The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-15
IT WAS A PLOT.
The Sassoun Massacre Shown to Have
Been Carefully Planned.
CRISIS IS NOW CLOSE AT HAND.
Lives of Twenty Thousand
Christians In Danger
Especial Correspondcnce.l


VAN, Armenia, May 24.-Tho Sassoun
massacre, IL would appear, was one Of the
most carefully planned outrages In his
tory. The evidence Of this Is circum-
stantal only; but 1t is alleged to be none
the less conclusive.
During the months of June, July and
August preceding tho Sassoun massacre.
the Kurdish chiefs in the country sur
rounding the Sassoun region, and parti-
cularly the districts In the southwark and
southwcstward were apparently unusu-
ally busy In gathering up the scattered
warriors Of their tribes for an invasion of
the Sassoun region.
In July and August enormous Quanti-
ties OF petroleum were shipped from
Erzroom TO Moosh. This petroleum camo
originally from Russia 10 Erzroom, and
so great was the quantity brought over
the mountain roads that 10 was subject
OF remark to very many persons. For q
time IL looked as though NOTHING went
over the roads between Er and
Moosh but petroleum.
Now, IL Is fact that Moosh does not
use great quantity of petroleum herself,
nor do her merchants sell much Of IL to
the surrounding country. In the villages
candles of sheep fat oil are used for lights.
What Moosh wanted with those countless
cans OF petroleum was a mystery But
the mystery was a mystery no longer after
the Sassoun massacre, for that petroleum
was used TO burn the houses OF the Sas-
SCUM villagers and TO crcmate the bodies
of the wrotched villagers who fell victims
to the awful butchery.
Burned TO Death.
In hrrr piv,,x ba
was thrown upon the woodwork In gener-
GUS quantities and set on fire, with the re-
suit that everything that could burn went
up in smoke. In crcmating the dead the
bodies were In many cases placed between
layers Of wood and built up into sort of
funeral pile. The entire mass was then
saturated with petroleum and set on fire.
1t Is charged that living men were cre-
mated In the same way. But this was n
merciful way OF putting unfortunate crca-
lures to death In comparison with tho
fortunes inflicted upon many others.
A few weeks prior TO the beginning OF
the Sassoun massacre there was an un-
usual demand for horses for the army.
This demand was not confined TO the city
of Moosh, nor yet to tho province Of Bitlis
In the case OF horses owned by Armcnians
no pretcnse was made for paying for them
Thespress gang simply took the horses
wherever they happened to be found, and
said no more about It.
Sultan's Order Countcrmanded.
Several weeks after the Sassoun massa-
Gre, ii is claimed orders were sent from
the palace at Constantinoplc for mas
sacre Of the inhabitants of Modikan a
district lying to the south and southeast
of Sassoun, but when IL was seen that an
investigation of the Sassoun affair was
inevitable, the order, IL Is said, was re-
called, and Modikan was not molested, ex-
cept In the ordinary course Of the persecu-
tion general in oil parts of Armenia
At about the same time, it Is asserted
that preparations were being mado 10
massacre the inhabitants Of Sassoun, the
Turkish government tried to induce the
kurds TO massacre tho Armenian inhab-
ltants of the Nourdouz region, which lies
almost directly south of Lake Van. but
the Kurds refused to have anything TO do
with It. 1t is charitable to suppose TINT
the refusal of the Kurds was dre 10 feel
ings OF humanity, but IL is more than
likely that they regarded such a course as
killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
for IL their Armenian vassals were killed
off, they themselves would be reduced 10
the dreadful necessity of working for
living.
In 1898, 1t Is adiod, an attempt was
made by the Turkish government TO ex-
terminate the Sassoun people, but on this
occasion the work OF determination was
entrusted To the Kurds, with the result
that the latter decidedly had the worst of
It. After n prolonged attack on the viii
lage Of Dalvoridge, in tho center of the
Sassoun region, during which many Kurds
were killed, tho attempt was abandoned.
But the events of 1894 would seem To
show that IL was merely postponed until
more thorough preparations for the COM
plete annihilstion of the Sassoun people
could DO made.
Sworn To seif-sacrince.
In the city of Van at this moment there
are 800 young mon sworn To give them
selves as sacrifice to tho Turkish butch