The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-04
EARTHQUAKE after. RIOT
New TerrOrS Come to Comfort the
Frightened Sultan.
THE DISTURBANCE IN TURKEY
Armenians Are ut the Mercy Of q Blood.
thirsty Organization of Fanatics.
French Consul ut Damascus
Is Attacked by q Mob.

Constantinople, Oct. S.-To add to
the state of terror prevailing here
caused by the recent Armenian riots,
the arrests of about 500 persons and
the alleged killing of some prisoners in
cold blood, a slight earthquake shock,
the third which has recently occurred,
was experienced here yesterday. The
rioting and bloOdshed which began on
Monday was renewed on Tuesday eve
ming, in spite of the precautions taken
by the authorities. On Tuesday the
principal rio'ting was the work of the
Sofas. Mohammedan theological stu
dents, who chased and beat with blud-
geons every Armenian they met.
Owing to the critical situation here
the ENJOYS of the powers met at the
Austrian embassy today, and the Ger
man gunboat Loreley has been ordered
to remain at the disposal Of the Ger
man embassy.
1t is now known definitely that at
least five Armenians were killed after
they had been arrested on Monday, and
this has caused great Indignation. Re-
garding the death of the Turkish maj
Servet Bey, witnesses of the affair
affirm that the Armenians did not use
their revOlvers until he had ordered the
police to fire upon them. When Servet
Bey fell there was a frightful tumult,
and the police charged the crowd with
revolvers and swords. According to
the police reports only twenty persons
were killed and eighty wounded during
the rioting of Monday: but more re-
liable reports place the number of
killed at probably over 200
Trouble at Damascus.
News has been received here during
fha 6nv from T6a m a sol,S which flrt hes1,
increases the gravity of the situation.
The French consul at that place has
been attacked by a mob, grossly in
suited and pelted with mud. The
French embassy has complained to the
Porte and demanded prompt redress
for the outrage.
During Tuesday night a mob of
Softas and Turks attacked the house
of leading Armenian, Kasim Pasha.
storming the building, threatening It's
destruction, and killing several persons
who were unable to ESCAPE. from it in
time. The mob also sacked a cafe fire.
quented by Armenians, and twenty of
them who We're found there were beaten
to death with bludgeons. Not police
man appeared on the scene and no at
tempt was made to save the lives of
the Armenians.
The Armenians of Constantinople and
its vicinity We're panic-stricken and put
no faith in the assurance of protection
from further violence at the hands of
the Turkish mobs. Many of them
sought refuge in the churches, where
they We're addressed by their clergy,
who enjoined them to be quiet and give
the Turks no further opportunities for
attacking them. The Armenian
churches are now watched by the police
but great uneasiness prevails. and the
members of the other religious denomi-
nations express fear that the fanatic
ism of the Turks may extend in other
directions.
The introduction of the religious ele-
ment into the disturbances makes the
| situation more grave than it otherwise
would have been, although the out
ward cause of the outbreak is attribut-
ed to the long delays in the negotia-
tions between the powers and the Porte
on the question of reform in Armenia
Prominent Turkish officials claim that
the present troubles are the outcome
of the agitation which prevails in Eur
ope, especially in England, in favor OF
the Armenians.
sympathy for Armcnians.
The Armenians have the sympathy
of the foreigners here. but the fact that
they are armed, in spite of their pacific
| announcements, Is condemned by their
best friends. and lends color to the
statements of the Turkish officials, who
claim that the Armenian agitators or.
ganized a revolt against the Sultan's
authority, and that the attempt to
present a petition to the Grand Viziei
on Monday, which led to the first riot.
| ing and blodshed. was nothing more
than preteXit which was to serve as
the signal for an Armenian outbreak
That the Armenians contemplated
some such attempt to call attention &c
their grievances has been known for 6
long time. On the other hand, the
partisans of the Armenians assert thai
the latter only armed themselves II
order to defend their lives against tht
Turks.