The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-04


what is known as the Hamidch
cavalry or Kurdish regulars, The
Kurdish chiefs were loaded with
faVors and invested with the right to
Cypress the Armenian5.
Paid in Plumber.
The troops received no pay but
what was better for them, they re
ceiVed permission to plumber the Chris
tian5. Unable to elude this newest
form of oppression and torture, some
Armenians revolted against the cruel
ty Of their oppressors. while many
others sought to fly to foreign eoun-
tries.
1.-THE final result came in the massa-
ere in the Sassoun nogntains, What
took place [ only know from the state
ments of eye witnesses and also from
accounts published in newspapers.
The Turks had wished for a long
time to capture and punish the people
who had reVolted against the crueltfes
of the Kurds. but the inaccessibiiity of
the mountain countries not only to
cavalry. but also to infantry, lfrustrat-
ed their plans. However, when the
Kurdish regiments we're formed the
task Of capturing the mountain people
was entrusted to them and subsequent
ly 5000 Turkish regular troops, with
several mounted guns, were sent to
assist in the work
The ArInenfans occupied strong
position, owing to the inaccessibility of
the mountain region, and when the
Turkish tropS attacked them they met
With resistance, but as the Armenians
had but few arms and Inadequate sup-
plies Of provisions, they were eventu-
all compelled to surrender. During the
fighting q few soldiers we're killed, but
they were very few in comparison to
the number of Armenians afterwards
put to death by both burdS and Turks.
buried Alive.
Among the horrible cruelties perpe-
trated upon the ArnenianS during the
massacre, I viii relate the following
fact proving the feroctty of the Turk
iSh troops and their commander, zehi
Pasha:
when the Armenians had surren-
dered, $50 Of them, including priests
We're thrown into a large ditch alive,
despite the fact that they were not
wounded. Earth was then heaped on
them and some soldiers were sent to
watch them until they all had per-
ished. After this the massacre con-
tinued, many people, old and young,
were killed. and many women and
young girls We're sent by the soldiers
to MooSh. The bodies of the Arnen-
ian5 who were killed in large numbers
together We're buried in common
graves but the bodies of those who
were killed in isolated places were left
unbured. The Arrnenians who were
not killed fed. Most of them came to
Russia, Some of them are now in
Tif1ig Some came to me in Etzehniad
and related to me the sufferingS that
they had endured. Many -Armenians
are confined in prisons for political
matters The exact number Of the
prisoners is unknown to me, but 1t
must be more than 1000. Fonty or fifty
clerSymen are among the number,
priests, bishops and arehimadrates.
They are imprisoned for so-ca1led DO
htcal offences. 80
But what the Turk calls a political
offen5e has not been Designated For
instance, for a Christian to protect his
property from Numbering is called a.
political offence in the Turkish en-
pire. In prisons all kinds of torture
are employed against rich and poor.
"The state of the Turkish prisons is
simply dreadful For instance, the
chief monk Of a monastery was fast
ened to q. wall with a nail driven
through his hands, and was delivered
from that position only on admitting
that he acted wrongly, although he
of several prisoners were fastened
chains and heavy shackless of wood,
While ON their heads were placed in
struments resembling copper pots,
which we're heated to a high tempera-
ture. Sometimes these fortunes ended
in the death of sufferers. Sometimes
also the torturers executed their terri
BILE task simply to kill their victims.
Eleven Thousand at Least.
In the Sassoun district there were
about ia villages and hamlets. In
one of these villages lived Iaimiadan
Turkish district chief The whole
number of Armenian families, or
hearths' as they were called in the
may explain. have preserved the.
ancient tribal system. The maximum
number to one of these 'hearthS' is
eighty persons. Taking twenty as q
modest average, the number of in
habitantS in the district amounted to
more than 10000 souls
From the Information brought to
me I believe that the Kurdish and
Turkish troops have burned or des-
troyed a number of cities or villages
and I estimate that the number of
men, women and children billed in the
Sassoun district amount TO 1000"
The correspondent Of the Associated
ian refugees at Tif1is. The stories
they told of the nassacres correspond
in every respect with what had been
published in local Armenian papers.
The Armenians held their ground
against the Turks for tWenty-four days,
when their provisions and anmuni-
ton being exhausted, they were either
forced to fly or to surrender. After
reaching the village Of Cleivoson, the
Turks set fire to the houses, destroyed
| the churches and began to massacre
the inhabitants.
Neither Sex Nor Age Spared.
Old and young men, women and
children were tortured end put to
death Among this number we're two
priests, one of whom, Terpetross, was
stripped of all his clothing land pierced
with twenty-five thru5tS Of a poignard.
which caused his death. But let the
refugees speak for themselves.
The informant of the Associated
Press continued.
'4To defend ourselves we were united
as one family We held our ground
as long as we could, but we had only
200 old-fashioned guns Behind us
were men who were ready to kill any
of US who might attempt to fly. But
50 doing. However, after twenty-five
days. we held council as to what we
should do. The Turks sent word that
if we surrendered they would not kill
US. But they did not keep their pro-
mise and began to cut off the heads Of
some. to disembowel Others. to outrage
our wives and daughters Ten of the
latter, on refusing to embrace the
Moslern faith, were put to death.
Those Of US who were not killed re-
ceived wounds, and $50 who were not
wounded we're thrown into g large
ditch. we can show yon, il you desire,