The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-08-03

TERRIBLE SCENES OF CARNAGE.


TERRIBLE SCENES OF CARNAGE.
The last steamers bring dates from Bey'
rout to June 81. We have particulars o.
the massacre of christians in the towns Of
Hasbeiya and Rasheiya, and additional
news of the fall of Zaleh, and of the terrible
slaughter Of christians 10 that place. And
worse still, the City of Washington, which
arrived at st. Johns N. F., on the 9th
inst, brought intelligence that the British
government received information of fear
ful massacre of christians at Damascus. Five
hundred were killed, amongst whom was the
Dutch consul. The American consul was
wounded. We have no particulars, other
than this brief telegraphic announcement.
THE MASSACRE AT HAsBEIYA.
This is beautiful village, at the foot of
Mt. Herm0n, and close to the source of the
Jordan. 1t contained before the massacre,
population of 5000 christians, chiefly Of
the Greek Orthodox church. A letter to
the London Nesos, says:
To protestant christiandom, Hasbeiya
should be place of the utmost possible in
terest, for it was here that the preaching of
evangelical truth had borne more fruit than
anywhere else in Syria. The protestants
numbered in this village upwards Of two
hundred they had native pastor and a
regular church of their own-the latter hav-
ing been built chiefly by their own contri-
buttons. Of that protestant community
which fortnight ago was full of spiritual
as we'll as material life, two men now live
to tell the tale of their butchery, whilst of
their 1000 Greek fellow chritians but thir-
ty-three men survived, and the fate of their
wives is worse than uncertain.
No man was spared. In ten
minutes the very stones were inch deep in
human blood. No butchery ever known in
history equalled this in terocity and cow
ardice. In half On hour upwards of a thou>
sand strong men were hacked to death.
Some few tried again to escape, but were
driven back by the bayonets of the Turkish
soldiers Irregular troops, not Bashi Bazouks),
and the Druses had their revel of blood un>
disturbed mothers, wives, daughters and
young children witnessing from above the
massacre of their relatives. l could enter
into more details, but sicken at the task
Would to Heaven that it were fable or a
dream. In the slaughter some few hid in
out of the way chambers; others escaped
notice from being heaped over by the dead
and these by Gods mercy managed to es
cape in the night, wandered down to the
coast where one Ali Bey, Metuali chief
protected them, and so to Tyre, where the!
took ship to Beyrout, and arrived here OF
Saturday evening, the 10th inst. Of tn
fate of the women and children, nothing i
yet certain, but from what is known o
Turkish soldiers it is feared the fate of tn
former will be one worse than death. 0
the Protestant community, not man es
capped but more than one Of the Greel
Christian refugees bears witness how the.
met their fate, exhorting others to turn tt
the Saviour and to pray to Him in thei
last hour.
At Rasheiya, there were about 20O(
Christians. About third escaped, but o
the rest not third now live to tell the tale
The same correspondent writes in post
script to the letter we have quoted:
open my letter to say that the slaughter
at Zahlen has been fearful amongst others
several French Jesuits murdered by the
Druses. The whole of Syria is now oper
to these hordes of rufians. Great fear is
expressed for Damascus. At Dheir ell Ka
mar the Druses are disarming the Christians
and will no doubt in due time massacre the
whole population of the place. Beyrout is
like a deserted town, the harbor crowded
with men-ofwar, signals making, salutes
firing, and everything as in state of war
The French ambassador at Constantinople
had been instructed to notify the Turkish
government that from feelings of humanity
France was bound to put stop to the mas,
sacres Of the Christians in Syria, and that
as the Turkish authorities were not capable
of protecting the Sultan's subjects, France
would concert measures with the other pow.
ers to stop the bloody scenes which were
heinp enacted