The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-29
THE WORST NOT told
A Lady From the Scene Of the Ar
menian Atrocities.
ONES BLOOD RUNS COLD
Mrs.. Thoms Tells of Butcheries
That Seem incredible In This
Age--Deeds OF the In
speakable Turk. =

SR0aHo1tC ~ ~
A visitor from a far-off land is being en-
tertaiued by Mrs. L. ]. Baker in Ana
conda. The stranger is Mrs. d. M. B.
Thoms of Mardin. Turkey, who is Mrs.
Bakers sister. Mardin is q city on the
border of the plains of Thesopotamia and
the castle in which the governor pasha
lives is more than 1000 years old. 1t has
q population of about 5000 people, most
Of whom are followers of Mahomet. The
few Christians in that city are the con-
verts of little band of missionaries sent
out by the American Board OF Foreign
Missions. and one of tho leading members
Of that devoted band is DR.. Thoms. the
husband Of the lady now soiourning in
this city. For 20 years the doctor has
made his homo in that foreign
land, and while on visit to
America some five years ago. he won the
heart of the lady now his wife and took
her back with him to share his labors
among the Musselmans. Mrs. Thoms
is now enjoying her first visit to America
since her marriage. She is thoroughly ac-
quainted with the manners and customs
of that country. SO little known here, and
kindly gave STANDARD reporter q very
interesting audience a few days ago.
-sAThe reports of the Armenian atroci-
ties have not been exaggerated" said Mrs.
Thoms. .Mardin is on the border of Ar
menia and many of the missionaries in
Armenia are friends and acquaitances of
DIR. Thoms, who has travelled all over that
part of the country. They have told him
that over 40 villages in Armenia have
been destroyed by the Turks and it is esti-
mated that at Least. 600 Armenians have
been slaughtered, and possibly 20 900.
ssTho LiIlinu of n Christian a crime
but virtue to Mohammedan, who is
instructed by the Koran to kill a Christian
wherever he finds him. This of course is
not done Unfortunately. but by con-
certed action and in methods carefully
planned to escape detection usually. The
such an affair as has occurred before in
their history, but is yelled under the
shadowy pretext of Furnishing alleged law
breakers. The trouble began over few
cows owned by Armenians that destroyed
a Turks field of wheat. The Armenian
and few of his friends went after the
animals which the Turk held and refused
to deliver. Blows were exchanged and
blood flowed freely, the Armenians get
ting the best of the row. On this was
based the excuse on which the sultan or
dered his soldiers to the scene. Then fol-
lowed the slaughter that has Mortified the
civilized world. All the deyilish ingenu-
ity that fiends could devise was exercised
ip,tle killing of men, women and chill
dfatiI Armenian villages consist OF a
ciuster of houses, joined together, and
though but little ground Is covered, the
compact arrangement gives shelter TO
many hundreds of people,. -
''Many of these colonies have been
burned and the inhabitants thrown into
the flames of their burning homes. or
were shot down like rats when they fled
from their beds. The Armeniaps were
2I,r..t han arvr.o 20,
make resistance. In one village the pop
ulation was captured entire and few
days later the men, women and children
were. burned in piles OF wood. in the
CRATER of extinct volcano. Oil was dis
fributed about in the heap and the inn
mense bowl-like depression was made q
blazing furnace. The soldiers surrounded
the pit and killed all those who endeav-
ored to climb up the rocky sides by hurl-
ing Them back into the fire below. In
otnef places the men were hack ed to
pieces with swords, the women distributed
the death which followed. Innocent
children were murdered in cold blood
without JneIcy.
"The officers who lead the Turkish
army have many of them been rewarded
by the sultan with decorations of honor.
1t is tnconceivable how civilized nations
can stand idly by and not interfere in be-
half of humanity. But the relations OF
the European nations are such that none
of them have had courage to take de.
cided course of action though the
treaty of Berlin especially provides for the
protection of.the Armenians.
IA commission, consisting OF the con-
suIs of England, Germany, France and
Russia, is investigating the affair, but the
progress is slow. The sultan provides
the interpreter and the witnesses ex-
amined must talk through him, as none
of the commission understand the lam
guage and the interpreter may tell any
story, or cover any facts which would be
to the discredit of his potentate. The com.
mission is in session at Mousch, many
miles from the scene of the horrors, with
every possible obstacle thrown in the way
of their getting correct information, their
report is not likely to be valuable.
"Another fact which prevents the world
from knowing the full extent OF the out.
RACES is the censorship of all mail and
packages which passes In or out of Tur-
key. This supervision is more rigid than
that practiced by Russia. My husband
has not written me anything about affairs
about what people think of them here
because every one of my letters are
opened and read, and anything of that
sort would be sure to cause him trouble
and possibly be his death. Books sent t.
us frequently have pages torn out be
cause of some fancied objectionable mat
Ter. For instance. the name Of the sui
tan is Abdul Hamid II. Not long befors
i came away q young missionary II
Mardin, was sent q chemistry. Now, ths
various signs and symbols in that were q
mystery to the Turkish censor. and ht
puzzled over them for many days, finally
deciding that it was seditious literature
He found scattered through the book on
nearly every page the signs, h 20, which
to a chemist means water but the TurI
translated il, .Hamid the Second is I
cipher and prescribed the book.
doctor Thoms, who has been prac
ticing medicine and surgery in Mardin TO
20 years, is compelled now to seek q new
field and that by the latest mode OF com
petition known to the medical profession
Itseems that there is q law in the arch
ives of the sultan which Is very simila
to the new pharmacy law in Montana
The law has been a dead letter and neve
enforced. The doctor, during his earl
practice. put up all of his own medicines