The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-19
SCOURGES OF ARMENIA.
A Campaign Of Butehery Lasting
TWenty-Three Days.
FORTY VILLAGES DESTROYED
10000 PEOPLE KILLED.

Latest Reports Verify All That has Been
Told About the Armenian Atrocities
| -Excesses of the Barbarous kurds-
The Belated Chief and His Deeds-Hor-
| rible Fate of Armenian Women.
| Boston, JAN, 1S-Letters from sources IN
| Turkey believed to be trustw oIthy, to Ar
| menians in Boston, represent that robbery
and the exaction of taxes have caused such
| an exodus that some villages in the country
| between Van and Erzeroum are almost de-
| populated. The following account is taken
| from these letters:
| There is uneasiness in Bitlis AS TO the
safety of that city. There is none in van.
| Scrutiny of the malls by the TURKISH
authorities continues, and some letters
| addressed to residents and officials In the
| United States are failing to arrive.
| The Hamdia soldiers, who are kuids. ana
who have been enrolled during the last
three years. are uniformed to some extent
| but left in their homes. They are Commit
| ing all kinds Of depredations
| That government continues to exact
taxes In the plundered districts, sending
zabtichs. or Turkish soldiers. to abide IN the
| village and eat the people out of PROVISIONS
! until in some way they manage to secure
| tile money.
| In the Rashkalla region, many of the men
| find, on returning. that the government has
taken possession of their property and
| refuses to restore it or to allow them to
| remain in their old homes.
| The authorities have taken and are taking
| every precaution to prevent accounts OF
| the famous massacre south of Moosh from
| reaching the outside world. The English
| consul, MI. Hallward, went on tour IN the
| region affected. He was subjected to con-
| slant and annonying espionage, amt WAS
| absolutely unable 10 penetrate into the de-
| vastated region.
! To what extent Armenian agitation had
provoked the terrible massacre it is difficult
| to determine For a year more there
| seems 10 have been an Armenian from Con-
stantinorle staying in the region as an
! agitator. For long time he skillfully
evaded his pursuers. but was at last caught
and taken TO Bitlis. He demanded to be
| taken TO Constantinople and to the sultan.
and it is said that hr is now living at The
/ capital, receiving a large salary from the
! government. Evidently he has turned
| states evidence. -
| The facts regarding
1 THE MASSACRE AT SASSOUN,
| near Moosh, ave freshly reported az follows
| Late in May, 1888, outside agitator
i named Damatean was captured near MooSh.
The government had suspected that the
/ Tai, corey villages were harborins such agi-
| tators and had sent orders 0 certain KuTd-
| ish chiefs to attack the district. assuming
| the responsibility Tor all they should kill,
| and promising the kurds the spoil.
| not long after Damatean had been brought
10 Bitlis, the first week liz June. the bak-
ranlee Kurds began to gather below 1ai-
| voorey As the villagers saw the kurds
! gathering day by day. to the number OF
several uhousa nds. they suspected their de-
signs and began to prepare. On the eighth
| day battle was Joined. the villagers having
| the stronger position. At sunset some f0e
| Kurds had been slain. and but six of the
| villagers. one of whom was woman who
/ was trying to rescue mule from the hurds.
] The villagers had succeeded in breaking
down bridge across the deep gorge OF
river before detachment of Kurds from
another direction could cross and join in
the attack against them.
The governor general. with fresh troops,
/ besieged Talvoorey till whit
He had an interview with some Of ths
| chief men in Talvoorey, and asked them
why they did not submit to the government
and pay taxes. They replied that they
could not pay taxes twice, to the Kurds and
to the government. If the government
| would protect Them, they would pay.
In the early spring the Xurds of several
| tribes were ordered to attack the villagers
of Sassoun. while troops We're sent on from
| Moosh and Bitlis, the latter taking along
| ammunition and stores and ~ mule loaos Oh
| kerosene $50 cans. Burning was part OF
the plan. The whole district was pretty
we'll besieged by Kurds and troops. The
! villages thus beseiged would occasionally
| make sorties to secure food. The Kurds on
one occasion stole several oxen. A scrim
mage ensued, in which two OF three were
! killed on either side. The Kurds at ohcs
| took their dead to thegovernment al
Moosh, and reported that the region wa,
| filed with Armen MAN and foreign SOLDIER
The government al once gathered soldiers,
| Kurds congregated to the number of about
20 coo. while some 500 "Hamedia' horsemer
| were brought to Moosh.
Small companies of troops entered several
villages, saying they had come to protect
them as loyal subjects, and were quartered
among the houses. In the night they rose
and
| SLEW THE SLEEPlNG NILbAuEnS,
man. woman and child. Those in other vii
Ia -es determine ed 10 sell their lives as dearly
as possible.
And then began campaign of butchery
that lasted some % days, or roughly. from
the middle of August to the middle of Sep
TENDER.
Then Ferik Pasha, WHO came post haste
from E1zingan, read the su1tan's firman
for determination, and then hanging the
document on his breast. exhorted the SOL
diers not to be found wanting in their duty.
On the last day of August. the anniversary
of the sultan's accession, the soldiers were
especially urged 10 distinguish themselves,
and they made it The day of the greatest
slaughter.
| Another marked day occurred a few days
caller being marked by the occurrence Of
a wonderful meteor. No distinctions were
made between persons villages, as 10
whether they were loyal, and had paid
their taxes or not. The orders were to make
a clean sweep.