The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-01-29
BLUE BOOKS ON ARMENIA.
Official English Reports Tell of
Horrible Deeds.
NOT A SINGLE PRISONER WAS TAKEN.
with One Exception. the Rest Being Mas
sacred--No At emp to Project
Women or Children.

London. January 2s--Blue books have
been issued contain ing all the official dis
patches relating to Armenia between July
/, 1914 and October l5, 1895, ana the reports
of the consular agents attached to the
Sassoun commission. The report gives the
history OF the Armenian sgitatlon FOR sew
eral years and records the obstacles
thrown in the way of the commission by
the Turkish delegates II also acquits the
Armenians of the charge brought against
them of burning their own property TO
incitc an outbreak among their people
adding the facts elected failed to prove
that the Armenans were In revolt, but
show that the agitator, Murad, instigated
several Armenian outrages On kurds. rhe
latter then retallated and the Armenians
fled TO their villages. The conflicts be-
tween the Armenians and Kuris followed
and the government did not arrive at a
peaceful settlement or attempt 10 protect
women and children.
The delegates are compelled to believe
the repor, says that all the Armenlans
who fell into the hands OF the soldiers, tho
hurgs or the Zapuhes Were either Killed
or wounded and that with the exception
/ + eleven villagers of Talori. not single
prisoner was taken.
The report shows that the number
Killed has been grossly exaggerated. but
! the report admits owing 10 absence of
/ registration it Is impossible even approx.
! lmately to fix the number Of victims.
! There is, however, a tabulated list Of
all evidence rendered to the commission.
Tho six villages mentioned show a total
OF 265 victims, distributed as follows:
/ Ashenik lii. Ashmel 146. Ghelguesan. the
/ scene OF the story of the great pit filled
| to overlooking with massacred victims
40, Aghpi %, Spank 10 Talorl II. The vi.
| lagos were al burned and the Inhabitants
! We're scattered.
The British delegate, Shipley. in a men,
J orandum attached TO the Joint renort.
/ from the evidence gathered hv Consul
| Hamnsop during his tour. estimates the
| total number of victims in the Sassopn
! district, including deaths from starva-
! tion, at about 200. One Of the worst cases
| of cold blooded cruelty. Delegate Shin
/ lev saws. was the murder of the iris
| oners in the can1p of Ghelguesan under
promise of a safe conduct But the num-
! her Of those so murdered was only forty
r. fifty and not hundreds, as has heen
| etatad
Delegate Shirley. while he admits that
there was violation ~ women. asserts
that the alleged wholesale butchery of
women was not confirmed. He points ont
( that while an agitation suhversive to the
| Ottoman authority has existed among tho
.Nrmenians in Turkey and abroad and
had exaspcrated the Turkish government.
IT muFt be admitted that the government
has failed in its duty OF affordng protec-
ton 10 all classes of its subjects.
He complains of the concoction and sup
press sion OF evidence before the commits
sion by Turkish officials as not calculated
70 advance the interests Of truth. He
further declares that the Armenians were
hunted like wild beasts. and If the slaugh-
ter was not greater 1t was solely owing
10 the vastness of the mountain ranges,
whit acil cd If tba Ar.
menians. He was convinced that the
Turks aimed at the complete eNtermiua-
ton of the Armenans in Ghelguesan and
Talorl districts.
The report of the consular delegates re-
cords that the protests made nv the dele
gates against The intimidation Of witnesses
and the suhorniug of evidence by goVerl-
ment against the Armenians and their at
tempts to remedy this state of things were
always fruitless. so that the elucidation
Of the truth was very difficult; especially
on the question of violation of women did
the commission display the greatest re-
puguAnce at discovering the truth only
four female witnesses were heard, the
commission refusing to hear others. For
n similar reason the details OF the Ghel-
guesan Massacre are still wrapped in OBJ
SECURITY.
The memorandum of the British dele
gate, Shpley. which has been quoted
above, Is most interesting document
ana is couched in less severely official
form than the delegates report.
Consul Hampson. who made tour OF
the villages put the number OF victims
at from twenty to sixty village. Mr..
Shipley therefore thinks it fair 10 estl-
mate forty dead for each of the twenty
three villages destroyed. He was unable
20 gather any evidence as TO the truth
of the alleged massacre at the convent
of SVlperapa. hut he thinks that an
lG4tN rais-
atod if not absolutely Invented.
Without desiring TO appear partial TO
he Armenians, Mr.. Shipley emphasizes
the fact that they We're exposed TO the
Yapacity of the government officials and
To- the exaotions OF the kutds. VINO
would have burned their houses and
% sto,en their cattle unless they had raic
their demands. II is easy TO understand
Mr.. Shiploy continues. that the Armeni.
ans could not pay taxes and satisfy the
liurds. and as the government aid not
have to keen the KLrds IN order one
can not he surprised that the ArmeniaIs
We're disconnected
Consul Hampson also attaches a report
OF the iuadeQuacv and the obstacles to the
distribution Of relief.
Among the official dispatches is one from
G. NJ. Halwarl the British vice council
At Van, written in November 1884 which
describes a horrible butchcry by the Kurds
; AT Sassaun, when men were burned alive
, Ghclegucsan was tossed on bayonet.
. and sixty girls were driven to n churcl
and the soldiers then ordered to dispose OF
them as they liked and then massacr,
thcm
Mr., Shipley doubts this story.
London. January 2s.-The editorials fl
the morning papers upon the Armenian
7 blue book mostly comment on the fac
that they only picture the overture TO q
long tale Of massacre, and that the careful
report of the delegates has justified ever,
denunciation yet published OF the sultan
CAN'T PREVENT CONTESTS