New-York tribune., 1878-07-23

go to headquarters and represent their pnght'
They have been fed hitherto but as soon as they
move, the supply system is dislOcated, and they
begin to starve When, at last they reach their
destination, they find every one turning them
the cold shoulder. There is no preliminary
arrangement for their accommodation OF
settlement. and there no foreign
benevolent societies which come and make up
for the deficiencies of the Government. So the re-
suit is that the last Of the refugees is worse
than the first, and that fever centre transferred
from ConstantinOple is established in some other
town. 1t will be a marvel if a pestilence
does not sweep through the whole land this
Summer. The whole territory over which troops
have passed is putrid and the shifting of the pOpu-
lation Is carrying infection TO untanted districts
have just seen some of the English doctors from
Erzerum. Typhus was ragingin the Russian camp,and
among the citizens. The Turkish Army lost $4,000,
men mainly by typhus fever before the armistce,
and the Russians have lost 10000 in the vicin-
ity of Erzerum since their arrival there. Among
the deaths in the city is that of Miss Nicholson of
Lincoln, Nebraska, missionary, who has sacrificed
her life to relief work among the sick and starv-
ing poor. 1t now looks as if Erzerum must be
abandoned by all who have strength enough left for
the flight
One would expect that the Turkish Government,
at time when its existence is not vet as
sured by any final settlement of its diff
culties would be circumspect in its treatment
Of Christians but we. hear daily of incl
dents which show that the tornado which
has swept over the Porte has left it
unrepentant. The civil agents of the Christian sub
jects say that they never have been so abOmiDaby
treated as now, when men of high rank venture to
call them dog" and worse to their faces. 1 heard
tho 9TH ~
nian jeweler who bought some silverware
of a Circassian. Shortly afterward another
Circassan claimed the goods and wounded the
Armenian in enforcing his claim. The Circassian
was then arrested on complaint of the Armenian,
who was taken to the hospital. Before the next
morning, however, the judge of one of the
courts had released the Circassian, on the ground
that the plaintiff not present when the Circds-
slams friends presented the case, and he had
arrested the wounded Jeweller because the Cir
cassian had almost proved that the Armenian
had stolen the silver. The Armenian appealed
TO the Governor of the province, who is
supreme in such matters. and received for answer
information that the courts of Turkey indie
pendent of control. This Governor is a member
Of the new Ministry. When the Russians
withdrew from the region about Klinous
south of Erzerum the Turkish authorities
slow to return, and in the interregnum three
thousand Kurds down from the mountains,
and taking the Christian villages in order, swept
over the plain. They took all cattle, sheep and
horses grain and portable articles and destroyed the
residue. There was little blood shed, but
there was hardly a woman in the region un-
harmed. Government took no steps until a
month later. when letters reached here de-
scribing the horrors of that raid. Then the
Porte, under pressure telegaphed the usual order,
matter. AT least no word of punishment has yet
come back The Kurds are MOslems. and it
is impossible to prove q Moslem guilty. 1t
man. unproyoked, in public place. The order
went from here, If he is guilty, punish him."
But in the year that has elapsed since then,
the local authorities have not been able
to find any Mosem testimony to his guilt, and they
reject the testimony of Christians so the man is
still free.