The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-02
WAS A DAY OF SLAUGHTER
FEARFUL BARBARITIEs COMMIT TED BY TURKS ON ARAIENIANS.

TED BY TURKS ON ARAIENIANS. Men Burned at the stake-shrielss of Women and Cries of Children Rent the
 Air-one Village Was Completely Looted
 women Were Shot to Death.
 Boston, Dec. 1.-The following account of the massacre and plunder at Baiboort has been translated from an Armenian paper by an Armenian resident of Bos- ton:
 Sunday. October l. was day of slaughter and plunder at Baiboort; day of joy for the Turks and of sorrow and mourning for the Armenian people, About 3 o'clock on the afternoon of September 30, news reached us that 800 Lazes from Surmene were marching on Baiboort for the purpose of slaughter ing the Armenians of the place, The local government sent some influential Lag beys with local meefli and other Turkish clergymen to meet these sav- age northerners and dissuade them
 
 were inoffensive people, were not rebels but loyal subjects of the sultan. Their efforts were in vain
 October 1, Sunday, the Lazes, num- bering nearly 1000 persons and led by some Turks belonging to Baiboort and dependent villages attacked the Arme- nian villages, beginning with the vil- lage of Looshonk, which is entirely in habited by Armenians. This village is about six miles wide, in an easterly direction from Baiboort. The work of slaughter and plunder began as fol- lows:
 About 10 o'clock Sunday morning Tai poor Agha, notable of the village of Neurme, accompanied by four armed Turks, came to Looshonk to take away some cattle belonging to him. This vil- lage Is going to be attacked, he said I want to save my property The vil lagers, suspecting some sinister motives delivered the cattle without allowing Taipoor and his gang to enter the vil- lage. The next day about 3 o'clock @ a. m) the village was surrounded by mob numbering thousand and armed with Martini rifles. With them were large number of beasts of burden led by some seventy Turkish women. Among the crowd were seen a number of well known Turks from the city and neighboring villages, some of whom were the following: Pelid Ogloo Haji Mehmed, from Birghiji village, two hours from Looschouk; Poosh Ogloo Beshir, from Anger, the son of Hajo nI nnla 4ba fa mous brigand, from Lurmens; dervish from Koshgoor. an hour and half from Looshouk: Jbrahim Bey from Taght; the sons of Jinghon Yoosoof from Kormans, two hours from Loosh- ouk, and Khalid and Jiminni Eusein from the city. The last named indi- vidual had for some time lived in Looshouk, and knew every nook and corner of the place He was therefore chosen to lead the attack on the vil- Iage.
 The mob was largely composed of the followers of the above named individ- uals. Upon the appearance of this armed force the villagers dispatched messenger to inform the government of the situation, and asked for immediate help. Tn response to this appeal, the government sent three zaptichs who started for the scene of the trouble with no particular haste, staying over night in Roume1i village, and when they arrived at Looshouk the next day the bloody work was completed and the stiffness of death reigned. The savage horde, after a seize of seven hours, at tackled the village. The villagers had left their houses and taken refuge in the school building, which was quite large The barbarians, after plunder- ing every house and loading their mules with the booty set some of the buildings, as well as the hay stacks, on fire, and then proceeded to attack the school house. What could the poor, un- armed people inside do? The shrieks of women and cries of children rent the air Bullets began showering in through the windows. Tn the darkness none could tell who was hurt or killed. The poor people crying piteously, take all we have, but for Gods sake spare our lives" But none would listen to their entreaties. They seemed rather to increase their fury as now they pro- ceeded to set the building on fire. Some who were wounded and lying on the floor begged those who were rushing out of the building to save them from being burned alive, not to trample on them, but no voice could be heard or any object seen in the din and dark ness.
 But those who left the burning schoolhouse could not escape their fate as they were to be burnt on stakes which the fiendish mob was preparing outside The Spanish inquisitors never practiced such cruelties. The stoutest heart would quail before such a scene of unspeakable barbarities. Those coming out of the schoolhouse were sur rounded and the space in front of the building soon took the appearance of a slaughter house. One of Haj Khoom- ris' sons, assisted by three ruffians, seized Mahdesi Idepan, thirty-eight years old, stripped him naked and then killed him by a shower of bullets from their rifles. Then they seized Idepan's brother Tevos, thirty years old, tied his hands laid him down on the steps of the schoolhouse and cut his head off like a chip, and then with their daggers hacked to pieces the dead bodies of the two martyrs.
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