The record-union., 1895-03-04

Two thousand Armenians Taken
Prisoners and Thrown Into Jail,
! copyrighted 1895, by the Associated Press.
| LONDON, March 3.-The correspondent
Of the Associated Press who was sent to
Armenia with instructions to thoroughly
| investigate the stories told of the Turk
lsh atrocities i'll that country, under date
OF Iitiis, Russia, January 18th, forwarded
the following interview with the father OF
all the Arnenians, Monsignor Khrimi-
! ran. After a hesitation OF several days
the Very Rev. Father granted the request
of the Associated Press correspondents for
statement of the condition of Armenia
and of the causes which led to the mas
sacre Additional weight is given to the
statement by the facts contained in a.
memorial to the Gar, which may be
found in this interview. Monsignor
hhrimiran's home is at Etzchmiadzin in
the Ararat region of Russia, within a
short distance Of the Turkish frontier
In an outer room of the house the Asso-
! Ciated Press cores spOndent met monk
/ III black habit, and in the farther end Of
/ the room was 4 man dressed in red, hold
ing long III ace. The sauGuinarv APP
| pearance OF this man cOntrasted strongly
with the peace and quiet OF the house.
| uefe were Iour men In attendance. On
! the occasion OF the first visit he was in
| trouuced by an eminent Armenian gen
| tleman. editor of The ATdziuqUak. On
| the occasion OF his second visit Monsig-
! nor khrimiran, having decided to make
! the statement asked tor, he talked flu
emily ana eioquently of the wrongs TO
/ the people. Among other things he said:
The massacre was the result Of the
! long period OF the Turkish misgovern-
| ment. In the Armenian province of
turkey policy OF cruelty and oppres-
sion has continued Tor long time. |
/ myself have been an eye witness Of the
! turkish oppression. In fact, about fifty
! years OF my lie have been passed in con-
uect1on with the prosecutions in Ar
menla. Twenty years ago Armenians
were still very low and narrow, and did
! not understand the cause OF the calamity
/ which beIeil them. They thought their
! troubles were sent bt heaven as pun
lshment for their sins. Such is belief
always OF the people. But later. when
they began to think and TO understand
! the wicked acts OF their oppressors, there
/ came change, and they saw clearly the
real cause of their troubles. One reason
! for their change was the war between
RUSSIA ana turkey III 1876, which ended
! so happily for the Bulgarians, who re-
ceived freedom and government The
ArnenlanS suffered from the mlSgOyGrn-
ment OF the Turks more than the Bull
/ garians, who lived in the neigh borhood
OF the western European Powers whereas
/ the Afinenlans were at such a remote
distance from the civilized world that
/ their cries could not be heard.
''At tie close OF the Russo Turk ish war
! the Armenians, encouraged by the i'm
| % Rt1 rIa H.
the same guarantees which was given 10
/ tnat country. All kinds OF com mpluints
and Heti;ions poured into the patriarch
! ct CGnsiantinOple. They were so numer-
Gus that il they had been thrown into a
large room they would have filled it as
IuiI as all egg.
In tie meantime the European Pow
( ers were compelled to sign the Berlin
/ treaty. At this period l was sent with
another delegate TO the capitals of Europe
! TO plead the cause OF Armenia. | visited
/ London. Paris, Vienna, Rome and Ber-
/ lin, but my mission did not produce sat-
/ Isiactory results. presented to the Ber-
! IN Congress memorial giving fall
/ details OF the Turkish atrocities in Turk
/ lsh Armenia. Moreover, there was
/ printed IN Berlin at tie same time nv
/ description OF these atrocities. But what
! we had worked Tor was not realized for
! with reference to the Armenian question
/ our hopes were in vain. The cruelty OF
| the turkish Government did not cease
/ 1t merely took a new form. But keep
/ ing III View that there was a treaty, the
! Turks sought Tor legal means of Justify
! ing their atrocities. What happened?
+ the taxes became heavier and ali kinds
CT duties became greater and the
/ turkish people received full power
/ 10 tax Armenian peasants. The cause?
/ " ny should people who have not only a
/ sufficient quantity OF land, even too
m oh aFl tot IL.
gated land. lease their native soil and
/ euigrate TO othor countries. Ifthere was
/ no proof of Turkish misgoyernment in
/ Armenia, this circumstance alono would
| present sufficient evidence OF those op-
! prasslo rs which the Armenians in Tur-
key are enduring. Nearly $1,000 Arme-
! mans seek work III Constantinople IN
! order that they may be able to pay taxes
! which the Turkish Government imposes
! upon them. In the whole Turkish EN-
/ pre-, including Asia, there are about
/ 5,UOJ,0O0 Armeniaus."
( regarding the SaSsoun troubles. he said
( 'As every action brings it result or coun-
( er-blow, the same may be said of the op-
| presslons OF the Armenians, who under
! stood the action of The Turks, and began
/ to revolt. 1t was then, and only then.
/ that the Turks understood the danger of
! the position AS result, they hau re-
! course TO the kurdS, whose chiefs went to
! Constantinople, where they received in
! structlons TO form regiments from their
/ own tribes. 1t was We'll known as the
! Hamlh or hUrds regulars. The Kurdish
regulars were invested with tie right to
! oppress the Armenians. Unable to elude
| this newest form of oppression and tor
/ ture, some Armenians revolted against
! the cruelty OF their oppressors, while
many others sought to fly 10 foreign
/ countries.
''The signal came in the,massacre in the
/ Sassoun mountains. What took place I
/ know only from the eye witnesses. The
| Turks had wished for u long time to cap
! yolted against the cruelties OF the kurds,
! but the inaccessibiiiLy OF the mountains,
J not only 10 cavalry. but also to infantry,
/ frustrated their plans. However, when
/ the Kurdish regiments were formed the
/ task OF capturing the mountain people
/ was lntruSted 10 them, and subsequently
/ 5000 Turkish regular troops, with several
/ mountain guns, were sent 10 assist in the
| work. The Armenians occupied strong
/ position, owing to the inaccessibility OF
j the mountain region, and when tie Turk
/ lsh troops attacked them they met with
resistance, but as the Armenians had but
few arms and an inadequate supply of
provisions, they were eventually COM
q few soldiers were killed, but a very
few IN comparison with the number of
| Armenians afterwards put to death by
the kurds and Turks
| Among the horrible crualties on the
! Arnenlans during the massacre | will re-
late the following fact. proving the fe-
focIty OF the Turkish troops and their
commander, Aeki Pasha: When the Ar
nenians mad surrendered. 150, including