The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-28
TERRIBLE WORK OF THE TURKS
BOOTY As WELL As BLOOD THE
MOTIVE OF THE MASSACRES.


kir and 800 MosIems Made 10
Bite the Dust-EIscwhere. How
ever, the MosIcm's Lost Only 200 10
800 Lives in killing 10000 ia 15,-
900 Christians.
Especial Correspondence of the United
Pressl
Constantnople. Nov. l5-The following
matter has been handed to the European
manager Of the United Press. who Is now
in Constantinople. The statement has the
fun Endorsement Of Minister Terrell;
During the month of october consid-
cradle part of the Armenian districts in
the provinces Of Trebizond. Erzeroum,
Bitlis, Van. Harpoot, Diarbekir and Sivas,
has been laid waste and a number. not
yet fully known. of the Armenian inhab-
itants have been killed by Moslems. intent
on crushing into impotence the Armenian
race in Turkey. As the awful tldings have
come in by driblets. the Turkish govern
ment has diligently telegraphed abroad in
regard to each place. that the Armenians
had attacked Mussulmans. thus arousing
a frenzy of Indignation which could not
easily be controlled, but that order had
been restored after some loss of life. The
effect Of these kilograms has been to cul-
tivate belief that there has been some
general rising of the Armenans and that
we are i'm the presence of a calamity which
is merely the result of lawless proceed
ings on the part of the Armenians them
selves.
Natural indignation with the Armenians
for rising at the very moment when the
reform scheme was about to be put In
operations, may be moderated, when II
is known that up to this date the only
authentic rising of Armenians has taken
place at Zeitoun, in the province OF
Aleppo, and far from the scene of the
massacres. Moreover, in such cases as
offer opportunity for examination, several
patches as causes of the bloodshed, have
been proved to nave been incidents and
not causes of the massacres. Men who
found themselves assailed by the mob,
and happened to have arms in their
houses, in number Of cases,
defended dsISiles their lives ana Their their
bekir, where the Christians are gen
orally armed, they made a hard fight for
life and some 150O Moslems are said TO
have been killed, but aside from this one
case, the destruction OF from 1000 to
1900 Christians has not cost the Turks
more than 200 or 800 lives
The statement describes specifically the
preparations beginning In September
made by the MOslems, for the general
massacre and plundering that began on
oct -, and goes on to say that only
meagre returns have as yet come in" But
the total number of deaths OF Armenian
Christians so far reported is 1920
The statement says: 1T Is not within the
purpose of this paper to enter upon the
question of the responsibility for these
massacres mainly confined to the six
provinces especially mentioned I'm the re-
form scheme, so painfully wrung from the
porte. But if the object Of the originators
Of this massacre were SenSibly to diminish
the Armenian population of these prov
inces. the main object Of the men who did
the work was plunder. Many thousands,
aHaaNa larI FIaaa at nglr
been q blind outburst of fanatical fury,
escaped because It was an artificial move
ment where cupidity was the chief motive
used to induce men to engage in II. And TO
the honor of the Turkish people be IL said
that in every one Of the places so far
heard from in detail, cases occurred where
Moslems sheltered Armenans and saved
them from death. Near Trebizond they
saved an entire village.
But the very fact that plunder was the
chief interest with the men engaged In
this crime, makes the position of the sur
vivors most precarious, because Of the
universal destitution that has resulted to
the victims.
"A very low estimate Of the number
thus reduced to absolute want by the loss
of all their movable property is 100000
souls, OF whom three-fourths are the
wives and children of the ruined traders
"A survey of the situation of these peo-
pie gives the following elements of their
desperate condition; All trade Is broken
up. All agriculture in the devastated dis
triets is blotted out for the stock has
been carried off and the implements gem
orally burned At least In numbers OF
cases. the ruffians took delight in destroy
ing machinery which they could not use
or carry away to sell. Thousands of
houses and shops have been burned.
Every house or shop plundered was ut
bers, after seizing the money and goods
in shop, was TO destroy al
papers, account books and notes
Of hand, so that the merchant
raot 1ea ah
ment of debts previously incurred. The
people who escaped when their houses
were attacked fed in such clothes as they
CHANGED to have on, ana IN some cases
even that was taken. from them. All their
stores Of food, painfully accumulated for
the winter, as is the custom in the rural
districts in Turkey have been carried
away These thousands of wretched crea-
lures bereaVed and despoiled and despair
those lofty highlands Of Armenia the win
ter is pitiless), and faint at contempla-
tion of what is before them
Great numbers of them are now de-
pendent on charity for their food. But
where a whole population Is thus smitten,
how long can local charity support them;
Where can they go? What can they
do? In the midst Of such desolation how
can even the strongest OF the men earn
some space IS devoted to the political
aspect Of the situation. The concluding
para graph is as follows: This terrible
SEQUEL to the publication OF long-delayed
reforms was foreseen by the American
minister, Mr. Terrell who, on the very
day when they were published renewed
his demands for telegraphic orders at the
the porte TO all governors and military
commanders for the protection of the
American missionaries. lie refused TO
leave his post for months after leave Of
absence was granted, and made no secret
of his belief that the real danger would
follow the announcement Of reforms for
the Armenians. Did the great powers of
Europe foresee the danger? If so, why
was no care taken to provide against it2
IN every town guards were provided for
the American missionaries; none have
suffered and the universal expression
among Americans here is that their safety
is due TO Mr.. Terrells prompt and firm
action and to American influence at the
palace Of the porte. AS to whether the
central government made an earnest ef-
fort to restrain fanaticism, it is too early
to determine
Constantinople. Nov 27-As a result of
the advice Of the sultan's min
listers. Tewhk Pasha. the Turk
ish foreign minister. informed
Sir Philip Currie, the British am-
bassador, yesterday that the sultan had
decided to grant the permit applied for
by the powers to double the number Of