The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-04

diers were Killed. bat they were very sex
In comparison with the number Of Ar
rneuians af4s<warsss put 30 death hy both
kur6s ard Turks
Among the horrible crvael,ies rerpe-
frated on the ArTrentzns during the mas
sacre I will relate the following fact.
proving the ferocsty og the Turkish troops
and their commander. Zeki Pasha- When
the ArnenIzns had surrendered. 10 of
them including priests. we're thrown into
large ditch alive. despite the fact that
they were ret wounded. Earth was then
seat 20 watch them until they had per-
ished After this the massacre continued
Many people. old and yoEng. were killed.
and many women and young girls were
sent by The soldiers 60 Moosh. The bodies
OF the Arrnenians who were kiliei sn large
numbers together were buried in common
graves, bur the bodies OF those who were
killed In isolated places were left mn-
btsrsed THE Arnaeuians who were not
killed fed. Most of them came TO Russia.
Some of them are now In Tifiz. Some
came to Etszc hzniadin and related 10 me
the sufrerfngs that they had endured.
Many Armcnians are confined in prisons
for political matters The exaes number
OF the prisoners Is unknown TO me. but II
must be more than asa. Forty or nifty
e!ergymen are among the number. priests,
bishops and archsmadrates. They are i'm
prisoned for so-eaIled political offsnses.'
s-But what the Turks call a political
offeuse has rot been designated For In
stance. for Christian 20 protect his prop
erty from piundsring is called political
ofYense' in the Turkish empire. In pris-
ons all kinds OF torture are employed
against rich and poor The state OF the
Turkish prisons b simply dreadful For
instance, the chief monk of a monastery
was fastened 10 wall with NAH driven
through his hands, and was delivered
from that position on admitting that he
acted wrongly. although be was innocent.
On the hands and feet OF several prison.
ers we're fastened chains and heavy
shackles. while on their heads were
placed instruments resembling copper
pots. which were heated 10 high tenn
perature Sometimes these tor;ures ended
in the death of the sufferers. Sometimes
the torsurers executed their terrible task
simply 20 kill their victims.
I'm the Sassoun district there were
about ia villages and hamiets. In one OF
these villages lived Iaimiadan. a Turkish
district chief. The whole number OF Ar
meuian families. or .hearths. as they
were called in the district was lass. The
Arnenians may explain. have preserved
the ancient tribal system The maximum
number to one OF these 'hearths' is eighty
persons Taking twenty as a modest av-
district amounted TO more than 7e.so
souls From the informa non brought to
me-. believe that the Kurdish and Turk
ish troops have burned or destroyed q
number of cities or villages. and 1 esti-
mate that the number Of men, women and
children killed in the Sassoun district
amounts to II, 600"
During the interview the correspondent
asked Mgr Khirmiran what there was in
the story that certain Armenian revolu-
tionary leaders induced Armenlans 10
commit atrocities on Turks in the hope OF
provoking cutrages which would raise
the wrath of the Christian world. He re-
piled that such runlors were too absurd
TO obtain cFedence anywhere except In
Turkey. With reference 10 the Turkish
commission of inquiry. Mgr. khirmiran
said:
.sThe chief interest at present ceuters
in the Turkish commission of inquiry,
but it looks for no results from the COM
mission because Ii will only deal with
the Sassoun matter, which was only an
incident in the oppression of the Armen-
ians''
The correspondent of the Associated
Press also interviewed several Armenian
refugees at Tifiis. The stories they told
of the rnassacres correspond IN every re-
spect with what had been published In
local Armenian papets. Arrnsntaus held
their ground against tfiG A dthS AVt -
days when. their provisions ana ammn-
milton being exhausted. they were forced
To fy or surrender After reaching the
village of tieivoson the Turks set fire to
the houses. destroyed the churches and
began TO massacre the Inhabitants. Old
and young men, women and chiiaren were
tortured and put to death. Among this
number were two priests. one OF :heui,
Terpetross. was stripped of all his cloth
ing and pierced with 25 thrusts of poig-
nard. which caused his death But let the
refugees speak for themselves.
The informant of the Associated Press
continued: ITO defend ourselves we were
united as one family. We held our
ground as long as ye could. but we had
only 800 old-fashioned guns. Behind us
were men who were ready TO XIII any OF
us who might attempt to fly. But we
had not the slightest intention OF so do
ing However after twenty-five days We
held n council as to what we should do.
The Turks sent us word that IL we sur
rendered they would not kin us. But they
,iid not keep their promise and began 10
cut off the. heads OF some. 10 disesnbowel
Others. 10 outrage our wives and daugh-
,ars Ten of the latter. on refusing TO
embrace the Moslem faith. were put 10
death. Those OF us who were not Killed
received wounds. and 10 who were not
wounded were thrown into large ditch.
We can show you, If YOU desire. the very
r,iace II Is In the village OF oieikougan,
behind the house of Peto, the oldest In
habitant of the village. and who died last
spring. The position of the bodies In the
rit will prove that many were buried
alive Seeing that the Turks would kill
us all, we al last fed. We were only SIX
hours marching the distance from Moosh,
hut our escape was attended with many
difficulties" q