The Helena independent., 1894-12-04
BARBAROUS TURKS.
Destroy Armenian Villages and Commit Most
Fearful and oastardly ouuages Upon
the Inhabitants.
AsroRY OF BRUTALITY AND BLOOD.
Men, Women and Children Shot Down and
Even Roasted Alive In the Stricken
Districts.

Copyright 1894. by Associated Pross,)
Athens. Dec s,-The Associated press
exclusively has been able 10 give 10
the world facts OF the horrible Rtroci.
ties perpetrnted upon Armenian Chris
tians In Asia Minor. and to-dhy a rep
IONS ssoid polVIoossV oW 10 0AnWuosaI
oeeded In securing additional lnformn-
ton confirming previous statements
made. The representative to-day met
twenty Armenian refugees who arrived
here from Armenia after journey full
Of hardshlps and suffering. Securing
the services OF a first claas interpreter,
he questioned the refugees concerning
the terrible events Of which they had.
IN number OF cases been eye witnesses.
Most OF the persons who told their stor-
les to-day escaped from Moosh Bitlis
and SassOun, and were making their
way with the greatest difficulty to the
Russo Turkish frontier. Several Ar
mcniar women escaped front these VII
lagee with this party. but when near
Erzeroum, they died from the effects
OF Fnber wounds inflicted upon them
before their escape.
For about eighteen months the Ar
reniuns say the province OF Sassouu
has been surrounded by Turkish troops.
ana nobody has been allowed to enter
IL or leave. About four months ago
the Turkish authorities learned that the
inl abitants OF Vartemis, "A village out
side the frontier Of Sassoun, We're send
ing for the necessaries of life 10 the VII
laEc OF Dalyolig. Such communication
between the two villages being prohib-
ited. the Turks massacred nearly all
the inhabitants of Nnrtemls This was
the second massacre, the first taking
place about a year ago.
one of the refugees states that his
uncle and aunt were both killed, the
latter being violated previous to being
put 10 death. An Armenian priest named
kevunt, was killed for refusing To cell
ebrate the Turkish rites I'm his church at
Nartemis. This village contained 325
Armenian houses before the Turks at
tackled II. but when the fugitives left
only twenty-five houses remained
standing. Dalvorig. 1t appears, Is the
largest village I'm the province OF Sas-
soun. and its inhabitants. when they
learned OF the horrors perpetrated by
TIE Turks at Nartemis attacked the
Turks on the frontier The Turkish com-
nander eventually sent twelve soldiers
into Dalvorig To learn what had oc-
CURED. The Armenians filled with In
dignation at the atrocities committed
by the Turks at Nartemis, attacked this
detachment of Turkish soldiers
and put them all 10 death.
When the Turkish commander heard
OF the death of his soldiers he deter
mined on venge in the most bloody
manner possible. A strong force OF
Turkish troops was sent to the village
with artillery and the massacre began.
The guns kept up a continuous fire up
on Dalvorig until practically not a
stone was left standing upon another.
Selo. the hey of Initzoun. a Kurd, with a
detachment of Kurdish cavalry, went
with the Turkish soldiers to the village
of Semal and forcibly took an Armen-
ian priest from his church, bound him
on a donkey, which they drove few
yards The soldiers then fired at the
priest and killed him and the beast.
From this village Selo forcibly took