The herald., 1895-07-15
LIVING TREATED SIMILARLY
The Persecution Of Armeuiaus by the
Turks Was General
Young Men Who Are Willing to Die Il
Save Others
No Language Adequate to Describe the Con-
diti0n Of Aftairs-Woe and Want
Stalk Abroad In the
Garden Of Eden

Associated Press Special Wire.
VAN, Armenia, May "a, from the
special correspondent of the Associated
Press. The Sassoun massacre, it would
appear. was one of the most carefully
planned outrages in history. The evil
dence OF this is circums mstantisl only but
it is alleged to be none the less conclusive.
During the months Of June, July and
August preceding the Sassoun massacre.
the Kur iish chiefs in the country sur
rounding the Sassoun region and particu-
larly the districts in the southwark and
southwestward, were apparently unusu.
ally busy in gathering up the scattered
warriors of their tribes for an invasion
Of the Sassoun region.
In July and August enormous quaint.
ties of petroleum were ship pped from Erze-
roum and Moush. This petroleum was
shipped from Russia to Erzeroum and 50
great was the quantity brought over the
mountain roads that it was subject of
remark to very many persons. For
time it looked as though nothing went
over the roads between Erzeroum and
Moush nut petroleum. Now it is fact
Moush does not use great quantity OF
petroleum herself, nor do her merchants
sell much of it to the surrounding coun-
try. In the villages candles of sheep fat
are used for the lights. What Moush
wanted with those countless cans OF
petroleum was mystery. But the mystery
was a mystery no longer after the Sassoun
massacre, for the petroleum was used to
burn the houses of the Sassoun villages
and to cremate the bodies of the wretched
villagers who fell victims to the awful
butchery. In burning the houses the
petroleum was thrown upon the wood
work in generous quantities and set on
fire.
In cremating the dead the bodies were
in many cases placed between layers Of
wood, and built up into a sort OF funeral
pile. The entire mass was then saturated
with petroleum and set on fire. 1t is
charged that living men were cremated
in the same way, but this was mercl-
full way of putting the unfortunate crea-
lures to death in comparison with tor
lures inflicted on many others. The
massing of troops near the Sassoun re-
gion, and particularly at Moush, was car
ried on for some time before the Begin
ming Of the massacres in order that every
thing might be in readiness according
to the program me said to have been care
fully made out at ConstantinOple.
Several weeks after the Sassoun massa-
ere, it is claimed, orders were sent from
the palace at Constantlnople for the
massacre of the inhabitants at Modikan,
a district lying to the south and south
east OF Sassoun, but when it was seen
that an investigation of the massacre at
Sassoun was inevitable. the order, it is
said, was recalled and Modikan was not
molested, except in the ordinary course
Of persecution general in all parts OF
Armenia.
In the city of Van at this moment
there are five hundred young men sworn
to give themselve as a sacrifice to Turkish
butchery, in the hope that the attention
of England may be more strongly called
to the desperate situation of the people.
The ArInenians cannot accept any such
scheme of reform which does not have for
its fundamental principle the absolute
control OF the European powers. Unless
Europe controls the reforms there will
be massacre of 10000 Christians in the
city of Van within three months. The
Armenians themselves will bring this
about rather than be cast adrift by their
fellow Christians of the west.
There is no language quite adequate to
a description of Armenia at present. Men
are beaten, robbed and murdered. and
women ale ravished. by Kurds and Turk
ish soldiers. Woe and want and despair
anu Q6dtu 5bdlh dUIOou Al ouio III
land, that was once part of the garden
of Eden. The inhabitants of Van are liv-
ing on the brink of massacre from day
to day.
VAN, Armenia. June 5.-By the trans
fer from Van to Constantinople of the ad-
vance guard of the Armenian revolution
ary movement. captured in the village of
Techi bnokla on May 10Th. the Turkish
government has taken decisive step to-
ward Quietng public excitement in the
eastern part OF the empire.
The governor of Van, Bahri Pasha, has
during the week added several interesting
facts to the alleged confession of Harry
Williams. the leader OF the captured band
According to the governor. Williams has
confessed that the revolutionary party.
which sent him to begin the revolution.
has three thousand rifles in Triste Aus
tria, which will be shipped to Armenia
for the use of the patriots at the earliest
possible opportunity.
An interesting incident OF williams
confession, as made public by the gov
crnor, is the fact that he is not British
subject at all. but is a native of the Cau-
causus region OF Asia, and strangely
enough, Of the very district in which
Bahri Pasha himself was born.
Leaving out of consideration entirely
the second revolutionary band across the
Persian border it is an undeniable fact
that the Armenian situation was never at
q more critical point.
Your correspondents yesterday met the
representative of fourth revolutionary
party, with agents in Austria, England
and America. The headquarters seem to
be in America where party newspaper
is published, and Revolutionary funds are
collected. This agent is Russian Arme-
nian and he holds strong views -on the
situation. The fourth revolutionary party
has brought no guns to Armenia. nor
does tho agent say he has any arms hid )