The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-11-21

LONDON. Nov. 16.-The chairman Of
the Armenian patriotic association. G. Ha-
gopian, has sent the following letter, re-
ce.ved from an Armenian whose name
is not given because It would jeopardize
his life. TO the earl of Kimberley, the
secretary Of state for foreign affairs. The
letter IS accompanied by one from Ha-
gopian, in which he says:
IT have no reason to doubt the authen-
ITCHY Of the details. They will be borne
out by official reports which have been
or which will soon be received from the
British agents in Armenia. The events
reported are the re-enactment Of the Bull
garlan atrocities, with all their most sick
ening details Of iendish lust and afro
cious cruelty on unarmed Christians and
defenseless, innocent women and children,
deliberately planned and rJphlessly exc
cuted under orders received from Con-
stantinople"
Hagopian concludes by saying that the
time has come to abolish in toto the exist
ing administration of Armenia and re-
place it by another regime approved by
Great Britain and the other signatories Of
the treaty of Berlin and worked under
their immediate supervision.
The letter of the Armenian thus prefaced
Is dated Bitlis. oct. 9. After saying that
the chief magnate appears to be a sec
ond Nero, the writer continues:
THE so-called rebellion OF the Armenians
in 1898 was got-up affair for the re-
preston Of which the chief magnate got a
decoration. This year the Kurds carried
off Armenian oxen and the Armenians'
appeal for their restoration was refused.
A fight ensued in which two Kurds were
killed and three were wounded.
1.-The Kurds Immediately carried their
dead before the governor, declaring the
Armenian soldiers had overrun the land,
killing and p,undering the Kurds. This
furnished a pretext for massing the
troops from far and near. The troops
were commanded by a pasta 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 ConstantinopIe to cut the Ar
menians up, root and branch, and adjur
ing them to do so If they loved their king
and government. Nearly all those things
were related here and there by soldiers
who took part in the horrible carnage.
Some Of them, weeping. claim that the
Kurds did more, and declare that they
only Obeyed the orders of others.
TT is said that 100 fell to each of them
TO dispose Of. No compassion was shown
TO age or sex even by the regular so;diery.
not even when the victims fell suppliant
at their feet.
Sickening Butchery.
six to ten thousand persons met such
fate as even the darkest ages Of dark
ened Africa hardly witnessed. for there
women and tender babes might at least
have had a chance of a life of slavery,
while here womanhood and innocency
were but a mocHery before the cruel lust
that ended it's debauch by stabbing wom-
en- to death with the bayonet while tender
babes were impaled with the same
weapon on their dead n:other's breast or
perhaps seized by their hair TO have their
heads Topped off with the sword.
I'm one place 300 or 400 women. they
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 compassion.
falling at the commanders feet but the
bloodthirsty wretch, after ordering their
violation, directed his soldiers TO dispatch
them in a similar way.
In another place some sixty young
brides and the more attractive girls were
crowded into a church and after violation
were slaughtered. and human gore was
seen flowing from the church door.
"At another place still a large 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 spared.
They said: Why should we deny Christ?
We are no more than these pointing TO
the mangied forms Of their husbands and
brothers: Kill US too and they did So
"A great effort was made to save one
beauty. but three or four quarreled over
her and she sank down Ike her sisters
but why prolong the sickening tale?
There must be God in heaven who will
do right in all these matters, or some of
us would lose faith.
ConsuIe to Investigate.
"One or more consuls have been ordered
that way TO investigate the matter If
the Christians. instead of the Turks, re-
ported these things in the city Of Bitiis
and the region where have been touring.
the case would be different But now
we are compelled to believe it. The mag
mates are having paper circulated 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 chief magnate himself The