The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-18

Fought Dosporntoly Tor Their
nomos-Entiro Families Killed in
the aiassacrc-Tho survivors Hid in
tho Cavorns In tho Mountains
rt..sl k;tt,. Copyrighted, 1895, ny he Asocidiel
i Prem
LONDON, March 1.-THE following let
l., has been received from the special
correspondent OF tho Associated Press,
who Is examining into the Armenian
atrocities. Tho letter, which bear, date
OfKars, February "a, says:
IAN Armenian refugee has just ar
rived hero, after many dangers and pEl-
yatious since his escape from his home
at sassoun. His name is Mario, twenty
years Of age, and though inclined to bc
4 ,lcisurn to dangers, he spoke OF tho hor-
rors OF sassoun with auch an angry light
in bis oyes, and oil tho time simply,
i straightiorwardly that | could not but
feel in listening to his narrative that
was at least listening to tho truth. He
said:
"My village A1hbi, consisted Of sew
enty houses-now there remains not
single man, not single house, all is de-
stroyed, the people are all killed save
three families. In my family were nino
members.
LIKE IAvESoUs WOLVES.
by the order ofthe Vail Kaimadkin,
Sassoun WAS attacked by great num-
Der OF kurds. The Kurds assailed us
like wolves, but they could not conquer
us; not only women took part in the
fight, but all women-even the old ones
as my mother-tncked up their
clothes, armed themselves with daggers
and helped US to fight the Kurds.
Twenty-one days concluded our battle;
we beat and we're beaten.
"But We showed no sign OF defeat or
intention to retire from the battle.
When We had succeeded in killing some
Of the Kurds, Vail Pasha and Vail Kai-
madkan sent many regular troops-how
many there were l do not know; may
be five, maybe twenty thousand. One !
thing ia very certain, there remained no
place without some soldiers. They
placed cannon and began to fire. At
their sound the women tainted, aud the
shells spread everywhere such terror,
death and destruction. The troops
wished to show mercy to nobody. not
10 the children, not to the old men.
The shells as they burst, moved down
al before them. as grass before scythe.
We fed, and began to seek refuge in our
rocks and caverns, but the cannon con-
.inued to sweep away everything,
stones and men. The flames and smoke
Of our burning homes reached us in our
caycrns.
VICTIMS CUT TO PIECES.
"The commanders OF the Hamadieh
Irregular cavalry pitched their tonts
on some OF the heights, and with field
glasses in their hands they observed the
sides Of the mountains. and il they per-
ceiyed near our destroyed houses, or
bchind stone, the head OF n man they
ordered the cavalry to 60 there. And
the aoldiers cut to pieces all they found
there, without distinction OF age or sex.
The heads OF the victims were brough.
sa trophle, 10 the commanders.
Those Of us who found refuge in
cHycrns could leave them only during
the night, when tho meu went with all
kinds OF precautions to get wheat.
The kurds committed nj; kinds OF
atrocities, they found no pleasure in
killing adult mon; they hunted for
chidron, threw them on the ground
and plunged daggcrs into their bodies,
after this thoy pitched them into the
air aud turned the daggers in their
bodies, then throw them against stone,
saying: 'Whon you are grown you
would fight us. Better 90 into hell
Then thoy tramped the bodies undor
foot.
WOUNDED MEN BURNED.
"The kurds hunted me to kill me be-
cause they knew that I was neither
lazy nor sleepy in killing them. We
decided, l and my two companions, to
iy 10 Russia. Wo fled from Sassouu
and reached tho forest. Entering we
heard heavy and heartrending Sigh.
H,olng 10 tho sound wo found Miro,
rom kh'an, courageous Sassoun man,
from whose mouth flowed blood. We
LOOK Miro and carried him secretly, but
when We reached the wheat field the
Nulda saw Us and pursued. Then each
y. . US gave kiss to our dying compa-
s,lo' and fled. The kurds took Miro,
SSs"peoa him into sheep fold and SGT
i'G , 70 it-aIi was burned.
IT, my Uncle was killed in tho fighting.
. lug other mombors OF the family took
aims attituso IN cavern. The place was 80
uNscu!t TO reach wo had to draw up the
," "oIIiea and children, one by one, by
NY companion. Ayiti, had five
mHC!es, OF whom khaso aud Khacho
wore Killed tho female, Kkro, and three
mon were killed. Tho uncle Of Krpes
Avo' also was killed. Ii you wish, I can
name ono by ono all the persons killed.
oTlren away. ~ W."
- hl'or Alto many days Of fight, we came
10 @ inc village Of Zis and then to Edhn.
ape, we Wero six and and all wore
ssH,anSe Clothing. We had coats OF
.noosh and hhta OF Moosh. II wo hnd
WORN our sassoun nbu, (ovcrcoatl nnd
our sassoIn hats, tho knrds would have
iiGHeosnls'd S, = "a and We should have boon
49,! have no doubt Mario told tho
;Musn aud It is well for him hc /, m
RIssinl soil. A ''' 10 o''
Used II Bnil Rat,
"oosrER, O., March -