Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-15
MOSLEM DIABOLISM
Oeliberation with Which the
Turk Plans Oeviltry.
COAL OIL FOR THE sAsUN CARNAGE

Sent Into the District Ahead of the Butch.
ers So as To BE Ready When Wanted
How 1t Was Used on Dead and Living
victims-situation in Armenia Today
Elections in Great Britain WORK Havoc
TO the Liberals.
VAN, Armenia, May 2i-[From the
special correspondent Of the Associated
Fress. Tho S:sun massacre, il would
appear, was one of the most carefully
planned outrages in history. The evidence
of this is circumstantial only, but it is
alleged to be none the less conclusive
During the months Of June, July, and
August preceding the Sasun massacre the
Kurdish chiefs IN the country surround
ing the Sasun region, and particularly the
districts in the south and southwest, were
apparently unusually busy in gathering
up the scattered warriors of their tribe:
for an invasion Of the Sasun region. In
July and August enormous quantities OF
petroleum was shipped from Erzerou,n
to Moush. This petroleum came origi-
naiiy from Russia to Erzeroum. and Sc
great was the quantity brought over the
mountain roads tha5 it was subject OF
remark to very many persons.
How the Ps troieU,n Was Used.
For a time it looked as though nothing
went over the roads between Etzeroum
and Moush bat petroleum. Now it is a
fact that Moush does not use n grea,
quantity of petroleum herself, nor do
her merchants sell much Of it to the sur
rounding country. IN the villages can.
lies of sheep fat oil are used for lights.
What Moush wanted with these countless
can OF petroleum was mystery. But
the mystery Was mystery no longer
after the Sasun massacre, for that pc.
| trc.eum was used to burn the houses OF
| the Sasun villages and to crcmate tbs
! bodies of the wrctched villagers who fell
victims to the awful butchery. In burn
| ing the houses the petroleum was thrown
upon the wood work in generous quanti-
| ties and set on fire, with the result tina.
every thing tina. could burn went up in
| smoke. In creInatinS the dead the bodies
| were, in many cases, placed between lay.
ers of wood and built up into Sort o
funeral pile.
LIVING Non Treated the Same Way.
The entire mass was then saturated
| with petroleum and set on fire. Ii is
charged thai living men were crcmatcd
in the same way. Bat this was a merci
full way CT putting the unfortunate
creatures to death in comparison
with the fortunes inflicted upor
many Others. The massing of troops neal
the Sasun region. and particularly a
Moush was carried on for some timc be
fore the beginning of the massacre, in or.
der that everything might be in rcadi
ness, according to the programme said tc
| have been carefully made ont at Con
stantinople. A similar butchery would
have taken place at Modil,an if Europt
had not made n move for investi CATION O
the Sasun horrors.
| Looi: to England for Relief.
In the city of Van at this moment there
are 500 young men sworn to give them
| selves as n sacrifice to Turkish butcherj
in the hope that the attention of England
may be more strongly called to the des
| perate situation of their people. Unles
! Europc controls the reforms there Will b.
| u massacre of 2J;000 Christians in the city
of Van within three months. The AR
| menians themselves will bring this ;ibou
| rather than be cast adrift by their fellow
| Christians of the west. There is no Ian
guage quite adequate to description o
the real condition OF Armenia at present
Men arc beaten, robbed, and murdered
and women are ravishcd by kurds ant
Turkish soldiers. Woe and want ant
despair aad death stalk abroad in thi
beautiful land that was once part of tn,
are living on the brink OF massacre from