The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-02-15
A ROMANTIC STORY.

A correspondent of the London Standard
writing from Batoum, tells some strange
stories about slave girls in Armenia lie
had formerly visited the Adshara valley,
and some curious information recently leo
him to repmt tie visit. Some ofhcer IN 9
hilarious n.omrnt. forgetting That ne was Q
Europeap. spoke in his presence OF some
,rottv c. -istisr girls hcing for sale, at the
low price Of :,c0J to a.0oJ piastres, in the
noichhorhoc6 az ;hc camp. He could learn
| nothing rnnI.. cScert that n few days be-
fore eiev.n Check girls had been carried oil
nv the Adsigar.s, as they were at work in
| their c~arlcnf. Tie correspondent deter
mined to make An investigation, and he
went on foot up tho valley Of the Adsharis
ms far as Ghitta. where lives Ismail Bey.
the chief Of the tribe. which can put 5000
to 5000 men in the Geld. He and his es-
cort were received at the house of the Bey
and entertained with true oriental hospital
ity. The remainder OF the story the cor
respondent must tell in his own words:
Ismail Bey, Mt the present moment the
most powerful robber chief in the world, is
one of the most remarkablc-looking men |
nave met in the East. His face is almost
white. and its fine profile is not spoilt by any
whislers or beard. Tho effect of the hook
ed nose is softened by 4 coquettish little
moustache, and with his slight figure he is &
striking contrast TO the ~corpulent, apathetic
Turkish dignitaries. But his restless eyes
have something very disquieting about them:
Whilst overwhelming us with marks OF
hospitality he kept assuring us that nc
hated the English to death, and could not
bear the Turks. ! learned here that he re-
ceiyes n considerable Russian pension. ]
fear the st. Petersburg Government, by
paying n large sum to this strange vasSal Of
the Porte. might purchase II free passage
r. .Izsu 49,. 4Lra,,T, -. Aty1torn vn11nr-
In that case Batoum would he hopolessly
lost. Paskiewitch was able to purchase
peace from the Lazian Boys with money.
We were aroused from our slumIbCrs to go
to the house of the Hodscha tecclcsiastic)
who demanded surgical aid Of US. My
drngomnn being successful in = slight OPP
Grafton he performed, there were great
rejoicings. A inn was hastily prepared,
and one of the guests turned Out to he II
sort of troubadour wandering from village
TO village and improvising his songs. After
dinner tho son OF the Hodscha showcd US
the house and its treasures, consisting
chiefly of costly carpets and Of
Caucasian silver fligree work, scarcely to
be excelled by theyGenoese. The art Of the
once so famous Circassian gold and silver
smiths has not quite persisted during the
wars. In one room the young man opened
the dOulgJ, one of those large closets such
rs are 10 be found in almost all Oriental
houses. What a sight presented itself ! A
pnle girl with rcd eyes md light hair,
dressed in European fashion, was crouched
in it. At first she took no notice of our
presence. bat suddenly some thought may
have passed through her brain that we were
Europeans. In n husky voice she said a
few unintclligiblc ~words-perhnps Russian,
and then called out in French /" SdUUez
Moi !" Immediately the young man drew
his hadiar; she WINS silent, and the d0UdJ
was closed. The Hodscha's son told us
that n fortnight before n troop of Lazcs
had attacked n Russian village, murdered
the old men. women, and children, and
carried off the young girls and boys into
slavery. The young Lazian had received
he Russian as his share of the booty.
During the first three days of her imprison.
ment she had doac nothing but weep, then
u knife was held to her throat, and she WINS
threatened with death if she made n sound.
Since then she had been quiet till our
arrival. She had been sold the day before
for E200, sn enormous price now, to 20 70
Dlarbekir. On the journey they nre dressed
rs Turkish women, and put on board the
boat ut Batoum. II would be unjust to
make the Turkish Government mswernblc
for the continuance of the robbery of huma.
beings. The real guilt lies with the st,
Petersburg Cabinet, which rursues the SAINT
perfidious policy toward the Lazes Us to
wards the Kurds.