The herald., 1895-12-11

Press Special Wire.

ASSOCIATED Pfess specih WIRE
CoNsTANTINoPLE, Dec. 8, via Sofia, Bull
garia, Dec, lO-(Copyrighted. 1895, by the
Associated Press.-The long drawn.out
controversy between the ambassadors of
the powers and the sultan over the ques.
ton of admission of additional guardships
for the protection of the embassies was
settled at $40 o'clock this evening by the
issuance of an trade granting the necessa-
ry frmans to permit the guardships to
pass the Dardanelies. The demand was
first made on the sultan on November 10,
and scarcely a day has passed since
then without its being renewed in more
or less peremptory manner. The ingenu-
ity disp aged by the Turkish government
in evading direct answer to the demand
or when forced to answer the effective
pleadings put forth for delay had almost
brought the mind Of Europe to the conclu.
sion that the demand would never be com.
piled with. Meantime days and weeks
passed by without any action, and the
condition of things in Constantinople that
brought out the demand has almost passed.
The final triumph of the powers in forcing
a compliance with their demands seems a
double the regular guardships for the en-
bassles, now that it is obtained, seems
hardly worth taking advantage of.
The BitIis iassacre
CONsrANTINoPLE. Dec. 1O.-The follow
ing account has just been received of the
massacre at Bitls on October 23d:
The Tu ks. armed. assembled in the
mosques, and several others dressed as
ArnanianG Hrp6 pistnIs in rho rt var6
of the mosque of Outoudjami, near the
market place. in order to afford a pre- ext
for the massacre. The Turks raised cries
of ''giours are attacking the mosque"
Then they commenced an attack upon the
market. The armenian traders were
massacred, heir shop were pillaged and
the women and children killed.
The rioters were aided by The Kurdish
tribes of Madgan and Khou'i. The dis
lurbances in the villages exceed in ferocity
those in the town itself. The village was
compile ely demolished.
A report received here from Van states
that forty villages in that vicinity have
been devastated and plundered and that
the emit e population, consisting of 4 900
people, had been dispersed to the hills.
Everywhere. it is added. there is mas
sacre, pillage, famine and fire at work in
exterminating the Armenians.
1t is also stated that fifty villages
Turks. Bassouks, soldiers and gendarmes,
while the population fled and wandered
over the surrounding country.
The village of Andrias, it is further
stated, was attacked on October IS, a
number of the inhabitants were slain and
a number OF old men, women and children
who sought refuge in the church are said
to have been burned alive. Only a few
escaped to the mountains. The buele of
the troops, it is asserted, in this case was
sounded for the attack to begin, ard the
soldiers took part in the massacre which
| followed.
Rumors which have asparent founda-'
ton in fact are curyent here of whole
sale conspiracy which may have for its OBJ
ject the deposition of the sultan. 1t is
known number of prominent Armenians
here and several military officers of high
rank in the Turkish army and navy have
been closely watched for months past but
in spite of this they have succeeded in es-
Gaping from the country. That the con-
spiracy was was of a most important ma
ture may be judge from the fact that
among the fugitives is the sultan's aide de
camp, Hassan Djemi Pasha, who. it is be-
lieven. was to have led the disaifected of
the imperial guards into the palace and
seize the sultan.
The report was circulated today that the
burning of the palace in which the sultan
entertained imperial guests was of incen-
diary origin and intended for a rising of
the Armenians, but there is absolutely
nothing upon which to base it.
No news has yet reached this city from
Zetoun, which is till supposed to be in the
hands of the Armenians. The commission
sent to estimate the loss sustained by the
American missionaries in the riots at Ma
rash has fixed the amount at $500. The
committee investigating the damages to
American missionaries property at Khar.
put has not yet reported.