Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-07-08
HOPES NOT REALIZED.
Protests of Great Nations Fell
on Deaf Ears.
Prosecutions Growing Worse With No Prospect
Of Relief For the Oppressed.

VAN, Armenia, June 5.-The news from
ConstaRtinople and London that the
Armenian reforms are to be carried out by
the Turks has caused the most intense
despair and CONSERVATION among the
Armenians of Eastern Turkey. The
wretched people expected n mountain OF
help from Great Britain, and they have
received nothing at all.
The situation Is most desperate. All
GLASSES Of Armenians-bankers, mer-
chants, schoolteachers, farmers and revo-
lutionary leaders-believe that unless the
reforms are carried out under the control
of the Christian powers the Armenians
will have to choose between emigration and
revolution. The people are worse of now
than they have been at any time in their
history, and the prosecutions go on stead
lily from day to day. Tho poorer people
have nothing to cat, and 80 persons In the
Sassoun region have literally starved to
death.
The people have got to tho last point of
human endurance and still the persecu-
tions are growing worse. The government
Is now collecting the whole years taxes in
advance, which Is a most unheard OF and
cruel proceeding Heretofore the people
heye paid their taxes in lnstallments dur
ing the year, but now, when they have no
money at all and no way of earning any
thing, the demand Is for the full years
taxes in advance. The demand is accent
uated by beatings and bayonet thrusts.
/ The soldiers have taken everything that
. they can lay their hands upon, and, in
very many cases. the people have been
stripped of everything even to the clothes
upon their backs and the dishes in which
they cook their scanty food. Thousands
of poor villagers are living on roots and
green's, and on the Moosh plains the
wretched Sassouns are literally starving to
death.
The protests OF Great Britain and Amer
lea have fallen on contemptUOusly deaf
ears. That Turkey has no intention
Of carrying out any sort Of reforms Is
shown by the daily increase OF pressure
now being put upon the helpless Arme-
mans. The breaking point lis near. Unless
radical reform Is carried out at once, the
despairing, starving people will rise in re-
volt for the sake Of ending their wretched
lives.
Eastern Turkey Is surprisingly fuh of
revolutionary agents, who are moving
from place to place. One left for Persia
last night, and another will go tomorrow
night. This Is undeniably the critical
time in the Armenian situation.
Revolutionists Betrayed.
The Armenian revolutionist prisoners
who were betrayed to the Turkish govern
ment at Tshiboukla on May 10 were taken
from the prison at Van very early ON the
morning of June 2 and started on their
way to Constantinople. This was done
under the orders of the sultan.
No one knew that the prisoners were to
be transferred until they actually had left
Van, the order having come from Con-
stantinople late Saturday. Instead of be-
ing dragged along on foot, the men were
mounted on caravan horses. They all 60
to Trebizond by way of Erzroom, under
guard of detachment Of cavalry. At
Trebizond they will be put on board of a
steamer and sent to Constantinople under
guard of squad of infantry.
1t was reported that several Of the
Yezidees who betrayed them would 40
company them to Constantinople to be re-
warded and honored by the sultan. But
the Yezidees, instead, returned to their
village to make out IL list Of all their able
bodied countrymen available for enroll
ment In the Hamidieh cavalry. Hahto,
the head man, will it is reported by the
government officials, subsequently go to
Constantinople to be honored by the sui
tan and to receive his commission as
leader of the Hamidieh forces raised
among his followers.
A second revolutionary band Is in ex-
istence across the Persian border. but
what its immediate plans are have not as
yet been learned here. The leaders Of this
band were among those met by your cor
respondent in Persian city early In May.
The band Is divided-ono part going for
ward under Harry Williams and the
other remaining In Persia to forward arms
and secure recruits.
Within the past few days the governor
Of Van, Bahri Pasha, has asserted that
Harry Williams, in making his alleged
confession Of the revolutionary movement,
said that his party had 300 rifles In
Trieste, Austria, awaiting shipment to
Armenia, and that he, himself, was not
an Englishman at all, but q Georgian
from the same district in which Bahri
Pasha was born. Bahri declared that he
had talked with Williams In Georgia.
This Is not believed.
The news from Constontinople and Lon
don that the Armenian reforms are TO be
carried out by the Turks has caused the
most intense despair and CONSERVATION
among the Armenians of Eastern Turkey.
The wretched people expected mountain
Of help from Great Britain, and they have
received nothing at all.
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