Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-31
OPENED LETTERS
And Compelled Christian Pa
pers to Publish Lies.
Turkish Officials Read American Let
ters to Missionaries
And Exercise TyrannicaI Censorship to Sup
press the Truth.

Boston, Dec 30.-Of1icial letters re-
Gently sent out from the rooms Of the
American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions containing accounts reia-
tive to the European Turkey mission, were
opened by the = Turkish officials. The
letters were subsequently delivered, but
with the Turkish word examined writ
ten upon the envelope This indicates that
the Turkish government is attempting to
assume all authority over the mails of
foreigners. When the reports of the mas
sacre of christians in the Sassoun region
of Eastern Turkey, after more than a
month of suppression on the part of the
Turkish officials, became public, the Otto
man government was alarmed at the wide
spread publications in the American and
English press Under pressure from the
foreign powers, the Sultan agreed to send
q commission to investigate and report
upon the outrage. In view Of this promise
of the government, representatives of the
European powers at Constantinople de-
ciacd to wait for the report before taking
any positive action But after this de-
cision by the powers and while they were
waiting for the departure of the Sultan s
colnpaission which had been appointed and
vestigations of all the affairs reported by
the English consul as well as by many IN
dividuals from the Sassoun region, the
Turkish government came out with the FOL
lowing official statement of the case, which
statement was printed in all the papers Of
Constantinople. All papers printed in
Turkey are under close censorship, and no
paper could refuse to print the statement
1T 1int
Hence the Christian periodicals were com
PEELED to print what they knew to be faise.
The statement follows
'Some of the recent European papers
have stated, contrary to the truth that
few Armenian villages have been destroyed,
and in the meantime persons have been
rnassacred by the Turkish soldiers in the
region of Sassoun Others in order to
magnify these reports have asserted that
the news of the outrage was prevented
from leaking out By the obstacles the
government put in the way of travellers
from that district.
The subjects of tho empire of Sassoun
district are quietly engaged with their
business, and the people travel wherever
they wish to in perfect safety. Some Ar
menian bandits being induced by agita-
IOrS, bcgun lateIy III anu dbouU t1daHoul
to disturb thcpcaco and comfort of the
people, by numbering, plundering and
blocking the highways. In order to put
an end to such disasters, the government
employed the necessary means and conse-
quently ordered out a sufficient body OF
Imperial soldiers of the Fourth Army
Corps. Thus the extension of the revolt
being checked, the troops were withdrawn
to their headquarters.
There was no interference by the
kourds, but as stated above, some Armeu-
ian bandits having ventured to disorderly
actions, the Sublime Porte having been
notified by the reports of the authorities
of the Fourth Imperial Army Corps and
also by the Governor at Btlis undertook
to investigate as to the facts; and subse
quently u commission of inquiry composed
of A bdoollah Pasha, Eoncr Bey, Medjid
Effcnddi and Hafez Teyfik was appointed,
who will start this week by the steamer
TO thcysccne Of .hc trouble.
In general the Sublime Porte will never
allow such outra yes to be perpctrated, as
published in foreign papers, upon her sub
jpcts.