The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-17

the Armenian Patriotic Association, g.
Hagopian, has sent the following letter,
received from an Armenian, whose
name Is not given because 1t would
jeopardize his life, to the earl OF Kim
berley, the secretary Of state for foreign
affairs. The letter is accompanied by
one from Hagopian, in which he says:
IT have no reason to doubt the au-
thenticity 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 of their mos. sickening details
Of tiendish lust and atrocitious cruelty
on unarmed Christians and deiensolcss,
innocent women and children, deliber-
ately planned and ruthlessly executed
under orders received from Constanti-
nople."
Haeopian concluded by saying that
the time has come to abolish in toto the
administration Of Armenia and replace
It BY another regime approved by Great
Britain end the other dignitarles OF the
treaty OF Berlin and worked under their
immediate supervision.
The letter OF the Armenian, thus pre-
faced, is dated, Bitlis, October 8. After
saying that the chief magnate appears
to ba q second Nero, tho writer contin-
ues;
"rhe so.called rebellion Of the Ar
menians in 1893 was got-up affair for
the repression Of which the chief mag
nate gotta decoration.
"This year the Kurds carried of Ar
menian oxen and the Armenians' appeal
for their restoration was refused. A
tight ensued, two Kurds were killed and
three were wounded.
! TIE pRErExr FOR THE SLAUGHTER.
"The Kurds Immediately carried their
dead before the governor, declaring that
the Armenian soldiers had over-Eun the
land. killing and plundering the Kurds.
This furnished a pretext for masslng
the troops from far and near. The
troops were commanded by q pasha and
marshal and were hurried to the dis
trict.
"The pasha Ia said to have hung from
his breast, after reading II 10 his col
diers, an order from Constantinople, to
cut the Armenians mp root and branch,
and adiuring them to do so II they loved
their king and government.
NEARLY all Of these things were re.
lated here aud there by soldiers who
took part In the horrible carnage. Some
Of them. weeping, claim that the Kurds
did more and claim that they only
obeyed the orders OF others.
at Ia said that one hundred fell to
each OF them to dispose of. No COM
passion was shown to age or sex, oven
by the regular soldiery, not even when
the victims fell suppliant at their feet.
"Six to ten Thousand peraons met
such fate as even the darkest ages of
darkest Africa hardly with eased.
Womanhood and innocence were but a
mockery before the cruel lust that
ended It's debauch by stabblng women
10 death with the bayonet, while tender
babes were impaled with the same
weapon on their dead mothers breast
or perhaps seized by the hair to have
their heads Topped off with the sword.
BEG FOR COMPASSION IN VAIN.
I'm one place 800 or 400 women, after
being forced to servo vile purposes by
the msrciless soldiery, were hacked to
pieces by sword and bayonet in the
valley below.
''Il another place some 200 weeping
and wailing women begged for compass
sion, falling at the commanders feet,
but tho blood-thirsty wretch, after or
dering 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 tho church
door.
REFUSED TO DENY CHRIST.
AT another place still, large COM
puny under the lead Of their priest, fell
down before them, begging for compass
sion, and averriug that they had Moth
ing TO do with the culprits; but all to no
purpose. All were called to another
place, and the proposal was made to
several OF tho 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. [pointlng to tho
mangled forms OF their husbands and
brothors.] Kill US, too;' and they did So
"a great effort was made TO save ono
beauty, but three or four quarreled over
her, and she sank down like her sisters.
"But why prolong the sickoning tate?
There must be God in Heaven who
will do right in oil these mNtters, or some
Of US would lose faith.
Zone or more consuls havo been or
dered that way to Investigate the mat.
ter. II tho Christians, instead OF tho
Turks, reported these things In tho city
Of Bitlis md tho region whero have
been touring, the case would DO diiler'
ent, But now wo are compelled to be-
lcve It."
Another latter says that some Of tho
regular soldiers themselves admit that
they killed 100 persons each In ilendisl
inanner and that rNpo was followed by
tho bayonet.
Twenty or thirty Armenian villages,
1t would aeem, have been wholly de-