Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-16
ISLAM OR DEATH.
Tho Alternative Offered Chris.
tians in Armenia.
STORIES OF TuRKIsH DIABoLIsN.

Facts In the Hands Of the Ambassadors Of
shs Powers That sho1ld Result IN H.
ExtsRminAtioa of the Unspsakable Turk
-AlDost Ineredible Devlltry of the SUI
tan-A Brief Chapter oe Infamy That
Should Rouse All Christsadom.
LONDON, Dec. 16.-The Daily News has
Q dispatch from Constantinople dated
Dec. II which says: News IL daily re-
ceived Of thousands of Armenians who
are offered the choice between Islam and
death. At Marash an Armenian who was
ordained an Anglican clergyman, refused
the choice and was killed by slow torture.
AZ Kharp0ot two Protestants preached
and were murdered for the same cause.
At Achme fifty-two persons died as mar
tyrs to their religion. At Ouzoon large
number Of Armenians were captured and
led to . neiAhboring Turkish village,
where they were ordered to change their
faith. Fifty Of them rushed into the Eu-
pirates and were drowned. the Turks
shooting them while they were in the
water. At Hob eighty-five were killed.
Too Appalling for Description.
''This day the British vics consul ct Van
describes the condition OF the Armenians
there as being too appalling for words.
Thousands OF women and girls are wan
derinR through the snow-piled streets
without food or shelter and barefoot, their
ravishers having only left them chemise,
and some Of them only a cloth to cover
their nakedness. An eyewitness Of the
barbarity Of the massacre at Kaisarich, on
Nov 30, says that men and women were
literally hacked to pieces to the number Of
several hundred. Some Of the Turks say
that q thousand were killed. Saturday
afternoon several thousand fierce fellows
came from the villages in the vicinity.
Ambassadors Have the Facts.
MANY women We're abducted. The
troops could have squelched the business
had they desired to do SO. The Armenians
Of Kaisarich were always quiet and law
abiding. AL this information is in tho
hands of the ambassadors, with names
and dates. The Zeitoun tragedy Is ap-
preaching an end. At the Semanlik the
sultan's secretary has informed Europeans
that the Zeitounlis committed a horrible
outrage; that they had descended en- masse
from the hills, had burned the Moslem
village of Marlia and killed every inhabi-
tant. This is u foul lie invented by Izzet
Bey, the clever Arabic scoundrel who now
rules the sultan and the empire. He main.
tains his power by pandering to the
sultan's thirst for Armenian blood.
Matching Another Bufchsry.
Everybody Is awars that Zeitoun was
surrounded by troops and Bashi- Bazouks,
and that such sorrie was impossible. The
object Of the faslehood is to alienate sym
pathy from the Armenians. This means
that the doom of the Zcitounlis Is scaled.
The sultan means to seize an excuse to or.
der their determination. On Thursday
morning a demonstration by Softas
against the palace was arranged, but was
frustrated by numerous arrests. It is re-
ported that fresh massacres occurred at
kaisirich but this Is not confirmed"
Made . Count Of Ruined Villages.
BOSTON, Dec. 16.-Letters from corrc-
spondents in eastern Turkey give horrible
| details of the death and ruin wrought by
the Turks on Armenians. One writer
| closes as follows: From Diarbekir to
Mlatia, Ars.bkir Egin) and Peri the
whole region Is q desOlation. I counted
twenty-one ruined villages and there are
said to be twenty five of them in the Char
Sandjak alone. The missionaries may not
| escape with their lives