Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-15
HORRORS OF ARMENIA.
A Massacre Said to he Imminent Any
Day.

A Massacre Said to be Imminent Amy
In a letter from Van, Armenia, q repre-
sentative of the Associated Press describes
the massacre of Sasun. He says:
1.-THE Sasun massacre, it would appear,
was one of the most carefully planned
outrages in history. The evidence Of this
Is circumstantial only; but tits alleged to
be none the less conclusive. In July and
August enormous quantities Of petroleum
were shipped from Erzeroum to Moush.
This petroleum came originally from Russia
to Erzeroum, and so great was the quaint
ty brought over the mountain roads that
it was a subject Of remark to very many
persons. For a time 1t looked as though
nothing went over the roads between Ere
roum and Moush but petroleum. Now, 1t
Is fact that Moush does not use a great
quantity of petroleum herself, nor do her
merchants sell much of 1t to the surround
ing country. In the villages candles OF
sheep-fat oil are used for lights. What
Moush wanted with those countless cans of
petroleum was mystery. But the mystery
was mystery no longer after the Sasun
massacre. for that petroleum was used to
burn the houses of the Sasun villages and
to cremate the bodies Of the wretched vii
layers who fell victims to the awful butch
cry. In burning the houses, the petroleum
as thrown upon the woodwork in generous
quantities and set on fire, with the result
that everything that could burn went up
In smoke. In cremating the dead the
bodies were in many cases placed between
layers of wood and built up into sort of
funeral pile. The entire mass was then
saturated with petroleum and set on fire.
1t Is charged that living men were cremated
in the same way. But this was merciful
way of putting the unfortunate creatures
to death in comparison with the tortures
inflicted upon many others.
Alrca fIpa Co
1t Is claimed, orders were sent from the
palace at Constantinople for massacre of
the Inhabitants of Modikan, a district lying
to the south and southeast of Sasun, but
the Sasun affair was inevitable, the order,
1t Is said, was recalled, and Modikan was
not molested, except in the ordinary course
of the persecution general in all parts of
Armenia.
about the same time, it Is asserted,
preparations were being made to massacre
the Inhabitants Of Sasun, the Turkish gov
eminent tried to induce the kurds to mas
sacre the Armenian Inhabitants of the
Nourdouez region, which lies almost di-
rectly south Of Lake Van, but the Kurds
refused to have anything to do with the
work.
are 500 young men sworn to give them
selves as a sacrifice to Turkish butchery in
the hope that the attention of England may
be more strongly called to the desperate
cannot accept any scheme Of reform which
does not have for its fundamental princi-
pies the absolute control of the European
powers. The moment that 1t becomes clear
that the execution Of the reforms is to be
left to the Turk, the ArmenianS will rise in
despair and fling themselves to destruction.
Unless Europe controls the reforms there
will be a massacre of 10000 Christians in
the city of Van within three months. The
Armenfans themselves will bring this about
rather than be cast adrift by their fellow
Christians of the west. Their argument on
this point IS perfectly plain. They assert
that 1T is better to die by the sword. with
perhaps the chance that their death will
advance the cause of the Armenian race
than to die by the torture and starvation.
There is no language quite adequate to
description of the real condition Of Ar
menia at present. Men are beaten, robbed
and murdered, and women ravished by
kurds and Turkish soldiers. Property is
stolen or destroyed; crops are trampled
down and eaten by herds of cattle, church.
es and monasterieS are desecfated and used
as stables and bath house, business is alb
solutely ruined there is no wheat for bread
many villages are deserted by their starry
ing inhabitants, and thousands of villagers
are crowding into the cities begging from
door to door of people who are little better
off than themselves Woe, and want, and
despair, and death stalk abroad in this
beautiful land, that was once a part of the
Garden of Eden.
1.-The Inhabitants of Van are living on the
brink of a massacre from day to day.