The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-01-09
ARMENIAN ATROCITIES.
Authentic Details Of the RecuaS
Horrible Massacre.
The FiendIsh Conduct OF the TurI sM
Troops Even Worse Than hitherto
keported-The Soldiers Under
Orders to "spare No Man,
Woman or Chnd.v

BosToN, Jan. 2.-Letters have hcen
received by well-known parties in iis
city from reliable sources in Turl.ey,
giving still further testimony reg rd-
ing the outrages in eastern Turk ~.
The following letter comes from city
not great distance from the scene Of
the outrages. The writer of the letter
is a man in whom the highest coa6-
dence can be placed, who has sp MT
more than third of century in t..at
region and knows the people and the
country thoroughly. This testimony
Is from source which is entirely inde-
pendent of any which has been given
before. Later reports increase, II pos
sible, the horrors of what has taken
place.
The letter just received is as follows:
"The Armenians, oppressed by ths
Kurds and Turks, said they could not
pay the taxes to both Kurds and gov
ernment. Plundered and oppressed by
the Kurds they resisted them; there
were some killed The false reports
were sent to Constantinople that the
Armenians were in arms in rebellion
and orders were sent to the Mushire at
Erzeringan to exterminate them, root
and branch. The order read before
the army, called in haste from all the
chief cities of eastern Turkey was:
/ Whoever spares man, woman or
child is disloyal' The region was sur
rounded by soldiers Of the army and
10000 Kurds also are said to have been
massed there.
"Then they advanced upon the cen
ter, driving in the people like flock Of
sheep and continued thus to advands
for days No quarter was given, np
mercy shown. Men, women and chil-
dren were shot down and butcheresl
like sheep Probably when they were
set upon in this way some tried to savb
their lives and resisted in self-defense,
while those who could, fed in all diree-
tions but the majority were slain. The
most probable estimate is $4,000 killed.
thirty-fve villages plundered, razed
and burned. Women were outraged
and then butchered. priest was tab-
en- to the roof of his church and hacked
to pieces and the church set on fire. A
large number of women and girls,
placed in church, were kept for days
maltreated by the brutal soldiers and
then killed. 1t is said that the number
was so large that the. blood flowed out
of the church door.
'"The soldiers contended over beau
tiful girl; they wanted to preserve her
but she too was killed. Every effort Is
being made and will be made to falsify
the facts and pull the wool over the
eyes of the. European governments.
But the bloody tale will finally 10
known-the most horrible, it seems to
me, the nineteenth century has known.
[ AS confirmation of the report, the
I other day several hundred soldiers
were returning from the seat of war
and at village near us one was heard
to say that he alone, with his own hand,
had killed thirty pregnant women.
Some who seemed TO have shame for
their atrocious deeds say: What could
we do2 We were under orders.'"
In consequence of meeting of the
Armenians of Boston, held in Friend
ship hall last Sunday evening, the fol-
lowing cable was sent Tuesday after
noon:
ITO Hon. William e Gladstone, Lon
don, England: Armenians of Boston
thank you for your sympathy and aid"
Armenians of this city feel that the
diplomats of Europe will never take in
terest in the affairs of their country
men unless it is shown that every act
in their favor is keenly appreciated and
they take this means Of expressing
their sincere gratitude for the stand
taken by Mr. Gladstone in his speech
last week.
Dispatches from Constantinople ten
of numerous arrests throughout Arme-
MIA The whole province is disturbed
Many troops have left Constantinople
for various parts of Asia Minor in the
las few Gays. The pretext was thas
their time had expired and that they
were going home, but there is good
reason to'believe they were destined
for the military centers, notably Err
zinghian. The recall Of Abdullah Pa
sha, the most fearless member of the
commission OF inquiry, has been can
celled on account of the porte's anxiety
to dispel unfavorable reports to which
it gave rise.