The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-10-04
TURKEY ALL TORN UP
Great Agitation at Constantine
pie on Account Of the Ar
menian Riots.
Great Number of Armenians
Killed by SOftas- No Police
in Sight.
An Excuse Is Made of the Fact
That the Armenians Are
Armed.


the state Of terror prevailing here,
third slight earthquake shock was ex-
perienced here. This, with the rioting
and bloodshed, the Imprisonment of
about 500 Armenians, the killing of
prisoners in cold blood, and the presence
of troops under arms at all points, is
well calculated to excite even the most
phlegmatic Turk.
The riot and blood letting which be-
gan on Monday was renewed on Tues
day evening in spite of all the precau-
tions taken by the authorities of this
much disturbed city. On Tuesdy the
principal rioting was the work of Softas,
Mohammedan theological students who
chased and beat with bludgeons, every
Armenian they met. During Tuesday
night mob of Softas and Turks at
tackled the house of leading Armenian,
Kassim Pasha, storming the building
and threatening its destruction, and
killing several persons who were unable
to escape from it in time. This mob
also sacked a cafe frequented by Ar
menians and 20 of these unfortunate
people who were found there were
Beaten to Death With Bludgeons.
To the disgrace of the authorities not
a single policeman appeared on the
scene, and not an attempt was made to
save the lives of the Armenians Nat
urally the Armenians in Constantinople
and vicinity are panic stricken and put
no faith in the assurances of protection
from further violence at the hands of
the Turkish mobs. Many of them
sought refuge in the churches, where
they were earnestly addressed by their
clergy, who enjoined them to be calm
and to give the Turks no further pre-
texts for attacking them. The Arme-
nian churches are now watched by the
police, but the greatest uneasiness pre-
walls, and the members of other relig-
ious denominations express fear that the
fanaticism of the Turks may extend in
other directions.
Have Foreign Sympathy.
The Armenians have the sympathy of
the foreigners here, but the fact that
they are armed, in spite of their pacific
announcements, is condemned by their
best friends, and lends color to the
statements of the Turkish officials, who
claim that the Armenian agitators Or
ganized revolt against the sultan's
authority, and that the attempt to pre-
sent a petition to the grand vizier on
Monday last, which led to the first riot
ing and bloodshed was nothing more
than a pretext which was to serve as the
signal for all Armenian outbreak. That
the Armenians contemplated some such
attempt to call attention to their griev-
ances, has been known for some time
past, and the Associated Press CORE
spondent in Armenia months ago drew
attention to this, saying that he had
conclusive evidence that the Armenian
revolutionary committee was preparing
u demonstration at Constantinople, and
that any number of Armenians were
willing to thus sacrifice themselves for
the ultimate benefit of their unhappy
compatrlOts.
Only Defended Themselves
On the other hand, the partisans of
the Armenians assert that that the lat
ter only armed themselves in order to
dufend their lives against the Turks.
The authorities have stationed troops
and police at every threatened point,
and it is asserted that there is no dan
ger Of any further disturbance. This,
however. is not generally believed.