The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-03-18
HORRORS OF ARMENIA.
Another Chapter Anent the Work
sA.. of Blo,dthirsty Kurds o..-
AS TOLD BY A YOUNG SURVIVOR.
Armenian Women Joined Their Male De-
Tenders In Fighting for the Defense of
Their Homes-Littie Children Tossed in
the Air and Impaled on Daggers.


Tenders In Fighting for the Defense of
Their Homes-Littis Children Tossed in
the Air and Impaled on Daggers.
LONDON, March 1s.-The following let
tcr has been received from the special cor
respondent OF the Associated Press, who
Is tsexaminlng into tho Armenian atrocities.
The letter, which bears dato Of Kars, Fob.
rs, says:
An Armenian refugee has just arrived
hero after many dangers and privations
since his escape from his home at Sassoun.
His name Is Mario, he is u shepherd 20
years Of age, and though belonging to
race made energetic by the rigors of the
climate of their native mountains, and in
clined to be taciturn to strangers, he spoke
of the horrors of Sassoun with such an an
CRY light in his eyes, and all the time
simply, straightforwardly that I could
mot but feel in listening to his narrative
that was at least listening to the truth.
gave his words as they fell from his
lips after had told him wished to know
Just what happened under his own eyes
He said:
My name Is Mario. I am the son Of
6tepan. Dur family name is called Nelko
and the name of our village is Axhbi. In
my neighborhood were also the villages of
Khtan, Heting and Guebarasb. My vii
lage, Axhbi consistN' of seventy houses.
Now there remaips sd u single man, not
q single house. All is destroyed. The
people ARE all killed save three families
I'm my family were nine members. My
father was the most considerable man in
the village. There were in all four men
in our family My father was the most
courageous and WAS at the head of the
fighting.
by order Of the Vail Kalmadsnn Sus-
SCUM was attacked by a very great num-
ber of Kurds. The Kurds assaulted us like
wolves, but they could not conquer us.
Not only we men took part in the lighting,
but all the women, even the old ones--as
my mother-tucked up their clothes, armed
themselves with daggers and helped us to
Eight the kurds. Twenty-one days our
battle continued. We beat and were
beaten.
But we showed no sign OF defeat or in
kentlon to retire from the battle. When
we had succeeded in killing some of the
kurds Vail Pasha and Vail KaimadlSin
sent many regular troops-how many
there were l do not know, maybe five,
maybe twenty thousand. Ono thing IL
very certain there remained no place with
out aome soldiers They placed cannon
heard tho name Of cannon, nor had we
seen them. At their sound the women
tainted, and the shells spread everywhere
eerror, death and obstruction. The troops
showed mercy to nobody, neither to chill
dren nor old men. The shells moved
down all before them as grass before a
scythe. We fled and began 10 seek refuge
IN our rocks and caves, but the cannon
continued to sweep away everything
stonos and men. 4 inmes and smoke
Of our burning homes reached us in our
eaverns
The commands Of the Hamadleh Dir
regular cavalry pitched their tents on
come OF the heights, and with fold glasses
In their hands they observed the sides of
She mountains, and If they perceived near
our destroyed houses or behind "a stone tho
saend Of man they ordered the cavalry to
20 there. And the soldiery cut to pieces
all they found there, without distinction
- of aEo or Sex, The heads of tho victims
were brought trophies to the command
ers.
"1he KurtIs hunted for children, throw
them on the ground and plunged daggcrs
into their bodies. After this they pitched
8hem into the air and turned the daggers
In their bodies and throw them against IA
stone, saying; When you are grown you
would fight us. Better 20 into hell Then
they tramped tho bodies under foot.
1.-The Kurds hunted me to kill me be
cause they knew that | was neither lazy
nor sleepy in killing them. We decided, 1
and my two companions, to fly to Russia
We fed from Sassoun and reached tho
forest. Entering we heard u heavy and
heartronding sigh. Going to the sound
we found Miro, from khtan, u courageous
Sassoun man, from whose mouth flowed
blood. We took Miro and carried him SO.
pretly, but when we reached the wheat
feld the kurds saw us and pursued. Then
each Of us gave a kiss to our dying com.
patriot and fed. The Iiurds took Miro,
dragged him into II shcepfold AMI set fire
% 1t. All was burned.
MY uncle was Killed in the fighting
The other members of our family took
Refuge in a cavern The place was so diff
nnult to reach that we had to draw up the
women and children one by one by ropes.
"After many days of flight we came to
khe village of Hiz, and then TO Edhntape.
Wo were six, and all wore strange cloth
Ang. We had coats OF moosh and hats of
moosh. II we had worn our Sassoun aba
fovercoatl and our Sassoun hats the Knrds
would have recognized us, and we should
have been killed.
have no doubt Mario told the truth,
and 1t is well for him he is ON Russian
soil
Back from the Dead.
RALEIGH, March lS-J NJ Neweomb,
OF Petersburg, Va, was believed to have