The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-08
THE REFORMS.
Cannot Be Carried Out Under Rule
Of the Turks.
VICTIMS REDUCED TO STARVATION.
A Crisis In the Situation Very
Near at Hand.

VAN, Armenia, juno 5.-The Armenian
reyolutionist prisoners who were betrayeC
20 the Turkish government mt Tshiboukll
on May 10 were taken from the prison
here very early on tho morning of June :
and started on their way 20 CONSTANT
nople. This was done under the orders OF
the sultan
No one knew that the prisoners were "a
be transferred until they actually had left
Van, the order having come from Con.
stantinople late Saturday. Instead Of be-
ing dragged along on foot, the men were
mounted on caravan horses. They all 90
20 Trebizond by way of Erzroom, under
guard OF a detachment of cavalry At
Trebizond they will be put on board of a
steamer and sent TO Constantinople under
guard of squad of infantry.
It was reported that several of the
Yezidees who betrayed them would ac-
company them 10 Constantinople 20 be re-
warded and honored by the sultan. But
the fezidees, instead, returned TO their
village TO make ont list OF all their able
bodied countrymen available for enroll
ment In the Hamidieh cavalry Hahto,
the head man, will, IL is reported by the
government officials, subsequently go 20
Constantinople TO be honored by the sui
tan and TO receive his commission as
leader OF the Hamidieh forces raised
among his followers. -.
Plans of Revoiutionists Kept Secret.
A second revolutionary band is in ex-
fstenoe across the Persian border, but
what it's immediate plans are have not as
yot been learned here. The leaders of this
band were among those met by your cor
respondent in Persian city early in May.
The band Is divided-one part going for
ward under Harry Williams. and the
other remaining in Persia to forward arms
and secure recruits.
Within the past few days tho governor
of Van, Bahri Pasha, has asserted that
Harry Williams, in making his alleged
confession Of the revolutionary movement,
said that his party had 5000 rifles in
Trieste, Austria, awaiting shipments to
Armenia, and that he, himself, was not
an Englishman at all, but Georgian
from the same district In which Bahri
Pasha was born. Bahri declared that he
had talked with Williams In Georgia.
This Is not believed
The nows from Constantinople and Lon
don that the armenian reforms are to bo
carried out by the Turks has caused tho
most intense despair and CONSERVATION
among the Armenians of Eastern Turkey.
The wretched people expected q mount,in
of help from Great Britain, and they have
received nothing at ALL
The situation is most desperate. All
Dlasses Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, mer-
chants, schoolteachers, farmers and rcvo-
|utionary leaders-bclieve that unless the
reforms arc carried out under tho control |
of tho Christian powers, the Armenians |
Will have to choose between emigration and |
revolution. The people arc worse off now |
than they have been nj any time In their |
history, and the prosecutions go on stead |
ly from Gay 10 day, The peerer people /
nave nothing to eat, and 65 persons In tho /
5assoun region have literally starved to
icath.
Rendered Desperate Through Persecution.
Tho people have got to the last point of
luman endurance. and still the persecu-
ions are growing worse. The government
5 now collecting the whole years taxes In |
'dvance, which Is a most unheard Of and
rnel proceeding. Heretofore the people
ave paid their taxes in installments dur
ng the year, but now, when they have no
money at all and no way Of earning any
hing, the demand Is for the full years !
axes In advance. The demand is accent
atcd by beatings and bayonet thrusts.
The soldiers have taken everything that
hey can lay their hands upon, and. in
cry many cases, the people have been
tripped Of everything even TO the clothes
pom their backs and the dishes In which
hey cook their scanty food. Thousands
I poor villagers are living on roots and
recns, and on the Moosh plains tho
'rctched Sassouns are literally starving to
cath
The protests of Great Britain and Amer
% have fallen on contemptuously deaf
ars. That Turkey has no intention
carrying out any sort of reforms is
,own by the daily increase of pressure
ow being put upon the helpless Arme-
ihns. The breaking point Is near. Unless
'dical reform Is carried out at once the
sspairing, starving people will rise In re-
pit for the sake of ending their wretched
YES.
Eastern Turkey Is surprisingly full of
agents. who are moving
om place to place. One left for Persia
So night, and another will go tomorrow
ght This is undeniably the critical
me in the Armenian situation.
servian Cabinet Formed.
July s.-The new ministry
composed OF M. Novakoyics. premier |