Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-04-18
(Conyrighted. 1850


London, April 1.-THE correspond
ent of the Associated Press, writing
from Armenia, under date Of March
10, says:
consider it to be my duty, in con-
nection with the mission which has
brought me to Asia Minor, to make
public q condition Of the Armenian
question so serious and alarming that
the work of the Turkish commission
of inquiry and even the details OF the
Sassoun massacre must seem OF little
comparative importance. AS a result
OF my Investigations, l am IN posi-
ton to say, with some degree Of posi-
tiveness, that the Armenian question
will soon reach an acute and painful
crisis.
In fact, Armenia is preparing for
war. The revolutionary party has now
both money and guns. Any one who
cares to take the journey that | have
made, may verify the fact that the
revolutionary party has money.
How much money has been raised
no one knows except the leaders OF the
revolutionary party themselves and
they are disposed to keep their a1alrs
very quiet. The central idea of the
plan OF campaign is a general
UPRISING OF ARMENIANS
throughout the Turkish empire some
time during the month of May. The
exact date has not yet been fixed upon,
but will be decided next month and
communicated to the various sub
leaders by trusted messengers. 1t IS
hardly likely that a general uprising
will be secured at first, although sub
seQuent events may compel the entire
Armenian population Of Asia Minor to
fight in self-defense. The leaders
have promised the people in the east
ern part of Armenia that the chief at
tack will be made in the city Of Con-
sJantinOple itself and that the brunt or
the fighting will be borne by the Ar
menians residing therein. The leaders
have even gone so far as to declare
that the first attack will be on the pal
ace of the Sultan. and that the reign
of Hamid will come to a sudden end.
There are men who believe that in the
overthrow of Hamid the Armenians
viii be 2ged by the younger and
more progressive generation Of Con-
stantlnople Turks AS to the possibil-
ity of that, l can venture no opinion,
although l have positive information
that the younger Turks, particularly
those who have travelled abroad, ar
IDENTIFY wish that the present Sultan
was anywhere
EXCEPT ON THE THRONE.
The Armenians have at least 5000
Martini-Henry rifles hidden in secret
places in the mountains not a great
distance from Lake Van. The Sas-
soun refugees at Etchmiadin are pre-
pairing to return to Armenia, and are
going back with guns in their hands.
There are, or were about 300 refugees
at Etchmiadin, which is the home Of
Mr. Khrimian, father of all the Ar
menians.
For a handful of unframed Armeni-
ans to deliberately begin TO fight with
the 100000 regular troops Of the Turk
ish empire is folly too colossal for
human conception: yet one must take
into account the underlying motives
of the revolutionary leaders before
passing final judgment. The purpose
is not TO bring Turkey to terms in a
fair fight but to secure a settlement
of the quarrel By the intervention of
the European powers. Before the rev.
olution is three months old the pow
ers, it is believed, will be compelled to
take a hand in the conflict for the cru
city, aTocity, the outrage, the blood
lust and butchery of the struggle will
be something so horrible that Chris
tian
HUMANITY WILL INTERFERE.
Then Armenia, it is hoped, may get
her freedom, and the Turks Empire
may be torn limb from limb and
thrown picemeal to its expectant
neighbors. Thus there is a probabil-
ity that Palestine, the birth place Of
Christianity, may at last come into
the possession of Christian nation
The Armenians are encouraged to
belive that the revolutionary leaders
have a secret understanding with the
Russian government but that is so un-
likely that it need not be considered
except as showing to what extent the
people are kept in ignorance of the
real purpose Of the movement.