The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-17
5000 PEOPLE KILLED.
Horrible Grimes of the Turks
in Kurdistan.
NO QUARTER FOR ANY ONE.
Women and Girls by the Hundred
Assaulted and Murdered.

The Armentaus Had Asserted that Owirg
to Kurdish R-A. They Were Too Poor
60 Pay Taxe.-They Killed some OF
Their Oppre-sors and the Turkish
Troops Were Sent Against Them -Indo-
scribnbie Scenes OF Outrage aud Car
mage that Followed - Children ImpaIes
on the Same Weapons with Their
Mothcrr-Crowds OF Maidcns aud woue.
Terribly Nsitrested Before They Were
Kuned-An Inquiry Now In Progre.s-Au
the Inhabitants or Many Towas Killed.
CoNsrANTISoPLE, Nov. 10.-Thc Porte has
issued an account Of tho last Armenian troubles
In the Sassun district. The responsibility is laid
upon Kurdish brigands. who murdered a Mus
sulman and committed many other c]xccsses.
The Turkish troors called 10 Snssrn are ssil 10
have restored order and protected all law
abiding persons.
LoNDoS, Nov. 16.-The Standards cor~o-
spondent in varna describes the recent mas
sacre OF Armenian Christians rs ~ equal im-
p%ortance with the Bulgarian b,,tcherics which
led to the Russian-Turkish war. lie says:
THE trouble began with the refusal OF the
Armenians to pay taxes on the ground that tho
Kurdish raids had SO impoverished them az to
render 1t impossible. This probably wiz,
true. Troops were sent to enforce tho
payments. but were beaten off. The Governor
OF Bitlis then arrived with an imposing force Of
regulars. The people. seeing that the struggle
was hopeless. yielded, but the Governor resolved
to make an example Of them.
He ordered the troops to fire on the defence
less populace, and they obcyed with a~lacsity.
They only ceased when the residents Of twenty
five villages, numbering some thousands. had
been killed. Some reports say c 90 were slain.
Great Britain sent her Consul In Van. Mr..
Hallward, to report on the slaughter. The
British Ambassador In Cons;antinuplt upon re-
celving the report communicated it to the
Porte. The Sultan was Mortified. and he ordered
the local military commander. Zeki Pasna, %
make his report on the matter ut once.
"Zeki had been originally instructed to pro-
coed TO the scene after the repulsc OF the troops.
but the Governor of Bitlis arrived there nh al
of him. II seems that Zeki's report confirmed
MIR. Hallward's, whercupon the Governor
formulated the grave charge that the latter
was melting the Armenians To revolt, thus
causing the whole original disturbance. This
was submitted to Sir Philip Currie. who las
sent out British officials to make inquiries"
Mr.. Hagopian. Chairman OF the Armenian.
Patriotic Association in London. has sent Loru
Kimberley. Foreign Secretary, a letter sent
from Bitlis on Oct. o. Mr.. Hagopian, after
declaring his belief in the reports Of the
massacre, submits that, in view OF tho horrible
~tortures and prosecutions of the Armcnians. tho
time has come To abolish the administrator Of
the Porte and substitute n regime approved by
the signatories OF the Berlin treaty.
The letter from Bitlis gives details of the ORR
gin Of the disturbances. There was n Kurdish
raid on Armenian cattle, resulting in n fight in
which two Kurds were killed.
The friends Of the Kurds took the corpSes 10
Moush and declared that the Armcnians had
overrun the land and were killing and plumber
ing right and left. This furnished the pretext
for the massing of the troops.
The letter then describes the horrors
OF the massacre. II SAYS that on the
admissions of the Turkish soldiers.
some OF whom t~earfully protested
that they merely obeyed orders. 5000 people
were killed. 1t is asserted that no compassion
was shown to age or sex. In one place :i0o or
400 women. after having been forced repeated
ly TO submit to the soldicry. were
hacked to pieces with swords and bayonets.
In another place 200 women begged at The COM
mander's feet for mercy. The commander.
after ordering that they ho outraged, had them
all despatched with the sword. Similar scenes
were enacted in other places.
In one case sixty young brides and maidens
were driven into n church and were violated
and butchered until their blood flowed from tho
doors.
A large company, headed by a priest. knelt
near the church begging for compassion.
averring that they had nothing to do with the
culprits who killed the Kurds. II was in va.a;
all were killed.
Several attractive women were told that they
might live II they would recant their faith.
They replied: why should we deny CHRISTI
We have no more reason to do ~ than had
these" pointing To the mangled bodies Of their
husbands and brothers. XIII us, too"
This was done. The letter says that between
1000 and 10000 were killed. Babes were inn
paled on the same weapon with their mothers.
Several soldiers admitted that they had dis
posed of a hundred victims each. Nearly thiTty
villages were destroyed. Some families were
burned with kerosene in their own houses.
The Times will say so-morrow: We fear IL
is only too probable that something like the re-
ported slaughter Of Armcnians occurred, but We
discredit Mr.. Hagopian's contention tina; IL Us
effected under direct orders from Constants
nOplc.
The account furnished by the Association hrars
every mark Of its political origin. Tnrro ia
distinguished absence ~ specific date and
places, and its purpose is revealed Ia the rs,Gal
reference 10 the Bulgarian atrocities.
Although England will not he indifferent. il Is
idle Co imagine that the new atrocities arl az
tation will be made an excuse Tor rc'lep..s tie
Eastern question: