The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-12-04
On ARMENIA.
from the Stricken VII
lagos Arrive at Athens,
REPORTS FULLY CONFIRMED.

Men who Were Bye Witnesses Of the
Moustrous Atrocities Committed 10y Tur-
Iish Soldiers Relate Their Terrible Ex-
pericnce4 to Newspaper Man.
ATHENS. Greece, Dec. 4.-The Associated
Press representative yesterday met twenty
Armenian refugees who arrived here from
Armenia. after "a journey full of hardships
md suffering and through an interpreter
questioned the unfortunate refugees con
cerniug the terrible events which occurred
In Armenia and Of which they had in a
humber of cases been eye witnesses. With
every mark of horror and Indignation the
Armenians told the interpreter Of the
scenes they had witnessed Several Ar
menian women made their escape from the
villages with the party which has arrived
hore, but when near Erzeroum they died
from the effects of saber wounds inflicted
upon them before their escape.
For about eighteen months, the refugees
say, the province of Sassoun has been sur
rounded by Turkish troops and nobody
has been allowed TO enter 1t or to leave.
About four months ago the Turkish
authorities learned that the inhabitants Of
Nartcmis, village outside the frontier OF
Sassoun, were sending for the necessaries
Of life to the village Of Dalvorig. Such
communication between the two villages
being prohibited, the Turks massacred
nearly all the inhabitants Of Vartemis
One of the refugees, man named khad-
jik, states that his uncle and aunt were
among the killed, the latter being violated
previous to being put to death. An Ar
Imcnian priest named Kevont was killed
for refusing to celebrate Turkish rites in
his church at Nartemis The village con
tanned 325 Armenian houses before the
Turks attacked it, but when the fugitiyes
| left only twenty-five houses remained
standing
The Turkish commander sent twelve
soldiers into Dalvorig in order to learn
what had occurred. The Armenians, filled
! with Indignation at the atrocities commit
ted by the Turks at Vartemis, attacked
| this detachment of Turkish soldiers and
lput them all to death. The Turkish com
lmander determined upon avenging this
| in the most bloody manner possible. The
IEuns kept up a continuous fire upon Dal-
| Ivorig until practically not one stone was
left standing upon another.
| Sulo, the hey Of Initzoun, IA Kurd, with
n detachment Of Kurdish cavalry, went
! with the Turkish soldiers to the village Of
IEemal and forcibly took the Armenian
priest from his church after disgustingly
Idefling the sacred vessels and tho priests
hands. They then bound him on adonkey,
which they drove distance of a few yards.
| Whc soldiers then fired at the priest. and
Killed him and the beast he was bound to.
| In the same villnge the Turkish soldiers
Ientercd an Armenian house and violated a
woman and her daughter, the latter being
! II years ole. From this village Selo forci-
IDLY took eight Armenian girls and sent
| them To his harcm at lnitzoun.
| Further atrocities were committed by
! the Turks at the village of Keliphuzcn.
| Before dawn this place was surrounded
/ by soldiers, and while the inhabitants
lworc still asleepyi was set on fire. The
brutal soldiers entered the residence of a
Imam named Aral,el, who was asleep with
his wife, aud tortured them both in ter
.rihlc manner with red hot irons.
/ AT Kcliuhuzcn the soldiers killed the
I Armenian priest, Margosv, who, with
twenty other inmates of a house, was
burned 30 death, the soldiers preventing
,uuyboIy from escaping from the burning
dwelling. Thechicf of the village of Che
meg was captured by the soldiers and
lbouud to his two daughters All three
were sculdcd to death with boiling water.
a detachment Of twenty-five regulars Of
the Turkish cavalry, after committing in
uxpressiblo horrors at the village Of Sebg
hank, went TO the village school and ray
ished the girls found there. The cavalry
men then devastated the building.
lbo Bey, notorious Kurd brigand Of
the village of Biibron, and colonel in the
regular army, went with a detachment of
Turkish troops to the Armenian village Of
Bahlou, drove out the men, collected all
the female children of Bahlou together,
about 200 in all, and after ravishing them
they killed them all with guns and swords.
The number Of villages devasted in this
manner is said to be over thirty-twO.