The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-12-18
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Further Details Of the Turkish At
tack on Christians.
LooTINe OF AMERICAN MISSIONS

Though the Americans Escaped with Their
Lives. They Lost Property Valued at $685.
900 20 s5o.ooo-Not singie Moslsm
Killed During tho Disturbances.
CoNsTASTfNopLE, Dec 1S--Furthcr do
tails which have just been received hero
from Kharpoot shed clearer light upon
the massacre Of Christians and the do
struction Of tho American mission build
ings there ON Nov. 10. A false report was
circulated at Kharpoot some days previous
to the outbreak to the effect that the
American missionaries were in possession
Of arms, which they were distributing TO
the Christians preparing the latter for an
attack upon the Mussulmans. DR.. Her
man M. Bnrnuin went personally to the
governor of Kharpoot and gavc up to that
official five revolyers owned by the Amer
lean missionaries. Dr. Barnum and his
associates also induced the other Christians
of Kharpoot to surrender their arms to
the Turkish authorities, hoping thereby to
aver the threatened uprising of Mussul-
mans.
But the surrender of the arms had no
effect upon the excited population, show
ingsthat the reports circulated were only
part OF q deliberate plot. The attack upon
the Christians the burning of the mission
buildings, already fully detailed in these
dispatches, followed in spite Of tho as
surances of the Turkish governor that the
fullest protection would be accorded to the
property of the Americans as well as to
the Americans themselves. From 500 to
1000 people are believed to have been
killed, and American property variously
estimated to value from Sa5, 900 to $50, 600
was destroyed The Americans, however,
all escaped with their lives.
The advices just received conclude with
the statement that 1t Is noteworthy fact
that not single Moslem was killed dur
ing the disturbances. In most places the
Christians did not offer any resistance,
knowing 1t to be useless, but fied for their
lives, abandoning their houses and stores
to the pillage OF the rioters.
The terrible extent to which the out
breaks were allowed to spread can DO
judged from the following facts: At
Arabgkhir, out of $500 Armenian houses,
$500 were destroyed, and 81, sl7 Arme-
mans, including II Catholics, persisted
In the village of Ambarga 80 houses wero
burned, and at the village of Sheuik 100
dwellings were destroyed, and in both
cases all the inhabitants were killed.
On the other hand the Turkish govern
ment has communicated to the embassies
a note, the substance of which is that the
insurgents Of Zeitoun have pillaged and
burned the Mussulmans villages of Echau,
Okatir, Kerenili, Smerek, Sari and Ker-
churke and have killed 266 Mussulmans, of
whom sixteen were women. The Zeitoun-
lis are also alleged to have committed tho
most horrible atrocities. Lieutenant Agha,
of the Turkish forces, and his wife, 1t is
added, were murdered by the insurgents
| OF Zeitoun after their children had been
killed before their eyes. The Turkish gov
eminent also declare that many of the in
habitants of Zeitoun and vicinity have
been tortured by the Armenians who are
up in arms against the Turks.
AS matter Of fact nobody here outside
of the most exclusive Turkish circles seem
to know the real situation Of affairs at
Zeitoun. The theory is advanced, how
ever, that the people of Zeitoun revolted
and surrounded battalion Of Turkish
troops, numbering about 400 men, which
had, it is said, distinguished itself by
shooting q number of Armenians. The
Turkish soldiers sought refuge in their
barracks, but were compelled to surrender
with their arms, ammunition, baggage
and supplies. The soldiers, 1t has since
been announced from Marash, were, nc
cordlng to the people Of Zeitoun, released
with tho exception Of nine men, who the
Turks say, were murdered.
Alleged atrocities committed by the In.
surgents of Ieitoun arc put forward tc
pave the way for q massacre Of the people
of Zeitoun, which shall be calculated tc
strike terror to the hearts of all the othel
disaifected subjects of the sultan.
United States Minister Terrell received
advices from Cesarea and Adana yester
day announcing the safety Of the Ameri
lean missionaries at those places. All the
extra guard ships, except tho German one
arc now In the Bosphorus, and rile foreign
Formulation of this city and vicinity breathe.
easier.