The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-22
WORLD FENCED OUT
: CHOLERA BREAKS OUT C0NVEN'
IENTLY IN ARMENIA.


Commissions of Inquiry That Christen-
dom Could Send Out--International
Paul Prys Oaicially Shut Out, What
With the Quarantine and What With
the Snow--Armenians Can Do Some
thing Themselves in the Way of Lying.
(Copyrighted 1895 by the Associated Press.)
London, Feb. 21.-The special CORES
pondent of the Associated Press who
was sent out from London to Armenia
to investigate as to the atrocities
said to have been perpetrated upon the
Arnenians and whose first report, in
a letter sent from Tifiis, Russia, was re-
ceived here on the second instant, and
cabled to the United States that day,
has made second report This, like
the first one, was posted at Tiflis- 1t is
dated Jan. Is. In it the correspondent
says:
'In the letter I wrote ten days ago
giving the result of some preliminary
inquiries / had made at Constantinople,
Sassou, Kerasund, TrebiZonde and
Tiflis, concerning the alleged atroci-
ties and the state of affairs generally in
Armenia, L endeavored to convey come
idea of the difficulties that would be
encountered in prosecuting any sort of
investigation or getting at the real facts
Of the case.
That / did not eXaggerate these diff
ficulties will be apparent from further
information on the point, which l am
now in a position to supply. Take, to
begin with, the cholera quarantine
which is being enforced in various por-
tons of the sultan's domiions in such
-, ra.af u
around the departments of Armenia,
in which the atrocities are alleged to
have occupied, and to keep away from
the scene of the outra geS all independ-
ent Investigators.
A LOCAL MALADY.
1t is announced that cholera exists in
Van. Bitlis and Moosh, and that strict
quarantine regulations must there
fore be enforced. Now, il certainly is
2 peculiar circumstance that cholera
should have happened to break out at
this season Of the year in the region of
the Saussoun maSsacres and nowhere
else in Asia Minor. Who is to prove
or disprove that statement that the
disease is raging in those snow clad and
practically inaccessible mountain fast
neSseS? Even in Constantinople and
STEAMBOAT little or nothing is known by
the public or newspaper correspondents
concerning the cholera outbreaks Of
ficially reported from time to time in
these cities. In the Turkish capital a
medical officer reporting a case of
cholera receives double pay until a
clean bill of health is returned from the
affected district, and in a country like
Turkey 1t is not surprising If doctirS
find symptoms of cholera in everything
from Group to typhoid fever.
1t is pretty thoroughly understood
that quarantine law is the highest law
on health and that even international
courts must bow to it So when we are
told, as we have been during the past
few days. that an epidemic of cholera
has suddenly made its appearance in
the region OF the SaSsoun massacre,
even a blind man see that it is meant
to delay and obstruct the work of the
Turkish commission of inquiry.
UNDER THE YELLOW FLAG.
It is believed here that the Turks,
forced to the wall by the protests of
the foreign delegates on the commits
Sion, threw up the last obstruction and
hoisted the yellow flag over it. Even
a foreign delegation could not ignore
a cholera quarantine or find means to
evade il.
1t is argued that if the Turks have
succeeded in repairing the damages to
the Sasoun villages there is no reason
why the commission should not be al
lowed to visit the scene Of the massacre
and founder about in ten feet OF snow
If 1t cared for that sort of thing but
the refusal of the Turks TO allow any
one to travel through the Sasseun
country and the timely quarantine sug-
gests that the money sent to rebuild the
destroyed villages has been stolen, or
that the snow was so deep before the
money arrived that nothing could be
done.
In that case the bodies of the butch
cred Christians are under the snow
The Turks will take good care that
they reach the scene first in the spring
and clear away all traces Of the massa-
ere before the indignant Christianity
Insists upon sending in an independent
investigating committee. Even with
out the cholera quarantine it would be
practically impossible for the commits
sion to make any real Roadway until
spring owing TO the intense cold and the
great amount of snow in Armenia.
ARMENIAN MENDACITY.
Tales OF oppression, outrage andl
murder in other parts or Armenian Tur-
key contiue to come out here and along
the southern coast OF the Black sea
II the detailed facts of the Sassoun
massacre are ever established it must
be Independently of Armenian testi-
mony or their value may be seriously
Armenian with whom il has been my
lot TO come into contact seems 10 have
a very vague idea Of the value of accu-
racy and truth. In the second place
in his anxiety to make out a case
against the Turk he is willing TO pub
lish as fact any groteSque rumor that
he may chance to fall over in the street.
In the third place, he does not really
know what actually took place in the
Sassoun mountains, but his vanity
VIII not permit him TO acknowledge il.
and SO. TO be up with the times, and TO
help along the cause Of his people
he embellishes the rumors he hears and
frequently says that he is in secret
communication with friends in Moosh
and Bitlis who are harboring Sassoun
refugees.
In this way. while meaning to do
good 10 the cause of his people. he real
ly does harm. for he effectually de-
Stroys his own value as a witness. The
TACT is greatly to be regretted that in
this matter the average Armenian can
not be believed on oath. An Armenian
came TO me lately and said:
Seventeen hundred Armenians have
just been massacred by Turks
How do you know" l asked.
"A refugee has just come in
You wish me 10 publish that as a
fact"
les " ny NNt- me people or Eng
land and America wish 60 know these
things"
Very well. Bring the refugee TO me
that / may write down his story
HEARSAY AT LONG RANGE.
The so-called refugee was not a ref
ugee at all but simply a laborer from
Erevan in search OF work. His story
amounted to this: In ETevan he had
heard man say that another man in
Etchmedzin had said that leo people