The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-02-21
" MARCH OF BLOOD"
NARROWING TALES FROM THE
SASSOUN DISTRICT.
Number of Dead Countrymen in Four
Towns Not Far Short OF Seventy
Five Hundred Souls.
Snecial To the RECORD-UNIoN.


ST. LOUIS, Feb. 20.-The first descrip-
ton by an eye witness of Mooshir
Pasha's March of Blood" as it has
come TO be known, has just been re-
ceived by the Repu6tic from Moosh, \ Asia
Minor. The account is written by a
native of the Sassoun district, and has
been sent by a secret messenger through
the territory of the Sultan to insure its
safe arrival. Mooshir Pasha, the Mill
tary Governor of the city OF Erzenjau,
started by Or0er of the sultan into the
Sassoun district last September. In
Vulnerable burned villages and :, ,2g3 lives
was the price of this officials visit. The
European Commission. now inYestigat-
ing. nave just reached the city of Moosh,
! the town from which the RepUGtic re-
celyed It's dispatch. 1t reads:
"MOOSH (Asla Minor, Jan. The
number OF our dead cOuntrymen in the
four towns visited by Moosuir Pasha VIII
not Oe far short of 800. This is from the
| bodies counted and known to have per-
ished. We cannot tell how many others
there may be. Inc first town entered by
MOoshir was Shinik. Ii contains four
villages = Shinik, Mesera. Cojook and
DOpOy. When our people here heard OF
the arrival of the Pasha, Father j Johannis,
with forty Of the leading townsmen, went
to MOthem to beseech him to have mercy
on them. They were surrounded by
soldiers long before they could get to
Mooshir Pasha, and everyone was killed.
Their bodies were put in the church and
| burned. Inen they proceeded TO burn the
| villages. The mum Der killed IN Shinlk
proper numbered 6Z3, and 3I7 from the
rest OF the villages. Those who escaped
are now in the villages surrounding this
town, but the villagers are themselves
90
'MOoshlr Pasha LETT Shinik to 90 to the
next town IN the SaSSOun district This
town Is Alyon, and has 1our villages.
| The people heard OF his coming and that
| be had twenty-1our companies, each OF
100 men, besides tWen:y-tnree cannon.
! They knew that 1t was useless TO appeal
| to him. SO they lied to the village OF Chi.
| because Of its rocks and steppes, and
there they could better escape Llm. They
Stald IN the mountains Tor almost twenty
! days, and when all food was gone and
there was nothing else to do, they lied as
/ best they could. Two thousand bodies
were kept behind at Chi.
"Gail-GaZan was next, and because the
| town has twenty-four villages around it,
MOOshir brought the Kurds, Ahmidies
and lrreguIhrS, numbering 10000. The
town was deserted, TOR the people. with
all the toOG they could carry, had lied to
the mountains. They remained i'll their
las SIHGSSSS IOI lulEty OaES, ana at last
( with frenzy born of hunger and des-
peration, they made terrible rush down
the mountain sides and attacked the
tyrants, instead of waiting to be killed.
! Patriot Nartan was like God, and Killed
ten men with his own sword before he
fell dead. Father Bedoas was a soldier.
too, and encouraged his children, and
when he was at last killed his body was
cut in pieces and given to the dogs.
alag was the last town that the blood
thirsty tyrant visited, and this place con-
tains seven villages-Nerein, Chadder
Mooravar, Eukik, kalaxas. ChorCop and
Davidrig. The people had for the most
part made their escape, but W hen Mooshir
and his soldiers went their way 800
bodies were found. Many more were
| burned, but their number cannot be
known. All bodies We're left where they
were butchered, and those who would
travel this distance must risk their lives
through the pestlential odors that 90 up
from so many dead. All who escaDed
from the Sassoun district came to the viii
lagos of the plains Of Moosh, and hungry.
destitute and broken-hearted, they look
for hope and help and sympathy from
the civilized world to whom the news of
their terrible lot may comen