The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-07-15
A INDUSTRIOUS PLOT.
The Sassoun Massacre Was Care
fully Planned by Turkey,
BODIES SATURATED WITH OIL

Country Before the Uprising of the
Kurds for the Purpose Of Aiding in the
Horrible Work of Destruction.
LONDON, July 15.-Writing from Van,
Armenia, under late of July ), the special
correspondent Of the Associated Press
says:
The Sassoun massacre, 1t would appear,
was one of the most carefully planned
outrages in history. The evidence Of this
Is circumstantia only, but it is alleged to
be one the less conclusive.
During the months Of June, July and
August preceding the Sassoun massacre
the Kurdish chiefs in the country sur
rouding the Sassoun region, and particu-
larly the districts in the southwark and
southwestward, were apparently unusu-
ally busy in gathering up the scattered
warriors of their tribes for an invasion Of
the Sassoun region.
In July and August enormous quanti-
ties of petroleum were shipped from Err
zeroum to Moush. This petroleum came
originally from Russia to Erzeroum, and
so great was the quantity brought over
the mountain roads that it was a subject
of remark to very many persons. Moush
does not use agreat quantity Of petroleum
herself, nor do her merchants sell much of
it to the surrounding country. In the
villages candles of sheep fat oil are used
for lights. What Moush wanted with
those countless cans of petroleum was a
mystery.
But the mystery was q mystery no
longer after the Sassoun massacre, for
that petroleum was used to burn the
houses of the Sassoun villages and to
cremate the bodies of the wretched vii
Ia,ape vuhA f,1 rf,ti,,,g -, tIn ,r-P,,V
butchery. In burning the houses the pc
troleum was thrown upon the woodwork
in generous quantities and set on fire,
with the result that everything that could
burn went up in smoke. In cremating
the dead the bodies were in many cases
placed between layers of wood and built
up into a sort of funeral pyre. The en-
tire mass was then saturated with petro-
leaum and set on fire. 1t is charged that
living men were cremated in the same
way. Blu this was a merciful way Of
putting the unfortunate creatures to
death in comparison with the fortunes in
Aicted upon many others.
A few weeks prior to the beginning of
the Sassoun massacrethere was an unusual
demand for horses for the army. This
demand was not confined TO the city of
Moush, nor yet to the province of Bitlis.
In the case of horses owned by Armenians
no pretense was made of paying for them.
The press gang simply took them wherever
they happened to be found and said no
more about it. In many instances horses
were seized as they were carrying loads
through the city streets. The Loads were
dumped off into the streets and the horses
taken ava For the owner TO protest t ,
the government was so muYh breath
-.-+. nh Ia.-.- H. --s--a 81
claimed, were used by the Turkish troops
in the Sassoun massacre.
The massing of troops near the Sas-
SCUM region, and particularly at Moush,
was carried on for some time before the
beginning of the massacre, in order that
everything might be in readiness, accord
ing to the program said to have been care
fully made out at Constantinople.
Several weeks after the Sassoun massa-
ere, it is claimed, orders were sent from
the palace at C-onstantinople for a massa-
ere of the inhabitants of Modikan, q dis.
trict lying to the south and southeast Of
Sassoun, but when it was seen that an in.
v]estigation of the Sassoun affair was in
evitable the order, it is said, was recalled,
and Modikan was not molested, except in
the ordinary course of the persecution
general in all parts of Armenia.
At about the same time, it is asserted,
preparations were being made TO massacre
the inhabitants of Sassoun the Turkish
government tried to induce the Kurds to
massacre the Armenian inhabitants OF
the Nourdouz region, which lies almost
directly south of Lake Van, but the Kurds
refused to have anything to do with the
work. 1t is charitable to suppose that the
refusal of the Kurds was due to feelings Of
hy,-,or{tv hut - - MON, +Iap 1f1r,1v. +l,,
they regarded such a course as killing the
goose that lays the golden egg, for if theil
Armenian vassals were killed off they
themselves would be reduced to the ne
cessity of working for a living.
In 1893, it is added, an attempt was mad,
by the Turkish government TO extermi
nate the Sassoun people; but, on this oc
caaion the work of determination was en-
trusted to the Kurds, with the result tina.
the latter got decidedly the worst of it
After a prolonged attack on the village
of Delvorig, in the center of the Sassou1
region, during which many Kurds were
killed, the attempt was abandoned. But
the events of 1894 would seem to show that
it was merely postponed until more
thorough preparation for the complete an
Inhalation of the Sassoun people could be
made.
IN bue Guy OF van at lulS moment bner6
are 500 young men sworn to give them
selves as a sacrifice to Turkish butchery,
in the hope that the attention of England
may be more strongly called to the des.
perate situation of these people.
An Indian God.
WICHITA, Kan, July 15.-In the CaddC
Indian district it has been raining stead
lily for a week, The rain, coming as Il
does after the nominations of Squirrel, al
aged and decrepit Indian, who claim,
that the Great Spirit has given him the
. power to make rain, has driven the CaddC
Indians into a frenzy. They have gone 81
wild over the magic art which Squire.
claims to possess that they are worship
ping him as a god.
His Companions Let Him Drown.
SCRANTON, Pa, July 15.-Angelo Grind
an Italian, aged IS years, was drowned in
the Oond back of Bunker Hill. While il
the middle of the pond bathing he TOOK