Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-07-15
From the Special Correspondent OF TIT
Associated Press

lut OD6Cldl Correspondence ~ N--N
Associated Press.
Van, Armenia, May 24.-The Sasoun
massacre, it would appear, was one OF
the most carefully planned outrages IN
history. The evidence of this is circum-
stantial only, but it is alleged to be
none the less conclusive.
During the months of June, July and
August, preceding the Sassoun massa-
ere, the Kurdish chiefs in the country
surrounding the Sasoun region, and par
ticularly the districts in the southwark
and southwestward, were apparently
unusually busy in gathering up the scat
tered warriors of their tribes for
AN INVASION
of the Sassoun region.
In July and August enormous guam
titles of petroleum were shipped from
Erzeroum to Moush. This petroleum
came originally from Russia to Ere
roum, and so great was the quantity
brought over the mountain roads that
it was a subject of remark to very many
persons. For a time it looked as though
nothing went over the roads between
Erzeroum and Moush but petroleum
Now. 1t is a fact that Moush does not
use a great quantity of petroleum her
self. nor do her merchants sell much Of
it to the surrounding country In the
villages candles Of sheep fat oil are
used for lights. What Moush wanted
with
THOSE COUNTLESS CANS
of petroleum was a mystery. But the
mystery was a mystery no longer after
the Sassoun massacre, for that petro-
leum was used to burn the houses OF
the Sassoun villages and to cremate the
bodies of the wretched villagers who
fell victims to the awful butchery. In
burning the houses, the petroleum was
thrown upon the woodwork, in gener-
GUS quantities and set on fire, with the
result that everything that could burn
went I'D in smoke In cremating the
dead. the bodies were, in many cases,
placed between layers of wood and buila
up into a sort of funeral pile. The en-
tire mass was then saturated with petro-
leum and
SET ON FIRE.
II is charged that living men were ere
mated in the same way. But this was
a merciful way of putting the unfortu-
nate creatures TO death in comparison
with the fortunes inflicted upon many
others.
The massing of troops near the Sas-
SCUM region, and particularly at Moush'
was carried on for some time before
the beginning of the massacre, in order
that everything might be in readiness
according to the programme said to
have been carefully made out at Con-
stantinople.
Several weeks after the Sassoun mas
sacre. it is claimed, orders were sent
from the palace at Constantinople
FOR A MASSACRE
of the inhabitants of Modikan. a dis
trict living to the south and southeast
of Sassoun, but when it was seen that an
investigation of the Sassoun massacre
was inevitable, the order,it is said'was
recalled and Modican was not molested,
except in the ordinary course OF the
persecution general in all parts OF Ar
menia.
In the city of Van, at this moment,
there are five hundred young men sworn
to give themselves as a sacrifice TO
Turkish butchery in the hope that the
attention of England may be more
strongly called to the desperate sltua-
tion of their people.
The Armenians cannot accept any
scheme of reform which does not have
for it's fundamental principles the abso-
lute control of the European powers
Unless Europe
CONTROLS THE REFORMS
tbere will be a massacre of twenty
thousand Christians in the city OF Van
within three months. The Armenians
themselves will bring this about rather
than be cast adrift by their fellow
Christians of the West.
There is no language quite adequate
to a description of the real situation
of Armenia at present. Men are beaten,
robbed and murdered, and women are
ravished by Kurds and Turkish SOL
diers
Woe and want and despair and death
stalk abroad in this beautiful land that
was once part of the garden OF Eden
The inhabitants of Van are living on
the brink of a massacre from day 10 day.