The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-07-15
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
Woe and Want, Despair and Death
Now Stalk Abroad There.
ON THE VERGE OF MASSACRE
Hundreds Of Men VIII Sacrifice
Their Lives In Order to Bring
the State of Affairs to Eng
lands Attention.
Special Correspondence Associated Press.

Special Correspondence Associated Press.
Van. Armenia, May et.-The Sassoun
massacre, It would appear. was one OF
the most carefully planned outrages in
history. The evidences of this Is cir
cumstantial only, but II Is alleged to
be none the less conclusive. During
the months OF June. July and August
preceding the Sassoun massacre, the
Kurdish chiefs In the country sur
rounding the Sassoun region. and par
ticularly the districts in the southwark
and southwestward, were apparently
unusually busy in gathering up the
scattered warriors OF their tribes for
an invasion OF the Sassoun region. In
July and August enormous quantities
OF petroleum were shipped from Erz-
eroum and Moush. This petroleum was
shipped from Russia TO Erzeroum, and
SO great was the quantity brought over
the mountain roads that II was a sub
ject OF remark to very many persons.
For time 1t looked as though nothing
went over the roads between Erzer-
oum and Moush but petroleum. Now
1t is a fact that Moush does not use
great quantity Of petroleum herself nor
do her merchants sell much OF 1t to the
surrounding country. In the villages
candles OF sheep fat oil are used for
lights. What Moush wanted with
those countless cans Of petroleum was
a mystery, but the mystery was a mys-
terry no longer after the Sassoun mas
sacre. 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 woodwork 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 fune-
raj pile. The entire mass was then
saturated with petroleum and set on
fire. II is charged that living men
were cremated In the same way but
this was a merciful way of putting the
unfortunate creatures to death In COM
parison with tortures inflicted upon
many others.
The massins Of troops near the Sas-
SCUM region and particularly at Moush,
was carried on for some time before the
beginning of the massacre. in order
that everything might be in readiness,
according to the programme said to
have been carefully made out at Con-
stantinople. Several weeks after the
Sassoun massacre, 1t Is claimed. orders
were sent from the palace at Constan-
tinople for the massacre of the inhabi-
tants OF Modikan. district lying to
south and southeast of Sassoun. but
when 1t was seen that an investigation
Of the massacre at Sassoun was inevi-
table, the order, 1t Is said. was re-
called and Modikan was not molested
except in the ordinary course Of per-
secution general In all parts of Arme-
MIA.
In the city Of Van, at this moment.
there are 500 young men sworn to give
themselves as sacrifice to Turkish
butchery in the hope that the attention
OF England may be more strongly
called to the desperate situation OF
their people. The Armenians cannot
accept any such scheme Of reform
which does not have for its fundamen-
tai prlnciples thc dpsoiutc coHtfoi VI
European powers. Unless Europe con-
trolls the reforms there will be mas
sacre OF 10000 Christians in the city OF
Van within two months. The Armeni-
ans themselves will bring this about
rather than be cast adrift by their fell
low Christians Of the West. There Is
no language quite adequate to a de-
scription of the real condition OF Arme-
MIA at present. Men are beaten. robbed
and murdered and women are ravished
by Kurds and Turkish soldiers. Woe
and want and despair stalk abroad In
this beautiful land that was once a
part of the Garden OF Eden. The in
habitants OF Van are living on the
brink OF a massacre from day to day.
Later Accounts.