The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-18

Age or Sex Not Considered in the
Terrible 0nslaughts.
lCopYrlght. lS05.l


LONDON, March 1S.-Ihe following let
Ger has been received from special CORE
spondent who is examining into the Ar
menian atrocities. The letter, which bears
the date OF Kars, Feb. 20. says:
An Armenian refugee has just arrived
here after rnany dangers and privations
since his escape from his home At Sassoun.
His name is Marto ne is = shepherd, 70
years Of age, andthough belonging to a
race made energetic by the Eigors of the
climate of their native mountains, and in-
clined 10 be tnciturn TO strangers, he
spoke of the horrors of Sassoun with such
An angry light in his eyes and all the
time simply aightforwardly, that
could not but feel in listening to his nara
tive that was listening TO the truth.
give his words as they fell from his
lips after had told him wished to know
Just what had happened under his own
eyes. He said:
MY name Is Mario. / am the son OF
Stepan. Our family is called Nelko. The
name OF our village Is Axhbi. In my
neighborhood there were also tho villages
of Khtan. Heting and Guebarash. My vii
lage, Axhbi, consisted Of 40 houses. Now
there remains not a single one, not SIM
gle house. all have been destroyed; the
people are all killed, save three families.
In my family were nine members. There
were In all four men in our family; my
father was at the head Of the family.
Women Helped to Fight the Kurds.
"By the order of Vail Kaimadkan,
Sassoun was attacked by n very great
number Of Kuras The Kurds assailed us
like wolves, but they cou1d not conquer
us Not only we men took part in the
fighting, but all the women, even the old
ones--ns my nether-tuoked up their
clothes. armed themselves with daggers
and helped us to tight the Kurds. Twenty
one days continued our battle-we beat
and we were beaten.
"But we showed no sign OF defeat or in
tenrion TO retire from the battle. When
we had succeeded in killing some Of the
Kurds, Vail Pasha and Vail Kaimadkan
sent many regular troops-how many
there were do not know-may be 5000,
may be 20. 900. One thing is very certain,
there remained no place without some
soldiers; they placed cannon and began to
dre.
1--WE never before heard the name OF
cannon, nor had we seen them. At their
sound the women tainted, and the shells
spread everywhere such terror. death and
destruction. The troops wished to show
mercy to nobody, not to the children, not
to old men. The shells as they burst
moved down all before them as grass be-
fore a 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. Tho flames and
smoke of our burning homes reached us
in our caxsrns-
"Thc commanders OF the Hamadieh Qr-
regular cavaly) pitched their tents on
some of the heights, and with field glasses
In their hands they observed the sides OF
the mountains, and II they perceived near
our destroyed houses or behind stone tho
head OF man, they ordered the cavalry to
20 there And the soldiery cut TO pieces
oil they found there without distinction
Of age or sex. The heads of the victims
were brought as trophies to the command
ers
''Those OF us who found refuge in cav