Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-03-14
BURIED ALIVE BY TURKS.
One Hundred and Fifty Armenians
Thrust Unwounded Into
One Ditch.

ent sent TO armenia 10 get AT the eS-
act truth regarding the reported
atrocities forwards the following:
TIFLIs, RUSSIAN TRANsCAUCAsIA,
Jan. 25.-Mgr. Khrimiran, "the Father
of All the A~rmenians," has made a
statement to the Associated Press cor
respondent setting forth the condition
of Armenia and the events which led
to the Sassoun massacre. The very
revered father is preparing a memoir
ial OH the same subject to the Gear of
Russia. 1t may be inferred that this
statement contains the substance of
the memorial to the Gear.
Mgr. Khrimiran's home is at Etzch-
miadzin, in the Ararat region of Rus
STA, a short distance from the Turkish
frontier. He is now here awaiting
permission to go to st. Petersburg.
.iThe Armenians who fled from the
Kurds to the Sassoun mountains occu-
pied a strong position" FatherK hrim-
iran says, "but they had few arms and
insufficient supplies of food.
ssWhen the Armenians surrendered,
$50, including three priests, were
buried alive in a large ditch, although
they were not even wounded. After
this many people, old and young, were
killed, while many women and young
girls we're sent to Moosh.
"Many ArmenIaussare held in pris
uns TOR ~so-cafteu 'ponrIcar onvr-vo.-
The number is unknown to me, but it
must be more than two thousand, in
Guiding forty or fifty clergymen.
SIN prisons all kinds of torture were
employed. The chief monk of a mon
astery was fastened to a wall with
nails driven through his hands and on
ly released on declaring that he had
done wrong, although he was inno-
cent. On the hands and feet of sever-
al prisoners were fastened iron chains
and heavy shackels of wood, while on
their heads were placed instruments
resembling copper pots heated to a
high temperature.
81 believe the Kurds and Turks
burned or destroyed thirty-one viii
lagos and killed 1900 men, women
and children. These villages are
Shenyk, Semal, ~Cleicamgan, Alliantz.
Uktan, FAukbr, Talvarik, Armand,
Khiloghenk, Tenalenk, P'surkh, Har-
TUX, Khasmuth, Mzrdin, Keiliaken-
man, BERN, P'amtank, Ceimbenin,
Cramoury, two villages each named
Mazrein, Dzorair, Sp'hgand, Teghkart,
Alkhovit, Mzrain, Artukou, Kourou-
han, Souranhan and Hahiu.
81 look for no result from the Tur-
kish commission of investigation. II
will deal only with the Sassoun mat
ter, merely an incident in the oppres-
sion of Armenians.
"That massacre was the result of
long period of Turkish misgovern-
ment, a policy of cruelty and oppres'
sion. 1 have been an eyewitness o.
all kinds of oppression for fifty years
cat the close of the Russo-Turkisl
war the Armenians, encouraged b!
the improved conditions of Bulgaria
wanted the same guarantees. / wal
sent, with another delegate, to thu
chief capitals of Western Europe t.
plead the Armenians' cause. ! pre-
| sented to the Berlin Congress a mem
orial giving full details of the Turkish
atrocities. But what we worked TO.
was not realized. With reference t.
Armenia the Berlin Congress adopted
only what is known as article 81 of thu
treaty, and it had no influence in les
SEEMING persecution
1.-THE cruelty of Turkish misgovern
ment merely took a new form. Tn
taxes became heavier, all kinds o
| duties greater and the kurds receives
permission to plumber Armenian peas
ants.
First the Armenians protested
then afterwards began to revolt. The
Kurdish chiefs were called to Con
s~tantinople, loaded with favors and in
structed to form regiments. Thei
troops received, instead of pay, per
mission to plumber the Christians. Th
climax came at Sassoun.'
Several refugees here corroborat
in every respect what has been pub
lished regarding that massacre. On
says:
I'VE held our ground as long as W
could, but we had only 800 old-fash
toned guns. Behind us were tn
women, ready to kill any of us VIII
might attempt to fly; but We had nc
the slightest intention of flying. Afte
twenty-five days we held a council
The Turks sent word that if we SUI
rendered they would not kill us. Br
they did not keep their promise. The
cut off the heads of some, disenl
bowelIed others, and maltreated OF
wives and daughters. Ten women,o
refusing to become Moslems, were pr
to death. One hundred and fifty me
who were not wounded were throw
alive into a large ditch in CIeikougal
The position of the bodies will prov
that many were buried alive"