The herald., 1895-05-27
READY TO TAKE UP ARMS
An Uprising in Armenia Expected at
Any Time
Guns Struggled Across the Border and Dcliv-
cred to the Downtrodden Natives-It
Looks as if Blood Will Flow

KARS. Russia. April 2.-During the
past three weeks | have had an opportu-
nifty for Obtaining additional contiIma
ton of the facts contained in my an
nouncement Of The impending uprising
of the Armenians in Turkey next month.
l have travelled many miles up and down
and across the border in search of certain
facts and as result, have had the salts
faction of actually seeing and handling
come Of the rifles now being smuggled
across the Turkish frontier by the agents
of the revolutionary party.
Moreover, the plans of the party have
been fully explained to me by some of
the most active and intelligent of the
leaders OF the eastern wing of the move
ment, and l am now entirely satisfied
that unless unforeseen circum stances arise
the uprising will take place as announced.
The exact date OF the uprising has not
yet been fixed, owing for the most part
TO the TACT that the extreme section of
the revolutionary party is not ready for
tacive operations. Whether or not the
central section will wait for the eastern
wing longer tDan the month of May. | do
not know, nor mas the matter actually
been decided. l am asked to believe that
the eastern wing cannot be ready for hos
tiIities in May and possibly not before
been having a hard time of it owing to
circumstances over which the leaders
have no control.
, In the first place. the mountain passes
leading to Van have been covered by
snow tor months. 50 that only special
messengers following the regular routes
of travel could get through, and therefore
it was impossible to follow with the guns
and ammunition from Russia and Per
sa to the d strict about Lake Van. There
are now guns on the border aw aiting
transportation into Armenia.
In the second place, the Armenians in
the eastern end of Turkey are in u con-
dition bordering on starvation. 1t is OBJ
vious that people in this condition can
not fight. On this point leading execu-
tive OF the revolutionary party said to
me three days ago:
''If men have nothing in their stom-
achs what will they do? We must first
feed them before we can expect them to
fight. When we can get food enough on
hand to last them two months we shall
show the world how Armenians can
fight"
1t is this question OF food that the rev.
olutionary leaders will find more difficult
of solution. The problem OF smuggling
guns into Armenia will be solved in the
spring, which is now just beginning to be
felt in the lower valleys. If we explain
that 10 foou can be had, people cannot
be fed, no matter how much money they
have. and it is a fact that in the eastern
portion of Armenia food il so scarce
that well-to-do people have no more food
than they actually need.
Few crops were grown last summer
owing to tho fact that many of the farm
ers and cultivators were thrown into pris-
OH by the Turks under charges of conspil
acy. Then cattle were stolen by the
kurds and what the poor people lad lett
rc
seized by government officials. There
will be no crops planted in Eastern Ar
men this spring for the country every
where is suffering from reign OF terror ,
The efforts of the commission OF inquiry.
at Moosh and of the Christian powers of
Europe have had absolutely no effect
upon the conduct OF either Turks or
Kurds in Eastern Turkey. I am just il:
receipt of trustworthy advices IRON a
nom Armenian source at Van to the effect |
that a massacre is looked for at any mo- |
ment.
1t is fact which the British govern
ment can verify by consulting the report !
of Mr.. Patton. an official of The British |
consulate at Tebratz, Persia. that in sew
eral cases the Turkish officials in the de- !
vastated district of Armenia tried hard to |
save the Armenians from death and their |
from destruction, but when they |
protested agaiast the murderous raids of |
the troops the oHcerS reau 10 them tne
ord ers OF the sultan, and SO nothing could |
be done. Mr.. Patton has lately returned |
from Tebratz from an investigating tour
among the Armenian refugees along the
border between Persia and Turnkey. He
found plenty of refugees Aom the Lake !
Van and Moosh districts, but not one |
from Sassoun. There are no Sassoun sur
vivors in Ourmanua. Salnis Ditiman,
khoi Tebratz or any other place in Per
,ia, and SO very few in Russia that they
.rc most difficult to find
This absence of Sassouns among SO
many refugees from the districts of East
,fn Armenia suggests dreadful possibil-
ty that few of these people escaped the
massacre. The investigation OF Mr..