The New York herald., 1877-08-29
TURKISH ATROCITIES IN ASIA.

AZID- DENIAL OF RUSSIAN OUTkAo1S-A rti-
TINo COMMENTARY UPON THE CIRCULAR OF
THE TURKISH MINISTER AT wAsHrSoToN
From the London Times correspondents With the
Turkish srmy.l
CAMy kRAR SAsATAx, FI1TgEn Mills
EAST o. KARs July 26 1874 J
Prom the accounts Of two British officers who have
Waited Bsjaxd the relief n appears that the
whole town 70 In ruins and nIsd with the bodies Of
Christians vnom the Kurds ruthleasly slaughtered
The Turkish soldiers for sx days were employed In
ourying the dead osizsns. In this crisis Aukhtar
Pachs has not only shown himself gal
iani ana able officer bus also hrm dlscpli'
marian and humane, courteous gentleman.
He openly spoke OF this massacre 10 STR Arnold
Kembali, and not only assured him that he had given
orders for she rngieaders be shot, but that he had
also sent nstruotions Tor tho Hainderanl Kurds num-
bertng more than 1000 men, be disarmed and sent
home He complained Of che extrems difficulty of
apprshsnding the 'delnqusnts they always
warned Of theY danger by thor chies and got out OF
the way. may give two instances to show his de-
termination 70 conduct the principles that
cannot fail to the approval Of European nations
On tho 10th inst report was made 70 him by the
head man OF tho village OF Schihk Kaiah, near Kars,
thai Two crcassans the preceding evening had ridden
into the place and stolen lamb, and that, on beng
remoostrstsd with by the owner one OF them raised
his Winchester rife and shot the villa2cr dead.
As the was easily Identified, the Mushir
summoned court-martial who found the
Circassian guilty, whereupon the oommandcrinchief
gave orders that lie should be banged All the chiefs
begged his lite and far threaten that
II the man was hanged he would retire TO his homo
with his whole tribe Undeterred BY this, Mukhtar
carried the sentence into execution, and, 10 the dis
honor OF the irregular cavary grieve 10 say that
l.l00 men deserted the following day The second
instance is ss oliows:Yes,erday 100 irregular cav
airy arrived from DiarbekiE Reports had preccced
them ss 10 their vague notions oil meum ana tuum,
and consequently on heir arrival In camp the CON-
mander- In chef paraded them, and informed them
that II any man was brought up for the thelt ot
single egg he would hang him, that Il the cupr could
not be found he would the whole detachment TO
draw lots In his presence, and that he on whom
the lot ie would suffer- surely there must be dreadful
crimes committed II even the Turkish commander Is
compelled TO act thus
HONOR TO THE RUSSIANS
must, in the most emphatic mannor deny all re-
ports OF Russian ATROCITIES In Armenia have had
tho privilege OF accompanying Sir Arnold Kcmball
tnrous hout sas campaign and should any atrocities
heard Of them. On the sist OF Nav. IN company with
Sr Arnold Kembail, proceeded toward OH, and on
the way met hundreds OF the Ardallan fugitivcs So
fur from their accusing the Russians OF crueltcs they
were loud Ia praise OF their Kindness and assured us
that they had received free passes 10 their homes,
which they showed US, and also ve day provisions
They told That several German doctors had been
eained 10 look after the Turkish sick and
wounded, and that all those who wished anu
were able 70 travel 70 their homes were per-
mitted to depart In addition to the Testimony
Of those men, may mention tnat nave marched
with the Turkish army In the wake OF the retiring
Russian forces from Zewin 10 this place, and that
far from there being any sisns Of oppression y is I'M
the seat OF war All MohammeGan villages are left
untouched ca.lie feeding Oh the pasture land, INC
crops ripe tor the sickle and all seems as II smiling
happened TO be between The Turkish cavalry and the
Russian guns, and as shells screamed overhead we
saw the phlegmatc Turk cooly driving his goats
under cover
NOT AN ArRocrrY AT ALL.
Does this look as II the Russians really committed
the atrocities OF which they arc accused? One in-
stance and only has under my notice, which
happened in TINS wise:lhe villagers OF sch'nik, to
the north Of Kars were warned by the Russians that
as their bamiet lay between the fortress and
the siege batteries they must either move into
refusnd to do etner but were strongly suspected of
giving Information 10 tie conmandant OF Kgrs which
tho villagers were driven into the Town at the point Of
the bayonet There are stories OF women beng vio-
Lted and OF men who refused to embrace Christianity
beng sont to Siberia. These are oil false heard
the story OF Schk from lhe lips OF o the suffer
ers. man .1.., who; having held the & post OF
The siege 1884, would not have heal
tated " tell the truth TO Engiishman. He den,d
all the statements except that they ioc,bly
out OF their homes aud feel sure that any English
general IN similar circumstance would have done the
same. We're 70 harp on the atroctles committed W
kurds aud Crcassans the Christian inhaotants Of
Armenia snoud be duboed ''Russopnc" and
probably be dubeeved. All can say Is that between
kuprkui ana this have not seen one ChrstIan vii
lsge which has not been abandoned consequence of
the cruelties committed tho nhabtantE- All have
Christians Van district have hed to Russian ter
ritory and women aud children are wandering about
naked. bersit oil their honor and despoed ol all they
posses& Turkey had more mon hke Mukhtar
Pacbs her future might yet be one OF prosperity, but
when her rulers are of the stamp OF the who 1T
Bsjaza, were poweress to stop the massacre, It Is
wonder that many look on Ter w doomed.
AoDEL TURKISH SOLDIERS
From Bsjazd We learn Of au act OF atroc,,y that
will do moro TO harm the turkish cause than hsf
oozcn deleats II appears that on tho 9th Of June
Faik Pacha, advancing on That fortress, encountered
the Russian forces, consisting OF two battaons ana
I,200 Cossacks As the Turkish division numbered
hight In the opcn was hopeless SO tue Russian com
manner retired 10 Tho CITADEL leaving the Cossacks in
the town; then seeing hat resistance was out o the
question offered 10 surrender aud THIS offer beng ac
cepted they aid down their arms flag oil truce was
sent 10 the Citadel calling upon the commsudant TO
capitulac. While their messenger the irrcgu-
lar Kurds came up and commenced vifyiDg somo Mo-
hammeuans AMONG tue prisoners One Of
these answered som what sharply, and was Immediate
y cut down. The sight Of blood and unarincd do
ienccess mon sufficient, Tor these scoundreIs VINO
Immediately iel on their LapIess prisoners ana de-
lDerately n,a3sacrcd three-lourths OF thcm IN cold
blood. The number OF those killed vxrice, some say
ing go. Others among those being the Commander
-Chlef put down LIE slain NJ l1O. some regulars
coming ON the Gene the work Of slaughter was stop
ped and Fax Pacha coming up despatched the sur
vivors under escort to Van ON inc ROAD tho detach
ment was set upon by sccoDd body OF Kurds, who
murdered somc moro men, stripped the remainder
perfectly naked and lett them pursue their journey
unmoes,ed II rs Dut lar 10 add thai Mukntar Pacna
has sent orders that certain number OF tneso scoun
drels shall be hung, tnat tue prisoners shall be fur
nished with cloihcs money, Iood aud all that they
quire and sent on Immediately 10 CoEstantnoplo.
1NrEkEsriNG COMPANIONS
Whether the execution these villains will have
tho desired effect oil restraining them much doubt,
and refrain from passing any comments on the above
iacs, which admit OF no contradiction, as the Com
mandcr-in-Chiei himself owned to them, but what
do comment upon thet In spite OF the known atroc
ties committed by kurds anu Circassians alike--in
spite oil the continual complaints made OF their con-
duct TO the Musnir-in spite OF his oitexpressed
opiuon as 10 their essness In the neldMukn
tar P,chu still retains body o 200 Of them IN his
own camp, every village In the vicinity OF which has
been pagec under the very eyes Of the General nm
sell, and by keeping them IN lis pay the Turkish
government silently approves their acts We're
these villains disbanded aissrmed and sent to their
homes, Europe would believe that Turkey meant re-
IA ns bnu uudigctptue ed