The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-12-04
How the Kurds and the Turks
Butchered the Christians.
WOMEN OUTRAGED AND SLAIN.
Even School Children Not Spared by
the Leeherous Mohammedans.
Priests Knied-Men and Women
Scared with Hot Irons and seaIded
90 Death-1 urkey Says IL Isn's 30.


Copyrighted. 1884. by the Associated Press
ATHENS. Dec. 3-The Associated Press
exclusively has been able TO give 20 the
world the facts Of the terrible atrocities
perpetrated upon Armenian Christians in
Asia Minor snd today q representative of
the Associated Press succeeded in secur-
ing additional information confirming
tue previous statements made. The rep
resentatlye today net twenty Armenian
refugees. who arrived here from
Armenia after journey fun OF hard
shios and suffering. Having secured
the services of a nrst-class interpreter
he gathered the Armenians together al q
convenient place. and. having relieved
their pressing necessities, the interpreter
questioned the refugees concerning the ter
rlole events of which they had in num-
Der OF cases been eve witnesses This party
OF Armenians is the first that has escaped
from the districts where the massacres oc-
cured. and it is believed that even worse
remains 10 be told, as the horrors de-
scrsbed are understood to have lasted for a
long time after this party left. Most of
the persons who told their stories today
escaped from Moosh, BItiis and Sassoun,
taxing with them what little they could
carry, and making their way with the
greatest difficulty 10 the Russo-Turkish
frontier and going To Erivan and Etchmi-
adm. Several Armenian women escaped
from the villages with this party. but
when near EFzeroum they died from the
effects of saber wounds inflicted upon them
before their escape.
For about eighteen months. the Armen-
iaDs say. the province OF sassoun has been
surrounded by Turkish troops and obody
has been allowed to enter or leave. About
four months ago the Turkish authorities
learned that the inhabitants of Vartemis,
village outside the frontier OF
Sassoun. were sending for the neces-
saries of life TO the village of
Dalyorig. Such communication between
the two villages being prohibited, the
Turks massacred nearly all the inh abitants
OF yartemis. This was the second mas
sacre 20 occur. The first took place about
year ago.
One of the refugees, a man named
khadjik states that his uncle and aunt
were both killed. the latter being violated
previous 10 being put TO death. An Ar
meaian priest named ksyont was killed
for refusing TO celebrate Turkish rites in
his church at Vartemis. The village con-
tanned 325 Armenian houses before the
Turks attacked IL. but when the fugitives
left, only twenty-five houses remain
ed standing. Dalvorig. it appears,
IS the largest village in the
province of SasHun, and its
inhabitants. when they learned of the
horrors perpetrated by the Turks at Var
tennis. attacked the Turks on the frontier.
The Turkish commander eventually sent
twelve soldiers into Dalvorig 10 learn what
had occurred. The Armenians. filled
with indignation at the atrocities CON-
mitted BY the Turks at Vsriemis. attacked
this detachment of Turkish soldiers snd
pa. them ail to death.
When the Turkish commander heard of
the death of his soldiers he determined on
vengeance in the most bloody manner pos
sible. strong force OF Turkish troops
was sent to the village with artillery, and
the massacre began. The guns kept up q
continuous FIRE upon Dalvorig until prac-
ticaIiy not one stone was left standing
upon another.
selo, the hey Of Initzoun. & Kurd, with a
detachment OF Kurdish cavalry, went
with the Turkish soldiers to the village Of
Semat and foreibly took the Armenian
priest from his church, after disgustiugly
dehliug the sacred vessels and the priests
hands They then bound him on a DON
KEY, which they drove distance Of few
Yards. The soldiers then fred at the
priest, and killed him and the beast he
Was bound to.
In the same village the Turkish soldiers
entered an Armenian hours and violated q
xoman and her daughter, the latter being
II years of age. From this village SEQ
forcibly took eight Armenian girls and
sent them TO the harem of InitEoun.
Further atrocities were committed by
the Turks at the village of kelIehuesen.
Before dawa this place was surrounded by
soldiers and. while the Inhabitants were
still asleep. il was set on ire. The brutal
soldiers entered the residence Of a man
named ATakef v 40 was asleep with bis
wife. and tortured them both in horrible
manner with Tedhot irons. Al this
village the soldiers killed the Armcn
iaa priest MarEoss, with twenty
other inmates of a house. They were
burned TO death. the soldiers preventing
anybody from escaping from the burning
building The chief Of the village OF
Chenew was captured by the soldiers and
bound TO his txo daughters. All three
we're then scalGed 20 death with boilln (
water. detachment Of twenty-five regu-
Jars og the Turkish cavalry. after com
hitting lnexpressible horrors at the village
Of ssbghauk. went 20 the village school
and ravished the girls found there, and
thea devastated the building.
Ibo Rev. the notorious Kurd brisand Of
/ the y.liaGe of pjibran snd colons! in the
regular array. seat with detachment os
( Turkisa troops 60 the Armenian villages ot
Rahiou. Ha5eErenx and komka. and a.
+ each place committed every crime there is
/ - commit After driving out the nen,
tsev collected the female children Of
+ Rah.oa together. shoGE 80 IN al. and
! after rAvishiag them they killed them sll
with guns and swords After this
+ massacre, the Turkish soldiers re-
s-sIaa themselves with wine and what
ever else they could ind in the village.
1 The Kurdish regular troops from KHAN
ard Bshran entered the Armenian
Villages q Alisnozis ard AEhieg. KILLED
tie inhabitants ard wrecked their houses.
: The number OF villages devastated in this
/ manner Is said 90 Re over thirty-fgo. The
Arrsealaus ted ~ eyeTY direction. bg;
many os them were captared by the
+ Turkish troops before they could ges away
ana we're taken 10 prison. kna1liak. who
aas the principal Spokesman of the
Armenian refugees. tod the y hole s.ogy
i In a most con v&mrinE manner.
~ - rF.~sssrs ain a wWt -Zwnww Arwrtsr-