The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-11-01
WARNING TO TURKEY
THE AMERICAN MISSIONARIES
IN ARMENIA MUST BE
PROTECTED.
FURTHER OUTRAGES ARE FEARED

In View of the Critical Situation the
United States Ambassador WH
Leave Nothing UndOne to Insure the
Safety of the MissiOnaries--Three
Armenian NOtabIes to be Executed
ON the Ground That They Were Re-
spOnsIble for the Recent RiotIng.
CoNsTANTINoPLE, Oct. 3t.-A sensa-
tion has been caused here by the report,
generally believed to be correct, that
three Armenian nOtabilities to Trebizond,
including prom nent ecclesiastic, are
to be executed on the ground that they
are responsible for the recent riohng
there.
According to statements made i'm
Armenian circles, about 500 Armenians
were killed during the fighting a Bitlis
with the Turks The loss of the latter is
said to be trifing.
Advices from Moosh say that the lead
ing Armenians of that locality have been
comforting with the Turks of that city
and neighborhOod as to the means to be
adopted in order to prevent the outbreak
there of disorders similar to those which
have occurred recently in different parts
of Armenia and which have resulted in
so much bloodshed 1t is added that
the Turks stipulated that the American
missionaries who are distributing relief
to the suffering people of Sassoun with
draw from there in three days, other
wise, the Turkish notabilities claim, they
fear there will be a massacre such as has
just occurred at Bitlis.
In view of the critical situation of af-
fairs outlined above, the United States
Ambassador, Mr.. Alexander W. Terrell,
has advised the American missionaries
to withdraw temporarily from Sassoun.
At the same time Mr.. Terrell has mott
fed the Turkish government that the
United States will hold it responsible for
the lives of the American missionaries
The United states Ambassador has
taken firm stand in the matter and
nothing viii be left undone which will,
in any way, insure the safety of the
missionaries. The British charge D'Af-
fairs, the Hon. NJ. Herbert has made
representations to the Porte of a nature
identical with those of Mr.. Terrell. The
result is that the government has de-
cided to send troops to protect the mis-
sionaries.
But here another complication arises.
The Kurds of Sassoun are only held in
check by the presence there of the mis-
sionaries, fearing to commit excesses in
their presence, and they threaten to
plunder the Armenians after the depart
ure of the missionaries. Therefore, in
any case, fresh troubles are feared
unless the authorities take special
measures for the protection of the
Armenians. The mere pretence there of
Turkish troops is far from being a suffi-
cient guarantee against a repetition of
| the Sassoun bloodshed which has re-
Gently occurred in other parts of Ar
menia, and nothing but the most ener-
getic action, it is asserted, can avert a
serious disturbance.
In view of these facts, the Armenian
patriarch has appealed to the foreign
embassies here to intervene for the pre-
yention of another massacre. The
Turkish officials in reply, again assert
that all the recent outbreaks here and in
Armenia, are nothing more than the
work of the Hintchek, or Armenian Sc
cret society, which has provoked all the
riots