The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-17

I London Nov 16.-The chairman OF
4he Armenian Patriotic association, G.
I,aSopian, has sent the following let
ter, received from an Armenian, whose
name is not given, because it would
ieopardize his life, to the Earl of KIM
berry, the secretary Of state for foreign
affairs. The letter is accompanied by
one from Hagopian, in which he says:
II have no reason to doubt the au-
Ehenticity of the details. They will be
borne out by fuller official reports
which have been, or which soon will
be, received from the British agents in
Armenia. The events reported are the
reen3ctment of The Bulgarian atrocities
with all their most sicl1ening details OF
fiendish lust and atroclous cruelty on
unalmed Christians and defenceleSS. in
nocent women and children, deliberate
ly planned and ruthlessly executed I'M
Ser orders received from Constantine
pie"
Hagopian concludes by saying the
time has come to abolish in toto the
existing administration of Armenia, and
replace it by another regime approved
by Great Britain and other signatories
of the treaties of Berlin and worked I'M
der their immediate supervision.
A Second Nero.
The letter Of the Armenian thus pre-
fSeed is dated Bitlis, October 9. After
<ng that the magnate appears to be
d Sfaond Nero, the writer continues:
5fhe so-called rebellion Of the Arme-
MANS in 1898. was a gpt-up affair, for
the repression of which the chief mag
nate got a decoration.
''Tshis year the ku71ds carried off Ar
menian oxen and the Armenians' ap-
peal for the restoration was refused. A
and three were wounded.
1.-The Kurds Immediately carried their
dead before the governor, declaring the
Armenian soldiers had orerrun the
land, killing and plundering the Kurds
This furnished pretext for massing
the troops from far and near The
troops were commanded by q, pasha
and a marshal and were hurried to the
district.
THE pasta is said to have hung from
his breast, after reading it to his SOL
diers, an order from Constantinople to
cut the Ar1nenians, uproot and branch,
and adjuring them to do so if they
loved their king and government.
Nearly all Of these things were Ie-
ed here and there by soldiers who
k part in the horrible carnage. Some
~ them. weeping, claim the Kurds did
More, and declare they only obeyed the
orders of others.
Sixteen Thousand Butchered
att is said that 100 fell to each of
fthen TO dispose of. No compassion
WAS shown to age or sex, even by the
regular soldiers, not even when the vic
Tins fell supplicant at their feet.
sixteen thousand persons met such
a. fate as even the darkest ages of
darkened Africa hardly witnessed, for
the women and tender babes might, at
least have had a chance for a life of
slavery, while their womanhood was
but a mocl1ery before the cruel lust
that ended its debauch by stabbing
women to death with the bayonet,
while tender babes were impaled with
tie same weapon on their dead
mothers breasts. or, perhaps, seized by
NE hair to have their heads chopped
off with the sword.
In one place 300 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 COM
passion, falling at the commanders
feet, but the blood-t thirsty wretch, af-
ter ordering their violation, directed
his soldiers to dispatch them in a sim
liar way.
Horrors Upon Horrors.
an another place some sixty young
brides and the more attractive girls
were crowded into a church, and, after
violation, were slaughtered. and hu-
man gore was soon flowing from the
church door.
"At another place a large company,
under the leadership of their priests,
fell down before them, begging for
compassion, and averring they had
nothing TO do with the culprits, but all
TO no purpose. All were called to one
8slace and the proposal was made to
Ayeral of the more attractive
M omen 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.
ga great effort was made to save one
beauty, but three or four quarrel,ed
over her and she sank down like her
sisters.
But why prolong the sickening tale
There must be a God in heaven who
viii DO right IN all these matters, or
soD1s-of us would lose faith
tsOhe or more consuls have been
ordered away TO investigate the matter.
If the Christians instead of the Turks
reported these things In the city OF
Biths and the reign where have been
touring, the case would be different
But now we are compelled to believe
It. The magnates are. having ,,apsrs
circulated and are trying to compel the
CHRISTIANS 10 sign them, expressing sat
issaction that justice has been dealt
TO the rebels. and thanking the king
and the chief ulagnate. The Christians
OF Bitlis win not sign, though It IS
said that in some Of the outlying dis
1ricts Christians have signed. The cir
culats have not been offered TO Protest.
arts. and as yet the Protestants have
NJ been thrust into chains or black
= alied very much, though lately things
ara beginning TO look that way
Another letter says some of the regu-
lar soldiers themselves admit they
killfd 100 persons each in fiendisn |