The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-24
Blood Alone, Therefore, Will Wrest
Armenia From Turkey.
OPPOSITION TO RELIEF WORK.
How Christians Are Forced to
Become MoslemS.


queting the country. One group of COM
missioners went to Erzroom, and the
other entered the country at Sassoon and
came 10 Syas. This commission from the
interior did its work very rapidly, spend
ing only few days in each of the princi-
pal cities on their route.
The day after their arrival they sum-
moned before them a number OF leading
men-Moslems and Christians. These
were admitted 10 the presence OF the com
missioncrs separately first the Moslems,
afterward tho Christians. Report says
that the commissioners said 10 the Mos
lens; 1--WE did not expect so much Of
you, but now you have done It,, never
mind. Henceforth you must keep the
peace"
When the Christians were admitted, the
commissioners received them standing.
and at once began TO read an address re-
citing the benefits the Christians had re-
ceiycd during the reign of the beneficent
Sultan Abdul Hamd Khan and the per-
fidious conduct OF the Armenians who
had started newspapers and sent men to
Washington and Chicago TO agitate and
stir up the nations against their govern
ment In conclusion, the address adds:
Thereafter, If either Turks or Armenians
stir up trouble there will be no more i'm
prisonmcnts but the death penalty will
be visited upon such offenders"
"Blood" the Battle Cry.
After the reading of the address, Alb
dul Pasha began to address the Chris.
tians in much more violent strain. He
said II the Armenians should again begin
10 agitate, not even the name of Armenian
would be allowed TO remain; they would
all be blotted out. Drawing himself up
to his full height, and stretching out his
arm like "a sword, he said: What we
have gained, we gained with blood; and
when we give up this morsel, we will give
II up with blood! bloodl blood!"
SO far us / can learn in the Harpoot
villayet the commissioners spent all their
time In Mezreh and did not even visit the
city OF Harpoot, which yas plundered and
burned, although 10 Is only two miles
from Mazreh. No questions were asked
OF the Christians summoned before them
Another fact of interest is the sending
out OF officials 10 enroll in the government
lists the names of Christians who have be-
come Moslems. Multitudes have been
forcibly converted TO Islam. / do not
mean simply that they have been oblige
TO choose between becoming Moslems and
perishing by the sword but that they have
been bound or held while the rite of cir
cumcislon was performed without their
consent.
/ know OF one case In which an aged
priest was tied to his own door aud cir
cumcised, while in another village Chris
tians begged TO be killed, and their Turk.
ish neighbors said to them: "No, we
want you to till the fields. We will make
you Moslems," and they circumcised the
Christians Of the place by force.
The government has said that these con-
versions were worth nothing, and no one
would be forced to change his religion,
but now government officials write these
new converts while the Turks drive them
TO say they are Moslems. In the village
Of Sheikhaj the official said to the Chris
tians: II write your names on n separate
list to satisfy the Turks, there is no force
about IL" But one acquainted with
Turkish ways may expect to find these
Christians soon enrolled as Moslem citi-
zens.
The carrying off of Christian girls and
women, too, still continues In the city
of Palu. Turks carry off girls, keep them
for few days and return them dishonored.
The same is done in many other places.
In one OF the Arabkir villages eight girls
OF the place are imprisoned in Turkish
harcms. Their friends hear their cries,
but can do nothing 10 help them.
Armenians Reduced to Beggary.
The destitution Of the Armenians beg
gars description. Men who were wealthy
in October were begging for bread in No.
vember. Villages were pillaged of every
scrap of food and clothing. When the
plunderers could find nothing more to
carry Off, the villagers returned aud siftea
Che dust To gather few kernels of wheat
or barley. Doors and windows were car
ried off. In many cases the timbers OF the
houses We're pulled out and carried off.
And all this was done ut n time when
winter was so close Mt hand as TO make il
reasonably sure that cold and hunger
would destroy those whom the sword had
spared. Wherever you go you meet
wan, pinched faces, and people clad in
scanty garments. And you know that
multitudes spend the long, cold nights
huddled together, with nothing to lie
down upon and nothing TO cover them.
II is cstimated that there are between
$4,000 and 100, 900 people in extreme desti.
tuition. The government has given a little
aid occasionally. In many cases the al
lowance Is one-siXth rs much rs is given
To n Turkish gen d'armes or soldier. A
large share of the governments appropri.
ations for the relief OF the destitute goes
into the the pockets OF officials.
Moreover the Turks are hostile TO relief
work and oppose It in various ways. No
Christian in Palu dares to receive or dis.
tribute relief funds. / happen to know
that the Armenian missionaries tried to
send money into Palu, and 1t was returned
To them because no one In Palu dared to
receive and distribute IL. The same Is
true Of the town of Chooncoush.
In somo OF the villages tax gatherers
took from the villagers the scanty pittance
they had received To keep them alive.
Thoy beat them TO extort from them the
money. One poor villager said: 1.-The
rod is hard and the flesh is soft, so we
gave IL up"
Ii should be said that there are some ex-
ceptions to the hostility of the Turks to
relief work. Rauof Pasha, the governor
general Of Erzroom, has ably seconded