The Portland daily press., 1894-11-22
HORRIBLE DEVELOPMENTS.
Women and Children Butchered by
Brutal Soldiers.

vestigation.
London, November 21.-The Daily News's
correspondent in Constantinople says IN
despatch concerning the massacre OF Ar
menians in the Sassoun d1st1lct' eH
Philip Currie sent Consul Ha1fwara report
on the incidents at Sassoun to the Porte III
order to indicate the serious nature OF the
events. The Porte, instead OF accepting
this in a friendly manner. brusquely denies
the facts. asserting that Mr.. Haliward's re-
port is untrue. 1t was insinuated or stated
outright that he had encouraged the Ar
menians to revolt. This was, of course,
ludicrous and absurd.
ssSir Philip Currle at once informed the
foreign minister that he should take steps
to verify his assertions. His energy
paralyzed the Porte. who on Saturday with
drew the allegations against Hallward. The
Sultan ordered commission OF three mill
tary men and civilian to make an imme-
date inquiry. From many sources confrma-
ton of former reports OF the massacre have
been made to prevent the facts from becom-
ing known. A number of Armenians who
fed toward Trepizond have been ordered to
return"
THE KURDS AND THEIR ATROCITIES.
There is nothing i'll the way Of barbarities
that the Kurds are not capable OF commit
ting. They care as little for Turkish
authority as they do for Armenian lives.
One of the most wanton bntcheries ever
per 3etrated by them was during the last
Russo-Turkish war, when the Rssian garrt-
sol. of Bayazid capitulated TO the Turks.
Faik Pacha arranged fer the reception of
the prisoners. He sent company of in
fantry UP to the citadel, over which the
white flag was flying. to line the road from
the gates in order that the Russian prison.
ers of war NIGH march between the ranks
and so down to the camp prepared orthem.
At the appointed time the gates were
tn: own open and the garrison. unarmed.
filed out. Some two hundred or more had
already passed between the lines of Turkish
sol6iery, when suddenly body of Kurds--
there were eight thousand in Faik's forces
rushed on the defenceless men and COM
mitted wild massacre. In vain did the
Turkish soldiery interpose. 1t was all to no
purpose, for two hundred and thirty-six Of
the Russian garrison were massacred. The
Kurds then rushed sword in hand into the
city and carried their work of butchery
among the defenceless inhabitants.
MuSSulLudur anu SAf1otAohs tuoA anu
women, children and babes alike fell
victims to their lust of blood. In one church
two hundred bodies were found. Scarcely
a house existed in which there were not
two or more corpses.
ARMENlANS AND MUSSULMANs.
1t must not be supposed that the Arme-
mans quietly submit to the attacks made
uuon them. Writing year .ago, CORES
pondent said:
1.-The state of affairs in the Armenian
provinces of the Empire is becoming most
serious. Arrests are of daily occurrence,
and it is computed by those most likely TO
know the facts that from eighteen hundred
to two thousand Christians are now con-
fined in Turkish dungeons. That there ex-
lists one lawfor the Mussulmans and an
other for the Christians, which has always
been standing grievance with the latter,
could not ne better exemplifed than by the
following incident. which occurred in the
valley of ErZeroum. and was, ] believe, re-
ported at the time to- the British govern
ment.
'sThree Armenians were murdered in cold
blood, and every proof being forthcoming
that the murderers were three Mussulmans,
out trial after months detention. En-
ragged at the gross miscarriage of justice. it
is supposed that the relatives of the victims
took the law into their own hands, with the
result that later on the bodies of the three
Mussulman assassins we've discovered with
unmistakaDle signs upon them of death be-
ing due tv violence. This was too much for
the authorities. For Mussulmans to kill
A. -
things; but that Christians should take to
staying the faithful would never do. So
some eighty Armenians were arrested and
tried by court martial. instead of the ordi-
nary civil tribunal. with the result that
twenty-three were executed and twenty-five
sentenced to imprisonment for life. So
much for Turkish JUSTICE
THE HANGING OF tYoZG ATS MUTT.
In April last it will be remembered that
the Multi of YoZgat was found hanged.
Pinned to his sleeve was note saying that
this was the first insts1lment of the Arme-
MANS debt to Fur ish officials. Yozgat had
been one of the centres of the persecution
practiced by the Mohammedans upon the
Armenians. The revenge of the Armenians
was a result OF the treason trials at Yozgat
and Swas 1t seems that in the early part
of the winter an Armenian spy of the
Turkish government was murdered in g.
village in that district by an Armenian
reyolutionists from Russia. All the men of
the village were arrested and taken to
Yozgat. 81
The four police officers who remained
committed every outrage upon the defence
less women of the village, who went in a
hod,, II, Vozoat and marched tlJrouph the