The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-12-19
TURKS SANCTIONED IT.
Evidently In League With the
Murderous Kurds.
ARMENIANs DENIED PROTECTION.
yhe Entrsaties Of Christians Treated with
Contempt-Th.ir Distress Can Scarcely
Ne Pictured Missionary Houses Plum

ern Turkey, give detailed account Of
the scenes and incidents attending the
recent massacre of Armenlans there.
"The first excitement over" " says the
writer, Turkish atrocities were dying
out and tranquility was pretty well re-
stored when the Dersim Kurds began
to plunder the villages right and left,
six of which were in the immediate
vicinity of Harpoot. The Kurds while
plundering the villages were heard to
say, We are going to. Harpoot. The
Turks in the city said, The Kurds are
coming here to plumber the Christian
quarter. One Agha, when appealed to
to use means for defense of the city, said:
why should we protect the Giaours:
Let them be killed
THE governor of Malatia telegraphed
here that 1000 Kourds had come there
and that he could not cope with them.
That threw the responsibility upon the
Harpoot government The leading men
Of Arabkir went to the governor and
asked for protection, They were treat.
ed with contempt. These disturbances
could not have happened if strong or
ders had been sent to the governor gen.
erals TO preserve order at any cost.
"The terror and distress in the de-
vastated villages can scarcely be pict.
ured. Those who escaped with their
lives have been stripped of everything
else, with winter Just at their doors.
Where the Kurds alone have devas.
tated, the loss of life Is not great. The
Kurds plunder, but do not generally
kill unless resisted; but the Turks kill
In oold blood and in any way suggested
by the arch fiend himself.
1.-THE idea of an uprising among the
Armenians is absurd. They are in ter.
ror of their lives. They are prepared
to surrender all possessions if only their
lives can be spared"
Another writer, describing the attack
upon the city, says; "The first attack
began on Sunday: Nov. 10, by few
| Kurds. These were easily driven Off
| Monday there was another attack in
the morning. This also was repelled.
| The soldiers were sent down the road
20 meet them and some Of the principal
Moslems also went down. They had a
conference with the Kurds Then the
bugle blew, and the soldiers, led by
their commander, withdrew to the city,
dragging their cannon in very leis'
urely fashion. After the soldiers had
reached the city the Kurds and Turks
came ON yelling and firing. The sol
diers made no attempt to stop them.
They fred their cannon once harmless
ly into the air toward the city. and then
over the heads of the enemy. The
Turks of the city joined in the plunder
and attack. The Armenian school was
flrst set on fire, then the greater part
Of the Christian quarter. Christians
were shot down everywhere.
81 saw all these things with my own
eyes, for | watched things with a field
glass until it became perfectly plain
that the whole thing was definitely
planned and arranged. The Christians
had given up their arms and cast them
selves on the protection of the govern
ment. No Christian fired ON the as
sailants. The missionaries took refuge
In the girls school until that was at
tackled and the mission house of Rev
O.. =. Allen and wife burned and tht
school set on fire. They then gathered
in the yard prepared to die. DR.. Bar
mum spoke to the military commando
and he sent soldiers, but only two re
mained to protect the missionaries anC
they demanded backsheesh (money) o
they would 70 away as their comrades
had done. The missionaries decided Il
90 into the ollege building. AS the!
left the school yard Turk fired upol
them from across the yard twice, bu
no one was hit.
soon after the missionaries got int
the school building the officers sent 70
them to come out. The missionarie
refused to do so, saying they had N
confidence In the chief and the Mufti
and If they wished to offer protection
they could protect them where the
were. If they did not the missiouarie
would die there.
"At last the Alai Bey (Mahomme
Bey), Circassian, arrived. He wa
the first and only man who acted as
he meant to do anything for the mis-
" sionaries. He called back the soldier
who had been sent by the military CON
mander. The missionaries at ono
came out and began fighting the fire
that had been set. Alai Bey helpe
them. The house Of President Gates
the house Of DR.. Barnum, the Norma
, school and che college building wer
saved. But eight of the buildings wer
burned.
"All the houses were plundered an
: the soldiers made no attempt to stop il
!, The missionaries were stripped {
everything but the clothes they wore
The Turks of the city were very muc
disappointed that any of the missionar
buildings were spared. Tuesday tn
Kurds returned to the attack. An orde
came to stop them and permission WI
given to shoot the Kurds. When tn
order came two soldiers laid down the
+ arms. Nine Kurds were killed that da
b at Mezrah and five at Harpoot. Th'
Q finished the attack of the Kurds, bl
q there was still danger from the Turk
and there is now"
AS a result of the massacre the write
Iays; ,. ,,
d (Egin) and Peri, the whole region is
o desolation. / counted 2l ruined vi
J. lages and there are said to be 30 OF the
= in the Char Sandiak alone. The mi
n sionaries may not escape with the
lives"
A special from Constantinople v
Sofia, Bulgaria, says Much relief
felt among the friends of Americf
missionaries over the news that h
Just been received by United stat
-aIaIsvoI Iorrell from AlnUaD, DlIl
= Kharput, Marsoyan, Kaisarich (Cas
- real and Talass, which contain assu
) ances that the missionaries at tho
points are safe. They ale under d
" protection of Turkish troops, in q
ii oordance with the peremptory demaI
D. made upon the porte by Minister IL
5 rell.
e A Constantinople dispatch says; T
r French guardship Faucon has arrive
here il icordance with the permissiC
i granite, Jy The sultan upon the demal
a OF the powt 5, and has joined the En-
lish gunbouJ Dryad, the Italian W
c vessel Arohimede and the Austrian gu
r. boat Sebenico, which arrived duril