Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-11-02
THE TURK
loosed Without Warning on the
Trebizond Armenians.
FIVE HOURS OF AWFUL BUTCHERY.

Preliminary to the Great Turkish Feast Of
Bloosl-Devilish Revenge for an Attack
ON One Man-vfttims Led to Think the
Trouble Over and Then Shot Down Like
Sheep and Their Shops Looted-FOur
Hundred Killed.
NEW YORK, Nov. 2.-The following
statement is taken from private letters re-
csived by gentleman in this city in re-
g'ri to the 'recent disturbances in
Trebizond, Turkey: 1.-THE excitement in
TrebizOnd began about Oct. 2, when an
attempt was made on the life of the ex-
vail Of Van. He was shot and wounded by
Al Armenian revolutionist, who has not
yet been captured, and is supposed by the
government to be concealed somewhere in
the city. The excitement of the Turks
was of course greatly increased on hear
ing Of matters in Constantinoplc They
seemed to infer that all the Armenians
We're banded together and in armed rebell-
ion against the government. The Turks
themselves represented that they were
afraid of an attack from the Armenians,
and even in some cases took measures to
put their families in places of safety.
Gathering of the MOslem Clans.
"On Friday night, Oct. 4, there were ex-
tensive movements Of armed men on tho
streets. About II o'clock they seemed to
disperse and nothing specially worthy of
mention occurred through the night. Un-
til Monday, Oct. z, matters seemed to be-
quicting down, when an incident stirred
up the excitement anew. On the previous
Friday night the son of a leading Turk of
the town was wounded on the street, some
say by one of his own companions, others
that he was shot by an Armenian whom
he was trying to arrest. On Monday he
died and the funeral revived the excite
ment in an intensified form, and loud and
many were the threats of massacre that
night, and hundreds of the Armenians
rushed to placcAef safety.
Beginning Of Horrible Butchery,
''The next morning, Oct. s, all dispersed
in the hope that the danger had passed
Men went to their shops and We're en-
couraged to open them as they had not
done for two or three previous days. Sud
denly like a clap of thunder in clear sky
the trouble began. Unsuspecting people
walking along the streets We're shot
ruthlcssly down. Men standing or sit
tihS quietly 1t tnelr SnOp QOOrS were IN
stantly dropped with bullet through
their heads or hearts The aim was dead
ly, and / have heard of no wounded men.
Some were slashed with..sworls until life
was extinct They passed through the
quarters where only old men, women and
children remained, killing the men and
-asrsc boys, but generally permitting the
women and younger children to live.
Slaughter Goes on for Five Hours.
"For five hours this horrid work Of in
human butchery went on, the cracking of
musketry, sometimes like volley from a
platoon of soldiers, but more often single
shots from near and distant points; the
crashing in of doors, and the thud, thud,
of sword blows, sounded on ourears. Then
the sound Of musketry died away and the
work of looting began. Every shop of an
Armenian in the market was gutted, and
the victors in this cowardly and brutal
was glutted themselves with the spoils,
For hours bales of broadcloth, cotton
goods, and every conceivable kind of
merchandise passed along without molcs.
tation to the homes of the spoilers