The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-06-10

NopyESnIeh' ls''' bY the AsocIhteu fTesD
FROM If Spseid! Correspondent o. me A''ociGth
FTt'' IN Arme7'iG
DjULFA, May THE Turkish govern.
mont, Il is claimed. has iu,t taken tho
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'.'p "
nassacro oil NestoFlan Ohslsuans In
the mountains OF kurdistan. II il u.s.
sorted that tho government has riycn
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Neslor'Ahs III tho mountain region I'M
mediatsly west OF Caviar, which maybe
ds,cribod as living aoout midway be.
,w.o, sro.orI ,,I ToLo Va, obo,,
aNI "H'
MY in'los west oil tho fets'au lsontlor.
Tho orders, it is stated, are that no
food supplios Of any kind shnll bo nj.
,ou,a - .t i.J.
''"o- " '".'' '''o ''''''''' VI '''o 'tuo
pehueht ViDes' anu measures afe saia 10
nave been taken TO enforce these orders
10 'heIetter This action ls apparently
taken rs a moans OF compelling the in
dependont lriOes to submit 10 turkish
government, and Is regarded as the inst
serious attempt that tho Turks nave
maze 10 eStort taxes from lho lnde.
pendent Tribes.
From the earliest times IN tho history
OF the Oltman empire these tribes have
oeenindependent OF Turkish rule. They
PAID no taxes, aud they have acknowl-
edged no allegiance to tho turkish gov
ernmens The present course OF tho
government is taken. IN some quarters.
as an indication that the Sultan has set
on loot systematic persecution OF tho
CHRISTIANS III all parts OF the empire.
The Sultan has plenty oil opportunity
Tor Knowing that the independent Nes.
torinns are too poor TO pay taxes, and
That many OF them make hvlnS by
going down into the villages OF their less
wretchedIY poor fellow countrymen and
begging. These poor creatures, accord
ing 10 tho story, are to bo starved be-
CAUSE they will not share with the sui
tan OF Turkey the scraps OF bread. the
refuse OF meat and the odds and ends
which they OBTAIN by begging. Their
homes are In Wild and bleak wilder
ness OF mountain peaks and narrow,
rocky valleys, wherc nothing Will grow
except TUT OF broom corn here and
there IN tho crevIccs OF tho rocks on tho
mountain sides, and lew stalks OF mil.
let IN casual square yard or 80 OF soil
IN the valleys.
1t Is not difficult to forecast the
probable result OF tho starvation OF this
race OF beggara should tho report turn
out to be correct. Driven desperate by
hunger the people will cndeavor TO
obtain food from Caviar and other out
side districts. and there will be fights
with the Turkish troops. Tho villages
will possibly be attacked and some Of
the wretched people will be killed and
no man can prophecy where the per-
secu,ion will end.
! have just returned from rapid
journey to the Kurdish mountains ior
the purpose OF investigating the report
that fourteen villages had boen attack
ed and devastated by raid of kurds
last week. The original rumor had it
that tho kurds had massacred many
and had carried off women
and girls to the mountains. After rid.
ing dav and night TO roach tho scene OF
the raid, at length arrived at tho Mer-
culver valley, which lies like the bot
tom n boat underneath huge mountains
covered from base to summit with al
most unbrOken eXpanses OF snow. 1t |
was in this valley that the raid took |
place. found that band OF kurds |
from the mountai ms had indeed raided |
fourteen villages IN this valley; bnt the |
raid was directed a.ains other kurds |
and not AGAINST Christians. There |
wore few HISTORIAN Christians living
in tho valley, but they were not molest- |
cd in any wav. As this was not race
or religious raid it will probably have |
little interest outside OF tho Merguiyer |
valley.
regret to say that Mr.. Patton Of tho |
British general in Tebriz, Persia, is
very much in disiavor with tho gentle.
men who are conducting tho Armenian |
movements. In spite of |
the fact that Mr.. Patton mas been col.
lcctinr evidence OF the Sassoun and'
Nloosh massacres for tho use Of tho
British government, tho Armonians
look upon him as n spv. Thev NAV 70
TO the length OF doing him bodily harm.
The closing of tho caravan routes TO
Van has rendered IN ore acute tho sui
,crinr from famine in tho devastated
iistricts ncur Van, The only hone of
relief il now cut of.
As 10 tho fondness of the Kurd for
raiding Villages. curious story is told,
A certain mountain kurd was outlaw.
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