Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-16

4
and School Bundings-The mac
ton OF the Authorities Demon
trated Beyond q Doubt-The Mis-
sionaries Safe - Excitement in
Sofia.
Boston, December 15.-Letters at
hand from correspondents at Harpoot,
Eastern Turkey give a detailed account
/ Of the scenes and incidents attending
( the recent massacre of the Armenians
+ there. as well as the massacre itself.
"The first excitement over" says the
writer, Turkish atrocities were dying
out and tranquility was pretty well re-
stored, when the Dersim Kurds began
10 plumber the villages right and left,
six OF which were IN the immediate
vicinity OF HaTpO0t, the nearest one be-
Ing within two hours Of the city. The
whole city was tossed with apprahen--
sion and were expecting an attack
Some said the Kurds had government
sanction; others that the Turks in the
/ City were in league with them. The
Kurds, while plUndering the village,
were heard to say, We are going TO
Harpoct. 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 de-
fence OF the city, said, Why should we
protect the GiaoUIs? Let them be
killed.
The governor OF BIalatia telegraphed
here chat two thousand Kurds 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 treated with contempt
These disturbances could not have hap>
pened if strong orders had been sent TO
the governor generals to preserve order
at any cost.
"The terror and distress in the de-
vastated villages can
SCARCELY BE PICTURED.
Those who escaped with their lives
have been stripped of everything else.
with winter just at their doors. Where
the hurdS alone have devastated the
loss OF life is not great. The Kurds
plunder, but do not generally kill, un-
less resisted; but the Turks kilfin cold
blood and in any way suggested by the
arch-hend himself
The idea Of an uprising among the
Armenians is absurd. They are in ter
Jor o. their lives. They are prepared
10 surrender all their possessions if
only their lives can be spared"
Another writer, describing the at
tack upon the city, says:
The first attack began on Sunday,
November 10th, by a few Kurds. These
were easily driven of. Monday there
was another attack in the morning.
This also was repealed. These attacks
amounted to little. Later Monday the
Turks and Kurds from the surround
Ing region attacked Husenik. Several
were killed. The soldiers were sent
down the road to meet them, and some
! OF the principal MOslems also wenl
down. They had a conference with the
Kurds. Then the bugle blew and the
soldiers
LED BY THEIR COMMANDER.
Withdrew 10 the city dragging their
cannon in a very leisure!y fashion.
After the soldiers had reached the city
| the Kurds and Turks came on yelling
and firing. The soldiers made no at
temp 70 STOP them. They fired their
cannon once harmlessly into the air
toward The city. and then over the
heads OF the enemy The Turks Of the
city Joined in the plumber and attack.
The Armenian school was first set on
fire then The greater part Of the Chris
tian quarters. Christians were shot
down everywhere
Il saw all these things with my own
eyes. for I watched 5hings with a field
glass until ii became perfectly plain
that the whole thing was definitely
planned and arranged The Christians
had given no their aims and cast them
selves on the protection of the govern
ment. No Christians fred on the as
sailants. The missionaries took refuge
in the girls school until that was attack
ed and the mission house CT Rev. 0. P.
Allen and wife burned and ihe school
set on fire. They then gathered in the
yard
PREPARED TO DIE.
DR.. Bernum spoke to the military com
maDder and ne sent soldiers, but only
two remained to protect the mission
aries and they demanded money or they
would 20 away as their comrades had
done.
The missionaries decided to go into
the college building. As they left the
school yard, a Turk fred upon them
from across the yard twice, first ali Mr..
Allen and then at Rev. g. Frank Gates,
but he was a very bad marksman, and
no one was hit The family Of mr..
Gates was the last 70 leave the yard.
"Soon after the missionaries got into
the school building the officers sent fer
them TO come out. The missionaries
refused 10 do so. saying they had no
confidence in the chief aud the mufti,
and if they wished to offer protection,
they could protect them where they
were. If they did not, the missionaries
WOULD DIE THERE.
"At last the Alai Bey GIahamet Bey)
a Circassian. arrived. He was the first
and only man who acted as if he meant
10 do anything fer the missionaries.
lie called back the soldiers who had
been sent by the military commander.
The missionaries at once came out and
began fighting the fires that had been
SET Alai Bey helped them. The house
of President Gates. the house Of Mr..
Barnum. the Normal School and the
college building were saved, but eight
az the buildings were burned
"AU the houses were plurdered and