Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-07-29
The Civil War in SYRIA Massacre Of
Chrissians.


Christians.
The Beyrout correspondent of the London Neaos,
in letter dated June 2Ist, writes as fellows:
Would that had better news wherewith to open
my letter; but the3atest intelligence we have here
is Of the fall Of Zaheh. large Christian town Of ten
thousand inhabitants, into the hands Of those blood
thirsty hordes of Druses who have investe the
town for six days. The Christians fought bravely,
but were outnumbered and of the Turkish troops
sent to assist them halt halted some miles short OF
the place. and the remainder took part against them.
But full details are not known yet
As the Austrian steamer to Trieste was leaving
this on the 18th inst, boat load of men wearing
not blood-stained but blood-saturated garments ar
rived from Tyre. These individuals, only thirty
four in number, all that remained of the Chris
tan male population Of Hasbeiya village Mt the
foot OF Mount Hermen, which, week before could
muster nearly two thousand fighting men These
poor creatures were the first to bring 10 Beyrout
detailed and true accounts of the bloodthrsty ruff
anism of their Druse enemies and of the fearful
treachery of the local Turkish authorities The tale
give you is taken from the very words of the men
themselves, examined separately BY a first class
Arabic scholar.
Hasbeiya is beautiful village at the foot of Her
non and close to the source of the Jordan 1t con-
tains or did before the massacre, a population of
5000 Christian souls chiefly of the Greek Ortho-
dox " Church To Protestant Christendom, Hasbei-
va should be place of the utmost possible interest
for it was there that the preaching of evangelical
truth had borne more fruit slIan anywhere else in
Syria The Protestants numbered in this village up
ward of 200 they had native pastor and regular
church of their Own--the latter having been built
chiefly by their own contributions. OF that Prutes-
tant community, which fortnight ago was full of
spiritual as well as material life two men now live
to tell the tale of their butchery while of their A.
900 Greek fellow Christians, but 80 men have sur
vIved and the fate of their wives and children is
worse than uncertain.
The village was attacked by an overwhelming
body of Druses on Saturday, the I'd INST. The
Christians armed to repel them, and for two days
held their own, on the third driving back the
enemy. Hitherto the commander of the Turkish
troops had stood aloof although-as was the case
at Sidon, at Deirel Kamar, and at Rasbeiya-
he had troops enough at his command to repel and
defeat the Druses, had he so wished When he saw
that the Christians were gaining the day he called
them back and in the name of the Sultan ordered
them to retire within the seragliO, "a large building,
covering nearly an acre of ground, and containing
residence of the commander, as well as the bar
rack and to give up their arms, he, the local
representative of the Government would conduct
them all safe to Damascus where they would be
better than in Rasbeiya while the civil lasted
The Christians obeyed him. returned, gave up their
arms, which were Immediately packed and sent to-
wards Damascus, but with so absurdly small an es-
cort that the D-uses took possession of both the
muskets and the mules that carried them within an
hour OF their leaving the place. The Christians asked
again and again 10 be sent with their families as
promised, to Damascus For nearly week they
were put off with some pretext other, until, on
the sixth day after their being disarmed, during
which time the Turkish soldiers had prevented any
of them from leaving the precints of the seraglio)
two Druse Sheiks OF great influence arrived and
had conference of several hours with the Turkish
commander of the troops. No sooner wLs this con-
ference ended than the Christians observed that the
haTem, wives, women and children as well as the
property of the commander was removed from the
hiatt hp sells oJ
their baggage. Suspecting treachery, many of the
Christians tried TO escape from TIE place. but were
prevented by the bayonets Of the troops, while
their women and children were ordered and COM
PEELED to remove to the large upper chambers of
the buildings, the men being forced to remain
below.
By this time it was known that many hundreds of
armed DFuses were close to the town. The troops
had hardly made the aforesaid arrangements when
the Druses were admitted into the seragliO, and
rushed like hungry tigers upon the unarmed mob in
the courtyard. No man was spared In ten min
utes the very stones inch deep in human blood
No butchery ever known in human history equaled
this in ferocity and cowardice. In half hour
upward OF thousand men were hacked to death.
Some few tried again to escape, but were driven
back by the bayonets of the Turkish soldiers (regu-
lar troops, not Bash Basouks,) and tie Druses had
their revel of blood undisturbed; mothers wives
daughters and young children witnessing from
above the massacre of their relatives. | could en-
to heaven that it were fable a dream, In the
slaughter some few escaped notice from being heap
over by the dead, and these by Gods mercy man.
aged in the night to escape, wandered down to the
coast, where one Ali Bey, Metuali Chief protect
ed them, and so to Tyre where they took ship to
Beyrout and arrived here on Saturday evening. the
10th inst. Of the fate of the women and children
nothing is yet certain, but from what is known of
the Turkish soldiers 1t is feared that the fate of the
former will be one worse thon death. Of the Pro-
than of the Greek Christian refugees leave wit
ness how they met their fate, exhorting others to
turn to the Saviour and to pray Him in their last
hours.
The London Times of the 10th inst says events
are now occurring in Syria which must at once
bring the Eastern question again before the world.
The interference of the French is certain, and Eng
land will be untrue nature if she does not aid
in depressing atrocities which surpass anything that
has of late years been perpetrated by the ami
mostly of race and relig ion.
After speaking of the connivance of the Turkish
Government at the atrocities in Syria. and the down
right treachery of prominent officials the Times coll
tinues as follows:
" And this" an Englishman will exclaim, is the
Government we have saved this is the empire the
integrity of which we are bound to suppOrtr 1t is
indeed so. We have for forty years been placed in
We have been obliged to support the
most wretched, in order to ourselves from the
most formidable of despotisms. The Sultan rules
in the North through our jealousy of Russia and in
the South through our jealousy of France. Had we
abandoned him in 1910 both Druses and Maronites
might now be kept in order by an Egyptian ruler
who would be really d Nlcegerent of France. Had
accepted the offers of the Gar Nicholas to Sir H.
Seymour there might not now be Sultan at ALL and
the Druses might be kept in order by ourselves
England has remained true to her policy whether
right wrong, she secured Syria to Abdul Medjid.
No political objects make forget the claims of
humanity. If the Porte cannot repress these out
RACES the Christian Powers must do it. When the
Sultan called upon to guarantee his authority, he
gave us the right to see that it did not become a
curse to his people, and particularly those Of
own faith. An intervention there must be, and we
trust that England and France will concert meas
ures for saving the Christians of Syria from de-
struction.