The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-07
Oefenseless Armenians Mur-
dered--Homss Destroyed.
Villages Reduced 10 q Score or More
Men and Women.
Merciless Kourds Commit Grimes
without Fear Of Punishment.

two districts OF the Van villages, lie
says:
We came suddenly in sight of an old
and crum mbling tower rising a few feet
above the rude church building in the
village OF Sew Degin. The appealing
eyes, the drawn features and the mass Of
rags that covered the men, women and
children told the story only TOO well. In
stead of the usual herd of cattle return
ing from pasture at twilight, few half
starved cows and donkeys came up the
single street and soon disappeared, and
later, in whispers, we were told the suffer
ings of the once happy and prosperous
Armenian Christians. Formerly the har-
vests they reaped along the banks OF the
restless river were sufficient to keep them
In bread for two years, whereas today the
best among them may get enough for
two months the rest of the crops being
mortgaged for taxes.
When the government tax collectors
press the people for taxes, saying they
must either pay or turn Moslem, they go
10 the very kourds, who steal their sheep
and burn their crops, and ask them 10
loan them mCnsy. The people prodded
by the government on the one hand and
bled by the kourds on the other, are
obliged TO mortgage their crops az less
than half their value on the first install
mont OF their tax payments. 10 pay the
next instalment they must part with
their last few sheep, and possibly their
fields, or flee the country and leave their
children 10 die on the empty hearth
stone. Six young men from Sew Degin
are shut up in the prison az Shadakh on
trumped.up charges, the real reason being
that they have had the courage TO de-
fend their flock against kourdish marau-
dsrs.
The families OF the village OF Deed
gants numbered so; now only 20 remain,
ana these exist in a condition impossible
TO describe. some OF their women can
not venture out of their houses, so desti-
tute are they of closing. Nearly all they
owned, carpets, copper utensils, farming
implements, sheep and cattle are gone,
either as plunder 10 the kourds, or for
taxes. They are living on roots aud
herbs. The other day 20 men from their
village were being brought by zabtieh
to the Iagh 10 be imprisoned because
they could not pay their taxes. After
starting out that afternoon they We're
turned back three successive times by as
many different kourds. The first demand
ed wheat which they had been saving for
seed, he second took one or two sheep
from each house, and the third cut wool
from the backs of the sheep that remain
ed. THIS was done by Kourds in the
presence of an armed government zabtieh
who had been sent 10 collect taxes from
pillaged and famishing people.
No semi -barbarous race on the face OF
the earth is capable OF being kept in
order more easily than the kourds. Their
present restless attitude toward the Chris
tians IS one they are told to take. 1t is
all part OF the systematic plan which is
fest depopulstlng Armenia of its Christian
population.
An army of several thousand just such
people are TO be found in Vaalonne The
number Is even greater OF those who, pre-
ferring TO die rather than beg, are reduced
to he very verge OF starvation. Every
single day kourds come into the village
of Gaet; violate the women, abuse the
men and carry off something of the little
that remains. At frequent periods the
taxgathers come down on them and de-
mand net only the taxes OF the remaining
families, but of those who have emil
grated, and as money is an impossibiIity
with them, the cruel zabtiehs pick up the
last carpet from the floor, bedding and
copper utensils, even strip the women OF
their outer garments, ana drive off per-
haps the last COW or sheep, estimating
the latter at 10 piastres a head, when they
are worth from 40 to 60 piastres. One
woman came ID plead with us for her
starving children, and was clad in a single
garment, which was too old and ragged
TO cover her body. Again young man
came TO tell, with tears, how his last five
sheep had been taken for taxes. The cry
ing women and children followed the
for three miles begging them not
TO take away their last remaining sup
port of life, but were only turned back.
The village of Pirbedelan is the original
home OF Shakir, the brigand. In the
center OF the inner room of one home,
barely lighted by a few rays from the
roof. stood a little girl of ten or there
about, trying in vain TO quiet a baby,
whose pitecus cries told the story of
want only too well. We noticed that the
''toniren (under ground oven) had not
been lighted, SO we asked the patient lit
tie nurse the reason for this delay, and
she replied with touching simplicity:
''There is no food. We were asked to
see a woman suffering from broken leg.
Sixteen days before she, with some other
women, were gathering herbs OH the
when n kourd attacked them
and tried TO carry of her daughter. She
rushed to her defense, whereupon the
Kourd struck her a brutal blew with his
club and fractured her leg in two places,
Just above the ankle. The rest OF the
women came TO the rescue, and the Kourd
himself with stripping the
young bride Of all her clothes and orna-
ments and making his escape. The last
cry we heard from this village, as we'll
as the Others, was; "For Christ's sake
save us. We cannot hold out much long
tTs AlltT ltdNlnS fHDeutidn, we WeTo
quite unprepsred for the scene that greet
od us. Seated almost in the path itself
was a group OF seven Kourds, armed 10
he teeth. As we approached, one man
brought his rifle nearer to his side. We
simply had time to glance at them as we
passed, and, going on for some 90 yards,
we noticed that the servants were still out
Df sight. Suddenly one OF these Kourds
eaped to his feet and, with rifle In
hand, called out in very significant
voice where we were coming from. This
-obber, with his six men, armed with re-
peating rifle, and simply covered with
belts of cartridges, would, without
doubt, have stripped US Of everything, as
, ur guard himself admitted. bad he not
'ound out who we were, and yet this,
nan, Tameh Agha, uncle to Shakir, Is
by the appointment Of the Sultan him
'elf enrolled as an officer OF Hamidiehs.
About sundown we reached the monas-
cry known as Hokots vsnk. IL is situated
m a deep valley at point where two
yorges meet. The nearest village is three
niles distant. IL Is here that the spear
head, which IL supposed TO have pierced
fl.. a. 9. IL a.. -