The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-12-07

menIa, by Kurds Under the SuItan's Or
ders-Men. Women aud Children MUIR
dered in the Most Brutal M~anner-Inde-
scribabIe Outrages Perpetrated. Upon
Helpless Females.
NEW YORK, Dec. 1.-The sun says:
The following descriptions of scenes
accompanying the recent massacres IN
the village of Baiburt, in Armenia, is
contained in a letter received here
from an eyewitness. 1t was written
toward the latter part of October:
Sunday. October Is, was the first
day when the alarm of 4 general mas
sacre began to spread. Saturday af-
ternoon the dismal news of the adj
vance of 500 armed Lazes reached us
Sunday about 1000 Turks of Baiburt
and its vicinity Joined the Lazes and
marched from all directions on the
Armenian villages.
On Monday, October IA. the first at
tack was made on the village OF Lus-
shonl, five or six miles from the town
of Baiburt. There were about seventy
Turkish women with packhorses for
carrying away the plumber.
The villagers of LusshOnk had taken
refuge in the school building, trem-
bling and despairing.
The Lazes and others promptly be-
gan to seize the cattle and sheep of the
Armenians- Securing them out of
harms way, they ritied and set on fire
the buildings. Then they attacked the
schoolhoUse. The helpless Armenians
inside, men, women and children,
shrank under a hail storm of bullets.
1t was n dark night and many of them
fell killed and wounded.
For Gods sake spare our lives and
take all we have" cried the unfortu-
nate people, but their cries for mercy
seemed to more infuriate the butchers.
The schoOlhouse was set on fire and
men, women and children rushed ont,
t%rampling under their feet the fallen
dead and wounded.
\ most horrible scene was enacted
in front of the SchOolh ouse. The in
furiated Lazes and other ~marauders,
under the lead of the most fanatical
chieftains from the ne~iglIboring VIII
lagos, surrounded their victims and
began to massacre them in cold blood.
A''S sun Va IluJA ]. IL ltOOpi GUS
robber, seized Il young man, and after
rObb!ng him of his clothes. ordered
the Lazes to fire on him. The young
man was shot dead on the spot. 9th
CrS seized the brother of the first VIC
tim, and casting him down on the
threshold of the sc~hoolhouse, slaugh-
tered him like Il sheep and pierced his
dead body with daggers.
Noussa, the son Of Birinii. from Moush
and Cars, jumped at Nahbed Aslana-
gan and taking hold of him. exclaimed:
Come here, dog of an infdel; | was
looking for you. Come, l will show
you how | will kill 4 dog like you."
Saying this, he plunged his kama
into his victim and with several turns
disembOweled the unfortunate mar.
Thus the fiendiSh work Of carnage
was carried on with heartrendiu.
cruelty. At last the leaders of the
mob gave the command to separate
the men and the women into separate
groups under the walls. Five young
men, the flower of the village, were
secured as victims and burned alive
before the eyes of their relatives.
Others of the mob robbed the women
of all their clothes, committing out
RACES on them, cutting their hair, spit
ting in their faces, etc. They were
not satisfied with outrages but killed
a girl Is years old, several women md
three children from 3 to ; years of age.
They killed also Gadarine, the wife OF
Chalmers Avakian, who was in an adj
vauccd state of pregnancy. AMI opened
her abdomen with a most cruel ferO-
city.
The scenes of horror were repeated
in several other places in the same viii
lage and in other villages. The Mo-
hamTedan women accompanying the
hOrdes of m~aurauders carried away
loads of plumber.
The Armenians had given no provo
cation for the massacre. The leaders
proclaimed openly that they had or
ders from the sultan to eXterminate
the Arnenians, and were to have their
property as a reward for their services
to the government. 1t is impossible
to give Il correct estimate of the loss
of life and property, as many villages
dTC HOW ldNu "dStC anu LhC lHlldOA-
tants are missing.
1t is not necessary to dwell on the
dissertations perpetrated in the
churches and the outrages committed
on women and young girls. 1t makes
ones heart bleed to see the state of
things. The people of the vicinity are
in Ii state of horror. and there are ru-
mOrS Of fresh maSSacrpS