Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-07-17
WORSE THAN BRUTES.
Another Story Of Ficndish 0utrages
Practiccd Upon Armenians.
Women Become Victims of
Lustful Mohammedans.
Practically the Slaves OF "Tax Collectors" OF
tho Various Villages.
Especial Correspondence.l !

lpI''lui i'OrI'S,loHh'Hoe'I
VAN Armenia, June 3.-After the most
careful inquiry IL can be stated that In
hundreds Of villages In Armenia there Is
hardly one woman, old or young, who Is
not from time to time made the victim Of
the passions Of the Kurds and Turks.
By way OF a general statement OF the
situation, IL may be said that I'm all the vii
lages OF Armenia the Christian women,
both old and young, are absolutely at the
mercy OF their Kurdish and Turkish
neighbors. This Is not the case In the
larger cities of Van, Bitlis, Moosh and
ErzToom because I'm these cities tho large
Armenian population Is In Itself protec-
ton TO the women; but In the Villages,
where the Armenians are In the minority.
protection is not possible and the women
are ut the beck and call Of any Kurd OF
Turk who happens TO take "a fancy to
them. Moreover, this state OF things Is
said to be perfectly we'll known TO the
Turkish government.
1t Is the custom Of the government to
sell to the highest bidder the tax priv
ileges of the various villages, the pur-
chaser having the right to collect all OF tho
taxes from tho people In very many
cases the number OF young Armenian
women In village has great deal to do
with the price paid for the tax privilege.
When the public sale Is made of the tax
privilege, it Is no uncommon thing for the
auotioneer to
Cali Out In the Market Place,
so that all may hear, that so many girls
are available i'm the village. This is done
most frequently in the streets of the city
of Bitlis.
When man has purchased the tax
privilege Of village he considers that ne
has also bought and paid for the womer
Of the village, and any attempt on the
part OF the husbands, brothers or father
to resent this Interpretation Of the law l
looked upon as high treason, punishabl
with death. IL the Armenian men objeC
to this treatment of their women, they ar
beaten and driven from the village, and II
many cases even killed.
The tax farmer is able to take an extH
profit out of his village by renting out 4
his friends among the Turks and Kurd
the privilege of making use of sucl
women as he does not want for himself,
and Kurds who cannot afford to pay for
> this privilege coptent themselves with
taking the women by force when the
owner of the village is not present.
Kurds and Turks who cannot afford to
make financial arrangements with the tax
farmer, and enter the villages openly, are
compelled TO wait until they can catch the
Armenian women going across the fields.
Then the poor women are pounced upon
and dragged out of sight Of their friends.
The women who suffer the most are the
brides. Turks and Kurds think 1t great
sport to carry of bride from the very
arms of her husband, and TO Keep her In
their own houses until they have
Become Tired Of Her Presence.
So great is the fear felt for the official
class Of Kurds and Turks by the Arme-
mans, that oftentimes the compliment of
forcible seizure Is not offered to the
brides. One case Is cited in which the
Kurdish chief does not even take the
trouble to go to the houses Of the women
he desires. He merely says to his chief
servant II want those two new brides.
Tell one of them to come here tonight
and the other tomorrow"
The servant who receives this order im-
mediately gives notice to the families of
the brides, and at the appointed time the
brides present themselves to the chief who
has power over them
One Kurdish chief is said to manage the
affairs of his village with some semblance
of method and system. He makes 1t
rule that no girl shall be violated until
she has become bride His theory is that
when maid has been violated her chances
of getting married are lessened, and she is,
therefore, not as desirable piece of prop
erty in the Oriental estimate of her viii
lage.
When, at the age Of. 12'or Is years, she
ventures to marry, this restriction is re-
newed, and the chief himself is usually
the first to seize her and carry her of to
his own house as the wedding procession
leaves the church door. But the forbear.
ance of this Kurd is rare exception.