Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-06-19

cause They Would Not Renounce
Their Religious BeHefs-A Recital
OfFiendish Deeds.
Boston, June 1S.-A rehearsal Of the
Sassoun massacre has been made by
refugees. The story has been taken in
detail and forwarded for publication in
the United States 1t comes from Bit
lis in the mountain region of Eastern
Turkey, and may be relied upon:
Parih, Of Dalvorig region, Hetink vii
lage of some thirty-fve houses, says:
We We're eleven souls in our house,
but three were killed by soldiers. My
husband, Boghas, was shot through the
head. His brother, Harten, they killed
with two bayonet wounds on the head
and ten on the body. After thus man
Cling his body they hung it from a
tree, exposed TO the sun and to be food
for rapacious birds Khanadali Kur-
dagha plead with the soldiers, falling
at their feet, and so we women and tho
children. for the most part, were allow
ed to escape, though other nomadic
| KOurds from the south plundered the
! village, stripping us Of our clothing,
burning the houses, etc. At Aghpig,
near the village. Nero was burned in
| his house. TurrO's small children We're
| hacked to pieces by the soldiers. and q
| wOman's head found and recognized" 3"
| Shammeh, a woman of the above viii
! lage. says: There were twenty-four in
! the house and two killed. My son, APP
kar. some seventeen years old, and a
/ little daughter We're killed. My father
! is Chalo, of Geliguzan, and from that
! house were killed Sahag. MardO. MigrO,
| Sarkis, Doneh and Ghazar." Her tes-
| timOny also confirms what is given
elsewhere by others as to how a Geligu-
Zan woman, Hapseh by name, her own
| aunt, led on her four sons in defense,
| calling out: Come on, my sons, I am
| ready to sacrifice you TO the race" In
| the end
SHE WAS KILLED,
when they were discouraged and fed.
Il also saw another, Hapseh by name.
native of Dalvorig. ripped up by the
! soldiers and the child put on her breast
and the two bayoneted after that" len
! (priesD HOhannes. of Seminal, and Der
! Bedrase, Of Geliguzan. We're her uncle.
and she, like others, says: The eyes of
/ Der BedrOs were dug out and forty bay
/ Onet wounds inflicted Der HOhannes.
( of the forty bayoneted in the ditch by
/ the soldiers, asked for a few minutes
/ to pray, and was told that if he would
| not change faith he would be killed. I
| can't he said, but my people many
drawn up before him) are free to do as
/ they like AS they, too. refused to
change their faith, they were bayoneted
| into the long ditch grave they had been
forced 10 dig. The soldiers took out Der
HOhannes's eyes, seized his hands and
compelled him to dance. Not only was
/ he deprived of his beard-the insignia
/ of his priestly OfIice-but the cruel crea-
! lures took along with the razor some Of
the skin and flesh as we'll Having
| pierced his throat they forced him TO
drink water when it flowed from the
ghastly cut down on either side. His
head was kicked this way and that, as
if boot bail. Human flesh taken from
some Of the mangled people was put
into his mouth. He too, was pitched
| into the ditch with more than two
score men that had the promise of safe,
W if they would cease resistance and
surrender Independent testimony
respecting the terrible torture inflicted
on this priest by others, and among
them that of his own family and sis
| ter-in-law, Khuzzam, of thirty years,
and bride of twenty years. by name of
XhuzzO is said to confirm the above ac-
count. This KhuZzam also tells how
her husband, BOghOs and his brother
Urke were bayoneted into that ditch
grave, and the latter's wife ripped up,
child put on her breast, and the two
BAYONETED TOGETHER.
Emmo Geliguzan, Of fifty years.
gives Independent testimony concern
ing what was said above by Hammer
as to the killing from their family
Sahag, MardO, MagrO, Sarkis, Doneh,
and GhaZar; and adds how Mugro
pleaded with the soldiers to take his
pet boy from his arms to a distance so
he might not see them kill his father.
She also confirms the torture, and death
of Arakel Vartabed (prelate, higher
than priesG who was her nephew. She,
as also Mairam, of thirty years. testify
as to how a Hovseh Of Shinik was near
" beheaded, face mangled, while his
legs and arms were mostly disjointed:
he was her relative. Awak, Steffo's
son. was killed, and was a relative.
Her companion, Mairam. tells how her
husband. Ghazar, was also pitched into
that ditch and a two-year-Old little boy
burned in the house. They both tell
how in Geliguzan a fOur-year-old boy,
son of Hebo, was sacrificed on fire
made for the purpose by the soldiers.
Marian saw from her hiding place the
soldiers hang from a tree and fay alive
one Harten ManO's son, and there he
was left hanging, his grOans being
heard for days, a prey to rapacious
birds and the scorChing sun. Both of
them tell how "brave Vartan" is killed,
being pursued by nine soldiers who
mangled him, scraping skin and flesh
from his face, thrusting flesh from his
own person into his mouth.
Nanong Of Semmel says Tabo didn't
betrav Tamartian, as has been report
Cd but that Kourds, under the lead Of
the Dervish chief. took him, though as
Tabo was present and chief of the vii
lace. some charged it on him. Tabo
had two brothers. Khacho and Bog
hos nitched into the ditch Manong's
oor1nanion. SteDpO, of seventeen years,
tells how his father, Sherro. and his
rncIe Giragos, and ten-year-old sister.
Sbnaban. verde killed. These both
ouu''A.' r-.1o,e ,-;fa Terri was rim