The San Francisco call., 1895-12-30

buy immunity from prison. But, as soon
as terror and confiscaton took the place of
extortion, the dungeons of Erzeroum, En-
bingham, Marsovan, Hassankaleh and
Van were filled till there was scarcely
standing room. Educated schoalmasters,
missionaries, priests and physicians were
immured in these hotbeds of infection, and
forced to sleep night after night standing
on their feet, leaning against the foul,
reeking corner of the wall. Hunger, thirst
and Shiny water rendered their agony mad
dening.
"Yet these were not criminals nor al
legged criminals, but upright Christian
men, who were never even accused OF an
infraetion of the law. In these prisons
were venerable old ministers of religion,
teachers, missionaries, merchants, ply
slams and peasants. Those among them
who refused to denounce their friends or
consent to some atrocious crime were SUBJ
iected to tortures indiscribable, often oc-
cupying days, while their tormentors
laughed and howled in glee. Nights were
passed in such hellish orgies and days in
inventing new tortures or refining upon
the old. Some of them cannot be de-
scribed nor even limited at.
''In the homes of these wretched people
the fiendish fanatics we're equally active
and successful. Dishonor with nameless
Accomplishments menaced almost every
girl and woman in the country.
Children were often married at the age
of 11-even 10-in the vain hope of lessen
ing this danger. But the protection of
husband proved unavailing. 1t merely
meant one murder more and one Chris
tian dog less, and what astonishes one
throughout this long, sickening story of
shame and crime is the religious faith of
the sufferers.
"Such, in broad outline, has been the
normal condition of Armenia ever since
the treaty of Berlin, owing at first to the
disastrous action and subsequently to the
equally disastrous inaction of the British
Government. The above sketch contains
but few isolated instances of the daily
commonplaces of the life of Armenian
Christians. The Turks, encouraged by
the seventeen years connivance of the
only power which possessed any formal
right to intervene in favor of the Ar
menians, organized wholesale massacre
of the Christians of Sassoun. The prepara-
project was known to and canvassed by all.
A long report was addressed by the Abbot
of Moush to the British representative
at Erzeroum informing him of this inhu-
man plan.
''But international comfy forbade US to
meddle with the domestic affairs OF
friendly power, and the massacre took
place as advertised. The rivulets were
choked up with corpses; the streams ran
red with human blood, the forest glades
and rocky caves were peopled with the
dead and the dying; among the ruins of
once prosperous villages lay roasted in
fants by their mapgled mothers corpses;
pits were dug at night by the wretches
destined TO fill them, many of whom,
flung in while but lightly wounded, awoke
beneath mountain of clammy corpses,
and vainly wrestled with death and the
dead, who shut them out from light and
life forever.
at was then that our present Emit bassa-
dor at Constantinople took action and dis
played those remarkable gifts of energy
and industry to which the Prime Minister
lately alluded with pride. The British
Embassador did his best, and at last
carried the appointment of commission
of investigation. Yet, while the commits
sion Of inquiry was still sitting at Moush,
the deeds of atrocious cruelty which it was
assembled to investigate were outdone
under the eyes of the delegates. Threats
were openly uttered that on their with
drawal massacres would be organized all
over the country-massacres, it was said,
in comparison with which the Sassoun
butchery would compare but as dust in
the balance.
"1n due time they began. Over go, 900
Armenians have been butchered and the
massacres are not quite ended yet. In
Trebizond, Birmingham, Hassankaleh and
numberless other places the Christians
were crushed like grapes during the VIM
tage. The French mob during the terror
were men-nay, angels of mercy-com-
pared with these Turks.
"These are but isolated scenes The
worst cannot be described. And ii it
could be, no description, however vivid,
would convey true notion of the dread
reality. At most of these manifestations
of bestial passion and delirium. the Sui
tan's troops in uniform stood pv as de-
lighted spectators when they did not
actually take an active part as jealous exc
cutioners.
"And these are the Turks whom unani-
nous Europe has judged worthy of con-
tinuing to govern and guide the Christians
of Asia Minor. The Sultan undertakes, if
reasonable time be given him, to re-
establish the normal state OF things in
Turkish Armenia; and we know that that
normal condition implies the denial to
Christians of the fundamental rights of
human beings, the abolition of womanly
purity, the disintegration of the family,
the violation of tender children-in word,
system of government for which the
history Of the world affords no parallel.
"Yet unanimous Europe. we are told.
entertains no doubt that the true interests
of christendom demand that Turkish rule
should be maintained. 1t cannot be too
clearly stated that what is asked for is not
the establishment of an Armenian king
dom or principality, not a buffer state
not even Christian a itonomy in any sense
that might render it offensive or danger
Gus to any of the powers of Europe; but
only that by some etficacous means tie
human 6pInpS who prnfaSc tho Hhr;e+;,r