The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-18
IS A LONELY SURVIVOR.
No Respect Paid to Age or Sex
by the Brutal kurd
Soldiers.
BABES IMPALED ON DAGGERs.
Fire Was Even Used to Torture
Some of the UnluCky Victims
of the Victors.

LONDON, March 1.-THE following
letter has been received from the special
correspondent of the Associated Press who
is examining into the Armenian atrocities
The letter. which bears date of Kars,
February %, says:
An Armenian refugee has just arrived
here after many dangers and privations
since his escape from his home at Sassoun.
His name is Marc. He is shepherd, 20
years of age. He said:
81 am the son of Stephan, our family is
called Netko, the name of our village is
Axhbi. In my neighborhood there were
also the villages of Khatal, Heting and
Guebarash. My village, Axhbi, consisted
OF 700, and there remains not a single man,
not single house, the people are all
killed, save six families. In my family
were nine members. My father was the
most considerable man in the village.
There were in all four men in our family.
My father was the most courageous and
was at the head of the firing.
by the order of the Vail Kalamadan,
Sassoun was attacked by a great number
of Kurds. The Kurds assailed us like
wolves, but they could not conquer us,
since not only we men took part in the
fighting, but all the women-even the old
ones-as my mother did, tucked up their
clothing, armed themselves with daggers
and helped us fight Kurds For twenty
one days we continued our battle. We
beat and were beaten.
"But we showed no sign of defeat or in
tention to retire from the battle. When
we had killed some of the Kurds Vail
Pasha and Vail Kalamadan sent MANY
regular troops-how many there was 1
don't know-maybe five, maybe twenty
thousand. One thing is very certain
there remained no place without some
soldiers. They placed cannon and began
to fire. The women tainted, and their
shells created such terror, death and de-
struction. They wished to show mercy to
nobody-not to the children, not to the old
men, not to the women. The shells
moved down all before them, as grass be-
fore scythe. We fed and began to seek
refuge in our rocks and caverns, but the
cannon continued to sweep away every
thing-stones and men. The flames and
smoke of our burning homes reached US in
our caverns.
1.-The commanders of the hamadie (ir-
SafoAi bDelT -b6nGS on
some of the heights and with fieldglasses
in their hands they observed the hiding
places of the hunted, and if they perceived
behind stone the head of a man they i'm
mediately went there. The soldiers cut to
pieces all they found there without dis
tinction of age or sex. The heads of the
victims were brought as trophies to the
commanders.
'Those who found refuge in the caverns
could leave only in the night. The Kurds
committed all kinds of atrocities They
found no pleasure in killing adult men.
They hunted for children, threw them to
the ground and plunged daggers into their
bodies. After this they pitched them into
the air and turned the daggers in their
bodies, then threw them against stone,
saying: When you are grown up you
would fight against US. Better go to -
Then they tramped the bodies under foot.
"The Kurds concluded to kill me be-
cause l was neither lazy nor sleepy in kill
ing them. We decided, I and my two
companions, to fee to Russia. We fled from
Sassoun and reached the forest. Entering
we heard heavy and heart-rending sound.
Going to the sound we found Miro from
Khatan, courageous Sassoun man, from
whose mouth flowed blood. We took
Miro and carried him secretly. but when
we reached the wheat field the Kurds saw
US and pursued. Then each of us gave
kiss to our dying compatriot and fed.
The Kurds took Miro, dragged him into
sheep fold and set fire to it. All was
burned.
'My uncle was killed in the fighting.
the other members of our family took
refuge in cavern. The place was so diff
cult to reach that we had to draw UP the
women and children one by one by ropes.
"My companion, Aveti, had five uncles
of whom Khaso and Khaco were killed.
Oh I wish l could name one by one all
the persons killed and tell you how many
cattle were driven away.
CATER our fight we came to the village
of Xix and then to Edhnpape. We were
six in all and wore strange clothing. We
wore coats of moosh and hats of moosh.
Ii we had worn our Sassoun overcoats and
hats, the Kurds would have recognized us
and we should have been killed."