Evening journal., 1894-11-17
MASSACRED BY KURDS.
Thousands Of Armenians Butch.
cred by the Porte's Soldiers.
TWENTY VILLAGES LAID WASTE

LoNpoN, Nov 17-The chairman Of
tho Armenian Patriotic association, 6.
Hagopian, hes sont the following letter
received from an American whose name
IS not given because It would ieopardize
his life, to tho Earl of Kimberly, the sec
retary of state for foreign affairs The
lettor Is accompanied by one from Hugo
plan, In which he says;
y have no reason to doubt the authen
ticlty OF the details They areborne out
by fuller official reports which have been
OF which will soon be received from the
British agents IN Armenia. The events
reported are the ro-eaac ment Of tho Bull
garien atrocities, with all their most sick
ening details of fendish lust and afro
cious cruelty on unarmed Christians and
deienseless, innocent women and children,
deliberately planned and ruthlessly exc
cuted under orders received from head
quarters at Constantinople
Hagopian concludes with appealing
that the time has come TO abolish in toto
the existing administration Of Armenia,
and to replace it by another regime mp
proved by Great Britain and the other sig
natories Of the treaty of Berlin and work
ed under their immediate supervision.
Ruled by Nero.
The letter Of the American previously
referred to is dated Bitlls. Oct Q. and
commences by saying that the chief mag
nate appears to be a second Nero, and con-
tinues:
The so called rebellion Of the Arme-
mans in 1898 was got up affair, for the
repression Of which the chief magnate got
a decoration. This year the Kurds car
ried off Armenian oxen, and tho Arme-
mans appeal for their restoration was re-
fused. A fight ensued. Two Kurds were
killed, and three were wounded
The Kurds Immediately carried their
dead before the governor, declaring that
the Armenian soldiers had oyerrun the
land killing and plundering the Kurds.
This furnished pretext for massing
the troops from far and near The troops
were commanded by pasha and mar
shall and were hurried to the district The
pasha is said to have hung from his breast,
after reading it to his soldiers, an order
from Constantinople to cut the Armeui-
ans up root and branch and adiuring
them to do so if they loved their king and
government.
NEARLY all these things were related
here and there by the soldiers who took
part in the horrible carnage. Some Of
them, weeping, claim that the Kurds did
moro and declare that they only obeyed
the orders of others
1T is said that 100 fell to each Of them
to dispose Of No compassion was shown
to age or sex even by the regular soldiery,
not even when the victims fell suppliant
at their feet
six to ten thousand persons met such
fate as even the darkest ages of darken-
ed Africa hardly witness for there wom-
en- and tender babes might at least have
had a chance of a life of slavery, while
here womanhood and innocence were but
a mookery before the cruel lust that end
ed its debauch by stabbing women Co
death with the bayonet while tender
babes were impaled with the same weap-
on on their dead mothers breasts or per
haps seized by the hair to have their
heads Topped off with the sword.
I'm one place 500 or 400 women, after
being forced to serve vile purposes by the
merciless soldiery, were hacked to pieces
by sword and bayonet In the valley below.
I'm another place some 200 weeping
and wailing women begged for compass
sion, falling at the commanders feet.
But the bloodthirsty wretch, after order
ing their violation directed his soldiers
to dispatch them in similar way.
Young Brides Slaughtered In Church.
In another place some 60 young brides
and the more attractive girls were crowd
ed into church. and after violation were
slaughtered, and human gore was seen
flowing from the church door
"Atanother place still a larger company
under the lead of their priest fell down
before them, begging for compassion and
averring that they had nothing to do
with the culprits. But all to no purpose.
All were called to another place, and the
proposal was made to several of the more
attractive women TO change their faith,
in which case their lives were to be spar
ed. They said:
"'Why should we deny Christ? We are
no more than these, pointing to the man.
gled forms of their husbands and broth
ers. Kill us too. And they did so.
"A great effort was made to save one
beauty, but three or four quarreed over
her, and she sank down like her sisters
But why prolong the siokeninR tales
There must be a God in heaven who will
do right in all these matters, or some Of
us would lose faith
''One or more oonsuls have been ordered
that way to investigate the matter. If
bA6 OhflstlhnS instead OF the TURKS re-
ported these things in the city of Bitlis
and the region where / have been tour
ing, the case would be different But now
we are compelled to believe most Of it,
The magnates are having papers oirculat-
ed and are trying to compel the Christians
to sign them, expressing satisfaction that
Justice has been dealt to the rebels and
thanking the king and the chief magnate
himself. The Christians of Bitlis will not
sign, though 1t is said that in some Of
the outlying districts some of the Chris
tiaDs have signed it,
The circulars have not yet been offered
to Professionals, and as yet the Protests1ts
have not been thrust into chains or black
mailed very much. though lately things
are beginning to look that way"
Another letter says that some Of the
regular soldiers themselves admit that
they killed 100 persons each IN a fiondish
manner and that rape was followed by
the bayonet.
Twenty or 80 Armenian villages, 1t
would seem, have been wholly destroyed
and some persons were burned to death
with kerosene in their own houses
The Times Expresses an Opinion.
Commenting this morning upon the
letter of G. Hegopian, chairman Of the
Armenian Patriotic association, The