The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-06
THE SULTAN'S VICTIM
EFFORTS LOOKING TO THE RELEASE
OF AN ARMENIAN CONVERT.
Rev. n. II. Sweeney Tells the story of
the Cruel BanishE;cnt of Young
Avedis ZOtian.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
COLUMBUS Ind, Jan. 5.-Rev. u. T.
Sweeney, who served as Consul-general to
Constantinople under President Harrisons S
administration and in whose hands was
placed the petition of the Women's Chris
tian Board of Missions of America to the
Sultan of Turkey praying for the release
of AvediS Zotian, an Armenian missionary.
was seen by the Journals representative
here and asked for history of the case.
which he recently presented to Secretary
Gresham and which will go from him di-
rect to the Sultan. Rev. Mr.. Sweeney gave
the following story:
early in the year 1889 there was
young man named Avedis Zotian living in
Sivas, several hundred miles south of the
eastern end of the Black sea, and not far
from the headwater of the Euphrates
Two events conspred 10 make life very
bright and full of meaning to him. He had
wife, and had also embraced professionalism
as presented by the American missionary.
conceived the idea of attempting the con-
version of his neighbors and friends. He
wrote in Armenian the following state
ment:
God. have mercy on us: o men and
brethren perhaps this is our last day, and
who knows whether or not We shall be
. alive tomorrow? Therefore ! pray you
let us leave off our sins and pray to God
TO teach us the true way of salvation. for
IL
Thinking he could the more readily
reach I: !, his Moslem friends by having it ,.l in
sian, who was at that time teaching in a
missionary school supported by American
missionaries, and asked him to translate
the Armenian sentence into Turkish. Sa-
hoy was young convert like -Avedis, and
without thinking of harm or stopping to
paper. A few days after Avedis pasted it
on a small box and carried it through the
streets of the city, The people gathered in
a i'm tn a ma nnV
and he began to preach Christ and the
gospel to them. This naturally attracted
arrested him and put him in prison.
TOOK HIS ACCOMPLICE.
'In the preliminary trial, the authorities
forced him to divulge the name of the
one who translated the paper Sahoy was
at once arrested and imprisoned with him
as afellow-conspirator. The trial at Silvas
failed to develop anything further than the
above facts, but Sahoy and Avedis were
put in irons, taken overland a weeks jour
ney to the Black sea, and conveyed by
steamer to Constantinople. They were kept
for ten days in the common prison, and then
conveyed TO the police prison at Yildiz the
residence OF the Sultan. There is much mys-
terry connected with this prison, many
strange stories are fioating through the city.
connecting 1t with all manners or crimes
and cruelties, strange, weird stories.
riyaling all that has ever been written OF
the Bridge of Sighs and the ducal prison
of Venice Parties who enter these have
little chance of communicating with tleir
friends. The only account their friends
could get OF Sahoy and Ayedis was that
they had been sent into exile, but when
and where was not divulged. Sahoy had a
young wife and child, Ayedis bride, while
both had extensive relationships. whose
hearts were torn. wiki an insufTearbie sus-
pense. but no reply coui be drawn from the
grim authorities of the whereabouts of their
unfortunate loved ones.
After some months Sahoys pastor, Rev.
g. NJ Ehishmaniam. recei&sd a letter from
him. written IN Turkish. merely stating