
The state of this poor country beggars de.
scripton. The large towns Of Zahleh and
DER el Kamer have been put to the sword, and
thousands OF dead bodies lie exposed to the
jackas and hyenas which intest that part OF
the mountain. The news is leart-rending.
Men that we knew have persisted in this awful
butchery. Widows and orphans are creeping
slowly towards Beirut for safety. But alas
they will find no safety here. Moslems are
III arms, and Christians are trembling in their
houses, fearing general massacre. Even
while am writing am surrounded by multi
tudes of men, women, and children, cry ing
for protection. The house of Frank is con
sidered as an asylum and the house OF every
American is filled with the despairing unfor.
Inmates. Beirut is now filled with Turkish
troops just landed from Turkish man ot-war,
but what confidence can be placed in them,
when their conduct indicates hostility to all
Christians.
Such an intense excitement prevails at this
moment rs to prevent ME from finishing this
letter. Christians have closed their shops and
have retired TO their houses, where they
tremblingly await the issue. Moslems are
rushing ABOUT the town crying this is the
time to kill the Christians" and their women
and children are rushing about the streets
shouting "Alay God cnt off the Christians"
Iii impossible for us to >uy provisions, and
our servants are rendered useless from fear
Christians have been beaten, and some OF them
severely. Yesterday at the conference of the
consular corps the city authorities were sum.
moned to appear and give assurance OF safety
When questioned by the French Admiral as TO
the number OF troops at his command the
governor replied Il don't know" The mill
tary commander was then summoned and gave
the same reply.
The want OF harmony and concord among
the naval commanders and the consuls may
result i'll most serious evil. There is a want
OF unanimlty to the proprety OF landing
troops for the protection OF British and other
foreign subjects. The pasta was requested to
invite the cooperation OF the European ad-
mirals now in Beirut, which he refused to do,
saying he saw no necessity for foreign inter
ference The consuls do not believe that the
Turks are acting in good faith. The British
and American consuls declared that they
should invite their countrymen to take refuge
on board the naval vessels now in the harbor.
Ii is greatly to be lamenied that there is no
good Frank organization on land 20 cooperate
with the forces at sea. Yesterday the Ameri-
can consul called meeting of Americans,
warned them Of their danger, offered his house
as an asy lum TO ALL and proposed that upon
the first alarm all Americans should go at once
TO the American printing establishment as the
best place for mutual protection, as it is
castle in itself and affords ample facilities for
resisting an attack or standing siege. Pro.
visions have been placed there, and there is
now at least an American organization. This
step has already inspired confidence.
What will be the result OF this day. deliber-
atoms, know not, 1t may be that we shall
all be sent on board the vessel before night.
4 bar nj tbt yil I,o
America, Felix would that thou vert not so
far removed from us. A Turkish line.ot-bat.
tie ship arrived last night. Beirut may be
saved, but the country is lost. An extract
from letter l have just seen will serve as an
Illustration Of the condition OF the large interi-
or towns.
SLIME 22.-Deir ell Lamer Ia town Of sever
al thousand inhabitants ,odS, but is no longer
The accounts from there are heart rending be.
yond description We're our minds net inges-
sanity occupied by other and more tryingmat-
tiers, we should sink under the burden. The
dead, who can number them? and the widows
and orphans, who can tell their distress!
Some twenty or thirty persons were left in
the house of the American missionary, Mr..
Bird, and note from one Of them this morn.
ing would indicate that they alone are LETT.
The women and children, as yet, have not
been touched. A few houses remain among
them is Mr.. Birds, which was protected by
the Druse Chief. After to-day DER ell Kamer
will probable be uninhabitable for some time,
from the stencil Of so many hundreds OF I'M
buried bodies" All the people Of the town
above referred to were deliberately slaughtered
in cold blood after they had given up their
arms to the Turkish authorities. The Turks,
after disarming them, turned them over 10 the
Druses, who put them to the sword, aided by
the IWrktsh Soldiey!
Our blood is CONCEALED with horror at these
atrocities. They occurred about a half DAVIS
ride from Beirut, or to speak after the manner
OF the west, about twenty miles. To-day these
Druses are at our doors. The setting sun may
tell bIoodier tale than has yet been related.
The ships will lombard the town after the
town IS IN possession of these fiends, but then
1t can do us no good. The next steamer will
no doubt carry you intelligence that Beiruthas
also been blotted out and that much Christian
blood has been spilled or you may hear of a
cessation OF h0Stilities. We're it not that the
Mosem element has been SO largely stirred up,
we might hope that the Druses were ready to
cease their work of slaughter but now the
Moslems are inviting the Druses to come to
their aid
1 have seen from my window the military
pasha going about the town trying to calm the
tumult and dispense the crowd. This morn
ing the American missionaries reached Beirut
from Sidon, which has SO long been threatened
with massacre. The same British man-of
war which brought away the Americans bro't
also six hundred refugees to Beirut Damas.
Gus has only been preserved from destruction
by the efforts Of the famous Algerine chief
Abd-el-Kader, who has organized an efficient
corps, which patrol the city day and night
But the alarm is very great even now, and let
tiers appealing for help come by every mail