The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-21
RESTORATION OF ORDER.
An Important Conference Held With
That End in View.


CONsTANTINOPLE, Nov. 10, (via Sofia,
Bulgaria, Nov. 2O.)-The six representa-
tives of the powers held a conference
yesterday to discuss certain supplement-
airy measures which will be recommended
to the porte for the restoration of order
in Asia Minor, and it is understood that
some form Of common action for the
protection of foreigners is pending.
According to the Turkish accounts, the
Armenians provoked the disturbance at
Aarsovan, and ii is also said that the
American missionaries there were not
in any way molested. Reports received
here from the interior of Asia Minor an
nounce fresh conversions OF Armenian
women and children to Islannism.
The concentrating of Turkish troops
at Marach for the advance upon Zeitoun,
which is still held by the Armenians in
strong force, continues as actively as pos
Slble under the circumst stances. The COM
handing general declares that unless the
Armenians of Zeitoun and its vicinity are
subJuSated within a fortnight the cam
paign is likely TO be both protracted and
difficult, as heavy SHOWS and bad roads,
which are to be expected soon, will him
der the operations of the troops.
Advices from Aleppo say that all the
American citizens of Aintah, Orfah and
Mardin are safe under the protection OF
the Turkish authorities of the places
mentioned. The Turks, it now appears,
are really taking steps to protect life and
property.
Armenian refugees who have arrived
here from the different provinces, from
which they fled at the time of the recent
massacre, have petitioned the patriarch
to assist those of their religionists who
were unable TO get away, as famine is
threatening their country and say that the
most terrible sufferings may be antici-
pated when the cold weather sets in.
Thousands of Armenian famiues are with
out shelter.
The Armenians ask the patriarch to APP
peal to the different countries of Europe
for money, food and clothing, as it seems
next to impossible for the Turkish gov
eminent TO do anything effective in the
way OF assisting the distressed people.
There has been some SHARP, exchange of
80 ssaSeS recently between the Armenian
patriarch, the Turkish ministers and the
foreign ambassadors. The patriarch was
DESTROYS of calling in person upon the
minister of the interior and other govern
certain complaints before them and to
tender his services in the work of relief
and reform. But ii appears the Turkish
officials positively refused to receive him
in audience until he shall have published
an encyclical condemning the alleged in
trigueS and demands of the ArmenlanS.
As ii has been demonstrated that the
Turks in the great majority Of cases were
to blame for the maSsacreS, and as the
sultan has agreed TO the powers scheme
of reforms for Armenia, the patriarch
for it would practically admit that the
demands of the Armenians were not just
flied.
Consequently the patriarch made an APP
peal to the ambassadors and placed be-
fore them the strongest evidence he could
procure regarding the massacreS which
have recently occurred, and begged them
to use their influence to put an end to
this condition of affairs. He was assured
that everything possible under the cir
cumStanceS would be and was being done,
but the patriarch was informed that evil
dence had been furnished which establish
ed beyond reasonable doubt the facts that
the agents of the Armenian revolutionary
committee had been actively at work
melting the Armenians against Turkish
rule, and the ArmenianS were themselves
to blame for a, number Of the outbreaks
which had occurred, although they did
not justify the bloody revenge afterward
taken by the Turks.
The police are not making so many ar
rests today and a number of Armenians
have been released from the different
prisons where they have been confined
for some time past.
The reasons given for their unexpected
release is that the police have not been
able to find evidence against them which
would justify their further incarceration.
The released prisoners made the most
startling statements as to their treat
ment while in custody and tell horrible
tales of the filthy and overcrowded con-
dition of Turkish prisons. They say they
We're barely given enough food to keep
body and soul together and that they
were beaten and otherwise tortured daily
in order to compel them to betray what
they knew of the organization Of the Ar
menian revolutionary committee. But,
they add. all these efforts to make them
traitors were in vain.