The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-04
CoNSTANTINOPLE'S BIG RIOT.
DANGER OF BLOODY BATTLE AT
THE PATRIARCHATE.

Turkish Police Surround the Build
ing Under Orders to storm 1.-THE
ArmeniRns the First to Open Fire
in the Fighting on Wednesday.
London. oct. 8. 11:5O p. m.-The Standard
will tomorrow publish a dispatch from
| Constantinople saying that on wednes-
day large number Of shops were closed
and the streets We're patrolled by police.
The whole city is virtually in a state of
seige.
The dispatch adds that a witness of the
| occurrence states that a respectable look
ing Armenian was arrested by two gen.
darmes on Tuesday, while walking in the
| Galata quarter. When he protested
against being arrested the gendarmes inn
mediately ripped his body open with their
swords.
The Armenian patriarch received a let
/ ter Tuesday inviting him to call upon the
/ government. The letter stated that none
/ of his followers would be permitted to
/ accompany him. The patriarch therefore
declined to accept the Invitation and re-
mains at the patriarchate, where he is
| shut in with several hundred armed Ar
menians. The officials visited the patri-
! archate and summoned its occupants to
/ surrender, giving them until o'clock this
! wednesday, afternoon to comply after
which, if they did not surrender, the build
ing would be stormed. The dispatch fur
ther says that at the time mentioned the
police surrounded the building and were
/ prepared to carry out their threat to
storm it.
| Reviewing the incident, it appears that
the police generally were not supplied
with ball cartridges. They were in
! structed to use the fats Of their swords
and the butts of their rifles. Such prov
| ocation as they gave in the first instance
was verbal. The Armenians fired first
| With the exception Of the massacre of
! the prisoners, the most violence was com-
mitted by the Softas and the lowest class
! of Moslems, none of whom. however,
/ appears to have been arrested or other
! wise checked. Doubtless the Armenians
| Will be made TO pay dearly for the out
| burst, but having provoked reprisals II
will be difficult for the powers to inter-
vene.
Great CONSERVATION prevails at the
| palace The sultan has not been in bed
/ since Monday. 1t Is felt that crisis has
/ arrived. No such terror has prevailed
| since the Greek revolution.
A later dispatch to the Standard, says
| that the threat to storm the patriarchate
| has not yet been carried out. The church
| officials declare that they are not able to
| compel the refugees to leave the building,
and the latter decline to leave their shel-
ter. 1t Is to be hoped that the police will
4 not resort to force, as In that event, a
| fearful massacre would inevitably result.
| The refugees are huddled together in the
| building with hardly standing room. They
depend for food on such scraps as are
| brought to them. Seven corpses have been
| delivered from the patrarchate for burial
A Constantnople dispatch, which the
| News viii print tomorrow, says the gov
| ernment has issued communication to
the press stating that some assemblies of
Armenlans have been dispersed, adding
wifi a rms 10 an
darmes and police. Naturally they have
been arrested, and will be tried and pun
lished in the newspapers. The Standard
sole sole redee@ingg DtEM feature sS @ Of the the
| affair is the appointment of Kiamil
Pasha as grand vizer. He is one of the
few Turkish officials having influence
whom foreigners can regard with conf
dences The paper again attacks the agita-
tors who organized the armed procession
and says that these men are the worst
enemies of the Christian population in
Armenia.
London, Oct. 3.-A dispatch from Con-
stantinople, under date of Oct. 2, says:
The rioting which prevailed here Mon
day was renewed last evening, when the
Softas chased and attacked with blud-
geons every Armenian they met in the
streets of the StambOul quarter of the
city, killing fifty of them during the
night. The Softas also attacked cafe
in which there were twenty Armenians,
and killed every one OF them. lngitue
Armenians are seeking refuge in the
churches. The clergy are untiring in
their efforts to reassure them, and ad-
dress the frightened Armenians almost
continuously. The conduct of the Ar
menians in going armed to take part in
the demonstration in front of the gates
of the palace Monday is generally con-
demned, and no doubt is now expressed
that the rioting originated in an organ
lied movement on the part OF the Ar
menian revolutionary committee. The
revolVers and knives taken from the
nd living ATmQQianS police
were all of the same pattern.
dispatch from Constantinople to the
Central News says that kraimil Pasha
will replace Said Pasha as grand vizier.
The Graphic will tomorrow say: 1t
is impossible in the face OF this serA1us
state of affairs for the powers TO pro-
ceed Immediately with the scheme of
Armenian reforms. The criminal folly
of the Armenians has tied the hands OF
the authors of the scheme.
The Post will say: 1T is all very well
after the event to arraign the Vehemence
with which the Mohammedans retaIated
against the Armenians, but all the cir
cumstances show that crisis aneetlng
the peace had arisen. 1t is not surprls-
ing that the sultan1's guards snquld iiSd nof
have been expected of police controlling
ordinary European crowds
Constantinople, Oct. 3.--The reports that
Armenians who were arrested Tor taking |
mart in Mondays and Tuesdays rioting |
were killed while being taken into custo- |
dy have been confirmed. 1t is known TO |
a
SO killed and it would excite no surprise |
to hear that others met their death in the |
same manner. Eye-witnesses of the riot |
ing say that the Armenians did not dis |
charge their firearms until Maj. Serwet |
Bey ordered the police to fire upon them. |
Turkish officials view the trouble as be- |
ing the direct outcome Of the agitation in /
Europe, especially in Great Britain, in IA |
vor of the Armenians as against the |
Turks
The foreign diplomats here met to-day |
at the Austrian embassy and held con- |
ference on the situation.
The French consul at Damascus was re- |
Gently mobbed, hooted and menaced on |
the streets of that city. Fifteen men have |
been arrested in connection with the Incl |
dent NJ Cabon, the French ambassador, |
has laid a formal complaint before the /
porte and has demanded satisfaction for /
the insult to the French republic.
Berlin, Oct. 3.-The Vossische Zeitung, |
Of all the German newspapers, is the only |
one that defends the Arme mans.
The North German Gazette publishes a |
paragraph apparently emanating from /
the Turkish embassy, charging that the
patriarch is supporting a revolutionary
movement among the Armenians.
The Constantinople correspondent OF
the Tageblatt telegraphs that while
the struggle between the Armen;-