The Delta independent., 1894-11-21
TERRIBLE BUTCHERY
A MASSACRE IN ARMENIA.
Refusal Of Armenians to Pay Taxes Re-
suits In the Slaughter of Thousands by
Turkish Troops. s.-Women Outraged
and Murdered,

that despite the Turkish governments
silence facts have come out which leave
no doubt that massacre of Christians
has occurred on as important scale
at Batok, Bulgaria, which sent q
thrill Of horror through the civilized
world. The trouble began with the re
fusal Of the Armenians to pay tax on
the plea, possibly well founded, that
the frequent Kurdish raids have I'M
poverished them.
In the meantime the governor of
Bitlis reported to the porte that serious
revolts had broken out and obtained
permission to send all obtainable troops
to the scene. Marshal Zeki Pasha, com
mander of the Fourth army corps, sta
toned at Ezinger, was ordered to pro
ceed hither and direct operations. Be
fore this imposing army of regulars
the Aremenians tamely submitted
Now comes the horrible part of thu
story. The governor of Bitlis resolved
to make an example in order to pro
vent repetition of the revolt. lie
| ordered the troops to fire on the de
fenSeless people, The order was exc
cuted and the soldiers only rested from
their labors when twenty-five villages
were destroyed and thousands of thcl,
inhabitants killed
London, Nov. 16.-The chairman OF
the Armenian Patriotic association G.
HaGopian, has sent letter received
| from an Armenian whose name is not
given, because it would jeopardize his
life, to the Earl Of Kimberley, the sec
retary of state for foreign affairs
Mr.. Hagopian says that he does no.
| 10llht trnth nj n 1a
The letter of the Armenian is datei
Bitlis, October 8. After saying that
the maSnate appears to be a second
Nero, the writer continues:
1.-THE So-called rebellion Of the Ar.
menians in 1898 was a got-up affair
for the repression of which the chici
magnate got decoration.
This year the Kurds carried on
Armenian oxen and the Armenians ap
peal for their restoration was refused.
A fight ensued, two Kurds were killed
and three We're wounded
THE Kurds Immediately carried theil
dead before the governor, declaring tn.
Armenian soldiers had overrun tn,
land, killing and plundering the Kurds
This furnished pretext for massine
the troops from far and near. The
troops We're commanded by n pasha
and marshal and were hurried to tn G
district.
'The pasha Is said to have hung from
his breast, after reading it to his sol
diers, an order from Constantinople 10
cut the Armenians up, root and
branch, and adjuring them to do so II
they loved their king and government
NEARLY all of these things were re.
lated here and there by soldiers, whc
took part in the horrible carnage. Some
nina 1ptv = t1,, = =. 4
more and declare they only obeyed tho
orders of others.
TT Is said that one hundred fell tc
each of them to dispose of. No com
passion was shown to age or sex, even
| by the regular soldiers, not even when
the victims fell supplicant at their feet
sixteen thousand persons met such
n fate as even the darkest ages Of
darkened Africa hardly witnessed. for
the women and tender babes might mt
least have had chance for life of
slavery, while here their womanhooI
was but mockery before the cruel lust
that ended its debauch by stabbing wo
men 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 Topped Off with the
sword.
I'm one place 300 or 400 women, ar
ter being forced to serve vile purposes
| by the merciless soldiery, were hacked
to pieces by sword and bayonet in tn"
valley below.
I'm another place some 200 weeping
and wailing women begged for com
passion, falling at the commanders
feet but the blood-thirsty wretch, afte.
| ordering their violation, directed his
soldiers to dispatch them in a similar
way.
SIN another place some 60 young
| brides and the more attractive girls
were crowded into a church and after
violation were slaughtered, and human
gore was soon flowing from the church
door.
AT another place large company
under the leadership of their priests.
fell down before them, begging for
compassion, and ayerring they had
nothing to do with the culprlts. Bu.
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
event their lives were to be spared
They said why should we deny
Christ? We are no more than these
pointing to the mangled forms of their
husbands and brothers, kill us, too.
And they did so.
"a great effort was made to save one
beauty, but three of four quarreled over
her and she sank down like 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.
zone or more consuls have been or,
dered away to investigate the matter
If the Christians, instead of the Turks
reported these things in the city NJ!
Bitlis and the regions where l have
been touring. the case would be differ
ent. But now we are compelled to be-
lieve it. The magnates are having
papers circulated and are trying To
compel the Christians to sign them. ex {.
pressing satisfaction that justice has
been dealt to the rebels and thanking
the king and the chief magnatcs The
Christians Of Bitlis will not sign
though 1t is said that in some of thu
outlying districts Cristians have sigu
ed. The circulars have not been offer.
ed to Protestants, and yet the Protesr
ants have not been thrust into chains
or blackmailed very much, though late
ly things are beginning to look that
way"