The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-03-18

Another Chapter Anent the Work
Of Bloodthirsty Kurds
AS TOLD BY A YOUNG SURVIVOR


Armenian Women Joined Their Male De
tenders in Fighting for the Defense of
Their Homes-Little Children Tossed I'm
the Air and ImpaIed on DaRgers.
LONDON, March 1s-The following let
ter has been received from the special cor
respondent OF the Associated Press, who
is examining into the Armenian atrocities.
The letter, which bears date Of Kars, Feb.
28, says:
An Armenian refugee has Just arrived
here after many dangers and privations
since his escape from his home at Sassoun.
His name is Mario, he is a shepherd, 90
years Of age and though belonging to q
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 l could
not but feel in listening TO his narrative
that was at least listening to the truth,
I gave his words as they fell from his
lips after l had told him l wished to know
just what happened under his own eyes.
He said:
My name is Mario. am the son Of
Stepan. Our family name is called Nelko,
and the name Of our village is Axhbi. In
my neighborhood were also the villages of
Khtan, Heting and Guebarash. My vii
| lage, Axhbi, consisted of seventy houses.
Now there remains not single man, not
a single house. All is destroyed. The
people are all killed save three families.
In my family were nine members My
i father tbn f1tnGt nei1ara n1a 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 Kaimadkan Sas-
soun was attacked by a very great num-
| Der of Kurds. The Kurds assailed us like
wolves, but they could not conquer US.
| Not only we men took part in the fighting,
| but all the women, even the old ones-as
my mother-tucked up their clothes, armed
| themselves with daggers and helped us to
| fight the Kurds. Twenty-one days our
battle continued. We beat and were
| beaten.
"But we showed no sign of defeat or in
tention to retire from the battle. When
we had succeeded in killing some of the
| Kurds Vail Pasha and Vail Kaimadkin
| sent many regular troops-how many
| there were l do not know, maybe FIVE
maybe twenty thousand. One thing is
very certain there remained no place with
out some soldiers They placed cannon
and began to fire We had never before
| heard the name of cannon, nor had we
seen them. At their sound the women
| tainted, and the shells spread everywhere
terror, death and destruction. 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 to seek refuge
| in our rocks and caves but the cannon
| continued to sweep away everything
stones and men. The flames and smoke
of our burning homes reached us in our
caverns
'The commands of the Hamadieh Gr-
regular cavalry pitched their tents on
some of the heights, and with field glasses
in their hands they observed the sides of
the mountains, and if they perceived near
our destroyed houses or behind a stone tho
head of man they ordered the cavalry to
go there. And the soldiery cut to pieces
all they found there, without distinction
of age or sex. The heads of the victims
were brought as trophies to the command
ers.
"The Kurds hunted for children, threw
them ON the ground and plunged daggers
into their bodies. After this they pitched
them into the air and turned the daggers
in their bodies and threw them against a
stone saying; When you are grown you
would fight us. Better go into hell Then
they tramped the bodies under foot.
''The Kurds hunted me to kill me be-
cause they knew that l was neither lazy
nor sleepy in killing them. We decided,
and my two companions to fly to Russia
We fled from Sassoun and reached tht
forest Entering we heard heavy and
heartrending sigh. Going to the SOUND
we found Miro, from Khtan, courageous
Sassoun man, from whose mouth flowed
blood We took Miro and carried him Sc
cretly, but when we reached the whea
field the Kurds saw us and pursued. TheI
each of us gave kiss to our dying com
patriot and fed. The Kurds took Miro
dragged him into a sheepfold and set firC
to it. All was burned.
my uncle was killed in the fighting
The other members of our family tool
refuge in cavern. The place was so diff
J flcult to reach that we had to draw up the
women and children one by one by ropes
"After many days of flight we came tt
the village of Ziz, and then to Edhntape
We were six, and all wore strange cloth
ing. We had coats of moosh and hats o.
moosh. If we had worn our Sassoun aba
(overcoat) and our Sassoun hats the Kurdi
would have recognized us, and we SHOULD
have been killed"
have no doubt Mario told the truth
and it is well for him he is on Russian
soil.
Back from the Dead.