The Helena independent., 1894-11-17
UNSPEAKABLE TURKS
Guilty Of the Most lnhuman and Revolving
Atrocities on Armenian Men, Won.ss
and Children.
BY ORDERS FROM coNsTANTlNopLE
Deeds That Were Never ESeeIled in itIdeous
earbarity In the Darkest Part OF
Darkest Africa

London, Nov. iG-The chairman OF
the Armenian Patriotic association, q.
llngoplan, has sent the following letter.
received from an Armenian. whose
name IL not given because II would
ieopardize his life. TO the Earl OF Kim
berly, the secretary OF state for foreign
affairs. The letter Is accompanied by
one from Hagopian. In which he says:
II have no reason 10 doubt the authen-
ticity of 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-enact-
ment Of the Bulgarian atrocities with
all their most sickening details OF iiend-
ish lust and atroclous cruelty on un-
armed Christians and defenseless, In
nocent women and children, deliberate
ly planned and ruthlessly executed un-
der orders received from CONSTANT
nople."
Hagoplan concludes by saying the
time has come TO abolish in toto the ex-
listing administration of Armenia and
by Great Britain and other slgnatories
OF the treaties OF Berlin. and worked
under their immediate supervision. The
letter OF the Armenian thus prefaced
Is dated, Bitlis. Oct. 0. After saying
that the magnate appears TO be Sec
ond Nero, the writer continues:
The so-called rebellion OF the Ar
menians In 1893 was a got-up affair. for
the repression of which the chief mag
nate got decoration. This year the
Kurds carried off Armenian oxen and
the Armenians' appeal for restoration
was refused. A fight ensued. Two
Kurds were killed and three were
wounded. The Kurds Immediately car
ried their dead before the governor. de-
claring the Armenian soldiers had over
run the land. killing and plundering
the Kurds. This furnished a pretext
for massing troops from far and near
The troops were commanded by pasha
and a marshal and were hurried 10 the
district. The pasha is said TO have
hung from his breast, after reading II
to his soldiers. an order from Constan-
tinople to cut the Armenians up, root
and branch. Nearly all of these things
were related here and there by soldiers
who took part In the horrible carnage
Some of them, weeping claimed the
Kurds did more and declare they only
obeyed the orders of Others.
ut Is said that 100 fell to eacn ~
them TO dispose OF. No comp- ssion was
shown TO age or SEX even by the regu.
lar soldiers, not even when the victims
fell supplicant at their feet. Sixteen
thousand persons met such a fate az
even the darkest ages of darkest Al.
rica hardly witnessed for the women
and tender babes might at least have
had chance for a life of slavery, while
their womanhood was but a mockery
before the cruel lust that ended its de-
bauch by stabbing women to death with
the bayonet while tender babes were
impaled with the same weapon on their
dead mothers breasts, or perhaps
seized by the hair TO have their heads
chopped off with the sword.
"In one place 300 or 400 women, after
being forced To serve vile purposes by
the merciless soldiery. were hacked to
pieces by swords and bayonets in the
valley below. In another place 20C
weeping and wailing women begged for
compassion. falling at the commander
feet. but the bloodthirsty wretch. after
ordering their violation, directed his
soldiers 10 dispatch them In similar
way.
I'm another place. some sixty young
brides and the more attractive girls
were crowded Into n church and, after
violation, were slaughtered and human
gore was soon flowing from the church
door. At another place a large com.
Ipany, under the leaderslop of theiI
priests. fell down before them begging
for compassion, and averring they had
nothing TO do with the culprits. But al
to no purpose. All We're called to one
hg
several OF the more attractive women
to change their faith. in which event
tfeic Nv IS were to be spared. They
said: Why should we deny Christ? We
are no more than these, pointing TO the
manLled forms of their husbands and
brothers. XIII us, too and they dlo
/ so.
"a great effort was made To save onc
beauty. but three or four quarreled over
her, and she sank down like her sisters
But why prolong the sickening tale
There must be God In heaven who
viii do right In all these matters, OF
some OF us would lose faith.
| "One or more counsels have been or
dered away 10 Investigate the matter
III the Christians, instead of the Turks
reported these things in the city OF Bit
d lis. and the region where | have beer
touring. the case would be different
/ But now we are compelled 10 believe II
The magnates are having papers cir
culated and are trying 10 compel IN,
/ Christians 10 sign them, expressing sat
isfaction that Justice has been dealt {,
the rebels and thanking the king anC
I the chief magnate, The Christians o
Bitlis will not sign. though II Ii said thn
/ In some of the outlying districts Chris
tians have signed. The circulars hav,
not been offered To Proteatants and al
vet the PrOtcstants have not beer
thrust into chains or hlackmailcd yer,
much. though lately things are begin
/ ming 10 look that way"
/ Another letter says some OF the rogu
lar soldiers themselves admit the,
killed 100 persons each in a ilendisl
manner and that rape was followed h,
the hayonet Twenty or thirty Ar
menlan villages. IL would seom. hav,
been wholly destroyed and some per
sons were put to death with kerosen,
In their own houses,
The Work Well Done.
Special Ia The independent
! \ 4 u IaIE