The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-05-13

I -po7ionceof an American Citizen
in the Sultau's Domain.
NO CHARGES MADE AGAINST HIM,

According to Mr.. Manassians story His
Only OfTense Was in Having Become an
American Citizen After Leaving His Ma
tive Land, Armenia.
NEW YORK, May l3.-Cricor Manassan
has arrived in this city from Marseilles,
accompanied by his wife and child The
facts concerning Mr.. Manas3ians arrest
ana imprisonment in Turkey were pub
lished some time ago His deposition con-
corning the treatment he received at the
hands of the Turkish government will
this week be presented to the department
of state at Washington.
Mr. Manassian, who is of Armenian
birth, became an American citizen in 1898
after a residence of seven years in the
United States His statement is as fol-
lows:
81 left New York in July, 1898, and
went to my native city of Tokat, Turkey
to visit my relatives and attend to mat
ters relating to my family. At Constan-
tinople showed my passports to our con-
sulate and received o permit from the gov
ernment to go to Tokat. About three
months after 1 was called from Tokat to
SAMSON, where my nephew lay dying.
| applied to the government to have my
| teskere vized. They took my passport,
saying the governor wished to see 1t. They
kept both and gave me a provisional tes-
| kere, with which l went TO SAMSON and
| returned. / could not recover my pass
| port and was at last told after three
months that it was sent to Sivas to the
| vail governor generan. / wrote TO Con-
sui Jewett, at Sivas, and sent my citizen
| ship papers at his request, but could not
secure the passport.
81 was then beginning to make plans TO
return to America The consul wrote me
again April 15, 1894: 'The vail informs
me that he has sent your papers to Con-
stantinople.' was much annoyed, but
was not alarmed In September the vail
came to Tokat. / applied to him about
my passport, but he said, You should not
have become an American citizen
"Three days after, late in the evening,
seven Turkish soldiers came into the house
where was with my wife and child, and
in spite of my protest that l was an
American citizen, and that they had no
right to arrest me without the informa-
tion of an American official, they COM
PEELED me to go, saying the vail wanted me.
They took me to prison. The next morn
ing they put me in chains and manacles,
and an iron ring around the neck, together
with two murderers, in a dungeon, and
then they sent me in a cart TO Amasia.
From Amasia to Kovak they made me
walk in chains with the murderers, five
days distance making me sleep at night
in dungeons in chains. My feet were sc
swollen l could not walk any more, and
persuaded the murderers TO pay for a cart
till SAMSON was reached, which we coult
not walk in three days.
Neither l nor my friends could senC
kilograms. The messages would be ac
cepted, but not sent. But a person was
sent to Sivas and information given tt
Consul Jewett, and yet nothing was don,
either by him or the consul at Samsoor
for two weeks. They brought me out oc
casionally to ask me if 1 still persisted il
/ remaining an American citizen, and wheI
/ said 1 did, they TOOK me back to Jail. A
the end of two weeks l was sent as a pris
I oner to Constantinople in a Turkisl
steamer, and upon arrival put into prison
1.-THE next day Minister Terrell was in
formed, and 1 was released and sent t.
him He heard of all had suffered. l
was some days after my arrival that let
ter came from Consul Jewett, and both h
4 and the consul at SAMSON have conflrmet
the outrage and injury inflicted upon mt
by order Of the vail
~ had my wife and child come to Sam
soon. and as no man was allowed to com
with her had to take the steamer TO
. SAMSON again. was dumbfounded t
4 find that she had no money whatever, al
the money that l had (about $3.50 in all
and my watch having been stolen by tn
Turkish soldiers, who remained benin
and ransacked my house on the night the
o arrested me. We sold some of my wife
gold coin ornaments, and with much SUI
fering reached Constantinople. l sent a
appeal by registered letter from ConstaI
:, tinople Dec IL last to the president of til
United States, begging him that tell
graphic instruction be sent to Ministe
Terrell to secure justice for me. No al
swer came.
Il ''There had not been even a word againi
me from any Turkish official and eve
8 the chief of police at ConstantinOple 81
pressed great astonishment that 1 shoul
= have been arrested and put in chain
They took my aff1davits and said til
would be sent to our government and th
if 1 managed to reach the United Stat
= the matter would be settled from thBre.
"With much suffering we managed
borrow money and reached Marsei4les al
:, there we lived in privations till, by wor
ing at my trade all could, eaEhed mon
for passage to the United States. o.
consul at Marseilles gave NE to unde
- stand that they had orders got to prote
American citizens who wey6 born Arm
mans. Is such thing pgssibleP Who
our government afraid Of
Death of Ex-COngtessm seelye.
AMHERST, Mass, My 13.-Julius Ha1
y ley Seelye, ex-congrSsman and ex-pre'