The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-18

tho aIassacrc-Tho Survivors Hid In
tho Cavorns In tho Mountains.
r,o4-sl k.ttr, Copyrighted, 1885, w he Associated
PrsLl
LONDON, March 1.-THE following let
,, has been received from the special
correspondent OF tho Associated Pross,
who Is examining into the Armenian
atrocities. Tho letter, which bear. date
ufKars, February "a, says:
IAN Armenian refugee has just ar.
rived here, after many dangers and phi
yatons since his escape from his home
a. sassoun. His name ia Mario, twenty
years Of age, and though inclined to DO
,acisurn to dangers, no spoke OF tho hor-
4 rors OF Sassoun with auch an angry light
in bis eyes, and oil tho time simply,
/ s.racht-torwardly that could not but
feel in listening to his narrative that /
was at least listening to tho truth. He
said:
"My village A1hbi, consisted Of soy.
enty houses-now there remains not u
single man, not single house, all is dc.
slroyed, the people are all killed save
three families. In my family were nino
members.
LIKE RAvENoUs WOLVES.
by the order ofthe Vail kaimadkin,
Sassoun was attacked by great num-
Der OF kurds. The Kurds assaulted lis
like wolves, but they could not conquer
us; not only women took part in the
fight, but all women-even the old ones
AS my mother-tncked up their
clothes, armed themselves with daggers
and helped us to fight tho Kurds.
Twenty-one days concluded our battle;
we beat and were beaten.
But We showed no sign OF defeat or
intention to retire from the battle.
When we had succeeded in killing some
Of the Kurds, Vail Pasha and Vail Kali
madkan sent many regular troops-how
many there were do not know may
be five. maybe twenty thousand. One
thing ia very certain, there remained no
place without some soldiers. They
placed cannon and began to fire. at
their sound the women tainted, aud the
shells spread everywhere such q terror,
death and destruction. The troops
wished to show mercy to nobody. not
10 the children, not to the old men.
The shells as they burst, moved down
al before them, as grass before scythe.
We fled, and began to seek refuge in our
rocks and carerns, but the cannon con-
.inued to sweep away everything,
stones and men. The flames and smoke
Of our burning homes reached ua in our
caycrns.
VICTIMS CUT TO PIECES.
1.-THE commanders OF the Hamadieh
irregular cavalry pitched their fonts
on some OF the heights, and with field
glasses in their hands they observed the
sides OF the mountains, and il they per-
ce!yed near our destroyed houses, or
bchnd stone, the head OF man they
ordered the cavalry to go there. And
the soldiers cut to pieces all they found
there, without distinction OF age or sex.
The heads OF the victims were brough.
&c topulcS W luc CUIuluiuucTS.
Those OF us who found refuge in
cHverns could leave thom only during
the night, when the meu went with all
Kinds Of precautions to get wheat.
The kurds committed MI kinds OF
atrocities, they found no pleasure in
killing adult mon; they hunted for
children. threw them on the ground
and plunged daggcrs into their bodies,
after this thoy pitched them into the
air and turned the daggers in their
bodies, then throw tho against 4 stone,
saying: When you arc grown you
would fight lis. Better 90 into hell
Then thoy tramped the bodies undor
foot.
WOUNDED MEN BURNED.
"The kurds hunted me to kill me be-
cause they knew that was neither
lazy nor sleepy in killing them. We
decided, l and my two companions, to
lily 10 Russia. Wo fled from Sassouu
and reached tho forest Entering we
heard heavy and heartrending aigh.
wong 10 tho sound wo found Miro,
rom kh'an, courageous Sassoun man,
from whose mouth flowed blood. We
.ooS Miro and carried him secretly, but
when We reached the wheat field the
Nuids saw US and pursued. Then each
VI .. US gave kiss to our dying compa.
s S,.o. ana fled. The Kurds took Miro,
SS."pGGa him into q sheep fold and SGT
Hse 70 It-aIl was burned.
n, MY uncle was killed in tho fighting.
ne other mombers OF the family took
a attuso IN cavern. Tho place was 40
u'ilscu!t 10 reach wo had to draw up the
ropes.
Ny companion. Ayiti, had five
mnc!es, OF whom khaso and Khacho
were Killed; tho female, Kkro, and three
mon were killed. Tho uncle Of Krpcs,
a avo, also was killed. Ii you wish, can
name ono by ono all the persons killed,
ana toll you how many cattle wero
oTlven away. ~ WV
- Alter many days Of fight, we came
10 inc village Of ,zic and then to Edhn.
."pu. "9 Wero six and and all wore
strange clothing. Wo had coats nj
.hooah and hats OF Moosh. II wo hnJ
worn our sassoun aba, ioyeIcoaN md
our sassoun hats, tho Kurds woulI have
killed." 4"ou'o '"'e pooh
have TO doubt Mario ,,yd t,o
RIssiaa soil. A Nv 10 w
usnd II Ban Rat.