The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-18

London, March 17.-TSpecial Armen-
Ian letter, copyrighted by the Associ-
ated Press. 1.-The following letter has
been received from the special cores
pondent of the Associated Press, who
is examining into the Armenian afro
cities. The letter, which bears date of
&ars, February %, says:
Is An Armenian refugee has just ar
rived here after many dangers and pri-
Nations sine his escape from his home
at SassoUn. His name is Marc. He is
a shepherd, 20 years Of age. He said:
IT am the son Of Stephan; our fam
lily is called Metko. The name of our
Village is Axhbi. In my neighborhood
There were also the villages of Khatal,
Heting and Guebarar My village,
Axhbj, consisted OF seven hundred, and
There remains not a single man, not a
single house, the people are all killed.
save six families.
l. Like Wolves.
y I'm my family were nine members
My father was the most considerable
'Enan in the village. There were in ali
-four men in our family. My father
swas TIE most courageous and was at
the head of the firing. At the order
YDf the vail, Kalamedan, Sassoun was
attacked by a very great number of
KuTds. The Kurds assailed Us like
sNvolves, but they could not conquer us;
since not only we men took part in
the figftings but all the women-even
the old ones-as my mother did, tucked
ZIP their clothes, armed themselves
with daggers and helped us fight
Kurds. Twenty-one days continued our
battle. We beat and were beaten.
But we showed no sign of defeat
or intended to retire from the battle.
When we had succeeded in killing some
Aof the Eurds, Vail Pasha and Vail
kalamadan sent many regular troops
how many there were do not know,
may be five, may be twenty thousand.
One thing is very certain, there re-
1nained no place without some soldiers.
They placed cannon and began to fire.
AThe women tainted and their shells
created such terror death and de-
Struction. They wished to show mercy
10 nobody. not to the children, not to
the old men, not to the women.
Moved Down BY Shells.
The shells moved down all before
them as grass before a scythe. We
fed and began to seek refuge in our
rocks and caverns, but the cannon con-
ktnued to sweep away everything,
stones and men. The flames and smoke
OF our burning homes reached US in
our caverns.
THE commanders of the hamadie,
irregular cavalry, pitched their tents
on some of lie heights and with field
glasses in their hands they observed
the hiding places of the hunted, and
IF they perceived behind stone the
head of a man they Immediately went
There. The soldiers cut to pieces all
they found there without distinction OF
age or ser. The heads of the victims
were brought as trophies to the COM
ma ndere 4.
"Those who found refuge in the
cave~ns could leave only in the<night.
The Kurds committed all kinds of
atrocities. They found no pleasure in
children, threw them on the ground
and plunged daggers into their bodies.
After this they pitched them into the
air and turned the daggers in their
bodies, then threw them against a
stone, saying When you are grown up
you would fight US. Better go to he'll"
Then they tra1aped the bodies under
foot.
Fled From Sassoun.
1.-THE Kurds concluded to kill me be-
cause I was neither lazy or sleepy in
killing them. We decided, I and my
fled from Sassoun and reached the for
est Entering, we heard a heavy and
1eart-rending sound. Going to the
sound we found Miro, from Khatan, a
courageous SaSSOun man. from whose
mouth flowed blood. We took miro
and carried him secretly, but when we
reached the wheat field the Kurds saw
us and pursued. Then each of lis gave
a kiss to our dying compatriot and
fed. The Kurds took Miro, dragged him
into a sheep fold md set fire to it. All
was burned.
my uncle was killed in the fighting.
The other members of our family took
refuge in 2 cavern. The place was so
difficult to reach that we had TO draw
up the women and Children one by one
by ropes.
my companion, Aveti, had five
uncles. of whom Khaso and Khacho
were killed. OH I wish could name
one by one sill the persons killed and
tell you how many cattle were driven
away.
after our fight we came to the vii
iage of Xix and then to Edhnpape. We
were six in all and wore strange
clothing. We wore coats of Moosh and
hats Of Moosh. If we had worn our
Sassoun cvercoat and hat, the Kurds
would have recognized us and we
should have been killed"