The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-01-08
BUTGHERIES IN ARMENIA.
THE HORRIBLE DEEDsVERIFIED
BY A RESIDENT.

The People Surrounded and Driven to the
Centre--Men, Women and Children
Shot Down--BlOod Flowing Like
Water--Towns Burned--Fifteen Thou.
sand Persons Killed -Suppressipg the
Facts
Boston, Jan. Letters have been
received by we'll known parties in this
city from reliable sources in Turkey.
giving still further testimony regard
ing the Outrages in Eastern Turkey.
Inc following letter comes from a CITY
moi a great distance from the scene of
the outrages. The writer is a man in
whom the highest confidence may be
placed, who has spent more than a
century in that region and knows the
country and people perfectly. The
testimony is from O source which is
entirely independent of any which has
been given before. Later accounts in
crease, if possible, the horrors of what
has taken place.
The letter just received is as follows:
The Armenians, oppressed by Kurds
and Turks, said they could not pay
taxes to both Kurds and the Govern
ment. Plundered II d oppressed by
the Kurds, they resisted them and
there we're some killed. Then false re
ports were sent to ConstantinopIe that
the Armenians were in arms in ebel.
lion and orders were sent to the Mushire
at Erzingan to exterminate them, root
and branch. The order read before the
army, called in haste from all the chief
cities of Eastern Turkey, was: Who
ever spares mar, woman or child is
dieloyal' The region was surrounded
bv soldiers of the army, and 20. 600
Kurds also are said to have been
massed there. Then they advanced
uOon the centre, driving in the people
like a flock of sheep, and continued
thus 90 advance for days, No quarter
was given. no mercy shown. Men,
women and children were shot down
and butchered like sheep. Probably
when they were set upon in this way
some trit d to save their lives and re
sisted in self defense, while these who
could, fed in all directions, but tie
majority we're slain. The most proba
bic estimate is Is 900 killed, and thirty
five villages plundered. raztd and
burned. Women were outraged and
then butchered A priest was taken
to the ROOT OF his church and hacked
to pieces and his church burned. A
large number of women and girls, col
| AOCtOu III a CLnINJhS "OLOA CPb " OoyBS
violated by the brutal soldiers and then
murdered. 1t is said the number was
so large that the blood flowed out of
the church door. The soldiers con-
tended over a beautiful girl. They
wanted to pre- serve her, but she, too,
was killed. Every effort is being made.
and will be made to falsify the facts
and pull the wool over the y e of the
! European governments But the bloc dy
tale will finally be known, the most
horrible, it seems to me, that the nine
teenth century has kno Vn. As a con-
firmation of the report, the other day
several hundred soldiers were return
ing from the seat of war and at a.viI-
lage near us one was heard to say that
he alone, with his own hand, had killed
thirty pregnant m Some who
seem to have some shame for their
atrocious deeds say: What could we
do. We were under orders"
In consequence of a meeting of the
Armenians of Boston, held in Erie nd
ship Hall last Sunday evening. the fol
lowing cablegram was sent this after
noon:
"TO Hon. VIM. E. Gladstone, London,
Eng:
"The Armenians OF Boston thank you
for your sympathy and said"