Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-07-08
THEY WERE BETRAYED.
How the Armenian RoyOlutiOniStS
Were Captured
They are Now in Confinement in
V1l-Al English Correspondent
in tn Party-The Latest Phases
Of the Situation in Asiatic
Turkey.
From the Correspondent Of the AssO-
ciated Press in Armenia.

Van, Armenia May 3O.-The advance
guard Of the revolutionary party WHICH,
as announced q week ago. was betrayed,
to the Turkish government by the Yeti
does OF Tchiboukla. on the night of
Sunday, May 18th, is now in conhne-
ment in the city of Van Only one
member O. the party escaped. and he q
the earliest possible moment, and az
great risk TO himself, put himself in
communication with the correspondent
OF the Associated Press. The latter is
now i'm possession Of complete informa-
tion with respect TO the prisoners. but as
he is not disposed 10 furnish it 10 the
Turkish government so long as there
remains The slightest chance that these
men may escape death. he holds, for
the present. at least. q considerable part
of the facts concerning them.
The men had been g.
HIDING N THE MOUNTAINS
waiting for reinforcemeuts and max
ing plans for carrying on their work.
and the weather having turned cod and
wet. they Went 20 the house Of HahtO
head man OF Tchiboukla. to warm them
selves and dry their clothing HahtO
was supposed TO be friendly TO the Ar
menian cause. as he was not a Ftlrk
and great numbers of his fellow cOun-
trymen had been masSacreed by the
Turkish government in the MOSul dis
Jrict. in 1892. Upon arriving at Hah-
.os house the men stacked arms in the
corner and gathered about the fire.
While they were squatred about the
Gre, HahtO's scribe, a Turk, called his
master out of the house and insisted
that they be handed over 10 the Turkish
government The scribe threatened to
denounce Haht0 to the government I'M
less the men
WERE BETRAYED
Hamto then called together a force Of
kurds and IeZidees and ordered them
20 make the capture. The villagers
went into the room one 10y one and took
part in the conversation
AT a signal they seized the guns and
commanded the men TO surrender UNI
der pain Of instant death Taken COM
pleJely by surprise, the revolutiOnists
made no resistance. OF the fourteen
members OF the party only one escaped.
Each man had a Boiden rifle and six
of the party had revolyerS. There
were large numbers of cartridges and
some materials for making dynamite
bombs and a gelarine copying pad for
making duplicates of letters. The pris-
Oners were taken 20 Sevai the next day
by soldiers. and were then
MARCHED SIXTY MILES
20 VAN where they arrived Wednesday
evening. Their arrival was watched by
q large crowd of Turks and Armenians.
On the Way they were beaten by gun
butts and prodded with bayonets and
otherwise maltreatej AS the English
member of the party was unable to walk
the whole distance he was given o
horse 20 ride the las, twenty miles OF
the way.
The Englishman told the officials
that he was Harry Williams. of - Or
mistOn Road. Shepherds Bush. Lon
don His father was William Will
lams. of the same address He had
with him a photograph of q Young wO-
man. and am English passport made
N'NN CO AAfNA ~ AANANtlAlN NAA N AiAaN AH 1879
He declared that he was the correspond
emf of telegraphic agency or London.
and that his card of credentials was
made ont in the name Of Paul QueSnel.
He was. ne explained on his way 10
the MOush and SassOun regions 10 i'm
vcsrigate
THE ARMENIAN SITUATION.
His thirteen companions were i'm his
pay as guards against attacks by
Kurds The other prisoners told the
same story. All were dressed as Kurds.
including Williams. AT first Williams
denied that ne could speak Armenian,
Out subsequently under pressure of tor
ture be admitted that he could. After
q week of experimenting with vaious
kinds of persuasions known 20 Turkish
jailers, the Governor of Van said that
Williams had
CONFESSED EVERYTHING
Nobody believes this Up 10 May 80.
Williams had been unable 10 see the
British Vice Consul at Van, although
Mr. Hallward went so far as 20 ask
the Governor unoGicially TO let him
see Williams, but the request was re-
fused. An of the prisoners have been
tortured during the week, and it is
reported that their persons have been
violated by the prison officials in the
most revolving and disgusting manner.
The situation in Armenia grows
worse day by day. The Associated
Press is constantly i'm receipt OF stories
Of robbery. Outrages aud murder The
conditions of the Armeuians
has BEEN WORSE
during the past six months than il has
ever been before. Even In the city of
Van. Soldies have been placed on
guard nc the Armenian churches, the
officials fearing Gam uprising.
The correspondent had q talk yes
terdoy with the leaders of the reyolu-
tiouary party In the province of Van
He stated that SD far as he is con
ceruel. the revOlUJiOnists will hold
their hands until it is known what
Great Britain viii DO. He admitted
also, that the capture of Williams had
very seriously diSarranged the rev0-
Utionary plans for the time being Ne
other leader is 40 present available.
The Armenian revO,utiOniSJ prison.
sers, who We're betrayed by the Turkish
government a- TchibOukla on May 10
were taken from the prison az Van very
early on the morning OF sunday. Jun,
o. ana started on their way 90 C0ns,an
unOple. This was done under the
ORDERS OF THE SULTAN.
No one knew that the prisoners were Z.
De transferred until they actually hat
Lett Van. the order having come IRON
Constantinop.e late Saturday night. In
stead OF being drasged along on foOy
the men were mounted on caravan