The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-11-17
| FIENDISH ATROCITIES.
Terrible Destruction Of Christians
.ss.s.Sass in Armenia. .ar,s.
SLAUGHTER OF THE INNooENTs.
Turkish Soldiers, Aided by Bioodthirsty
Kurds. Indulge In Barbarities That
Would Disgrace Darkest Africa-Babes

Kurds, Indulge In Barbarities That
Would Disgrace Darkest Africa--Bsbes
and Their Mothers Impaled on Bayonets.
LONDON, Nov 17.--The chairman Of the
Armenian Patriotic association, G.. Hago-
plan, has sent the following letter, received
from an Armenian, whose name is not
given because 1t would jeopartlize his life,
TO the Earl of Kimberley, the secretary of
state for foreign affairs The letter Is no.
companied by one from Hagopian, in
which he says:
~ have no reason to doubt the authen-
ticity of the details. They will be borne
out by fuller official reports, which have
been, or which will soon be received from
the British agents in Armenia The
events reported are the re.enactment Of
the Bulgarian atrocities, with all their
most sickening details of flendish lust and
htrocious cruelty on unarmed Christians
and defenseless, innocent women and chill
dron, deliberately planned and ruthlessly
executed under orders received from Con-
stantinople."
The letter Of the Armenian thus pre-
faced, is dated Bitlis, Oct. 8. After saying
that the chief lnagnate appears to bo q
second Nero the writer continues:
'The so-oalled rebellion of the Arme-
hidus III 1910 WIS u gov up lOf bu6
repression of which the chief magnate got
q decoration.
"This year the Kurds carried off Arme-
Hian oxen, and the Armenians' appeal for
their restoration was refused. A fight en-
sued and two Kurds were killed and three
were wounded. The Kurds Immediately
parried their trouble before the governor,
hcclaring that the Armenian soldiers had
pverrun the land, killing and plundering
the Kurds.
"This furnished pretext for massing
the troops from far and near The troops
were commanded by pasha and "a marshal,
and were hurried to the district. The
pasha is said to have hung from his breast,
after reading it to his soldiers, an order
from Constantinople to cut the Armenians
mp root and branch, and adiuring them to
do so if they loved their king and goyern-
ment
"Nearly all these things were related
hcre and there by soldiers who took part
In the horrible carriage. 1t is said that 100
He'll to each of them to dispose Of. No COM
passion was shown to age or sex, even by
the regular soldiery, not even when the
victims fell suppliant at their feet. Six to
ten thousand persons met such a fate as
sven the darkest ages Of darkened Africa
hardly witness, for there women and ten
der babes might at least have had a chance
of a life of slavery, while here womanhood
and innocency were but a mockery before
the cruel lust that ended its debauch by
stabbing women to death with the bay
onet, while tender babes were impaled
with the same weapon on their dead
mothers breasts or perhaps seized by the
hair to have their heads Topped off with
the sword.
'In one place 300 or 400 women, after be-
ing forced to serve vile purposes by the
1nerciless soldiery, were hacked to pieces
by sword and bayonet in the valley below.
I'm another place some two hundred weep
ing and wailine women begged for COM
passion, falling at the commanders feet,
but the bloodthirsty wretch, after order
ing their violation, directed his soldiers to
dispatch them in similar way.
"In another place some sixty young
brides and the more attractive girls were
crowded into church, and after violation
were slaughtered, and human gore was
seen flowing from the church door.
"At still another place a large company,
under the leadership of their priest, foil
down before the soldiers, begging for COM
passion, and averring that they had moth
ing to do with the culprits. But all to no
purpose. All were called to another place.
nnd the proposal was made to several of
She more attractive women to change their
Faith, in which case their lives were to be
spared. They said. Why should we deny
CHRISTI We are no more than these point
ing to the mangled forms of their hus-
blnds and brothers) Kill us, too And
they did So A great effort was made to
save one beauty, but three or four quar-
relied over her, and she sank down like
her sisters.
cI,1u hn,-a haa
shat way to investigate the matter If the
Christians, instead of the Turks, reported
shese things in the city of Bitlis and the
region where have been touring the case
would be different. But now we are COM
PEELED to believe 1t. The magnates are
haYing papers circulated, and are trying to
compel the Christians to sign them, ex-
pressing satisfaction that Justice should be
dealt to the rebels, and thanking the king
and the chief magnate himself. The Chris
tians of Bitlis will not sign, though it is
said that in some of the outlying districts
some of the Christians have signed"
Another letter says that some of the reg
ular soldiers themselves admit that they
killed 100 persons each In tiendish man.
ner, and that rape was followed by the
bayonet.
Twenty or thirty Armenian Villages IL
would seem, have been wholly destroyed,
and some persons were burned to death
with kerosene In their own houses.
MIR. Hallward, tho British consul nt
Van proceeded to the scene of tho out
RACES, and later reported to the British
ambassador at Constantinople, who pro-
tested to the porte. The sultan expressed
horror mt tho crimes, and ordered an i'm
mediate report from Marshal Zeli, which
appears to havo seriously involved the gov
af D,sIf t,.s
and as means of obtaining revenge has
formulated tho grave charge against Mr..
Hallward of having melted the Armenians
10 revolt. This matter is being investi.
gated by British officials on the spot
An official dispatch from Constantinople
declares that the atrocities committed
were the work Of Armenian brigands and
Snsurgent kurds. Tho matter will be
thoroughly investigated
Oficial Vote of penns VI sania.
TT an