St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-24
INGENUITY OF HIS FIENDISHNESS
NOT HALF REVEALED
YET
WINTER COMPLETES WORK
OF MASSACRE LEFT UNFINISHED
BY FIRE AND THE MOSLEM
SWORD.
ARMENIANs sTARvE AND FREEZE.
More Fortunate, Christians Dare Not
Extend Succor to the Suf-
ferers.

- --e- ..-.--
CONSTANTINOPLE, Feb cit will
be remembered that the sublime porte,
soon after the naassacres in this coun-
try. sent out commissioners to investi-
gate into recent disturbances, and
took meaures for .quieting the coun-
try. One group of commissioners went
to Erzeroum and the other entered
the country at Sassoun and came to
Sivas. This commission from the in
terror did its work very rapidly spend
ing only a few days in each of the
principal cities on their route The
day after their arrival they summoned
before them a number of leading men,
Moslems and Christians. These were
admitted to the presence of the COM
missioners separately, first the Mos
lens; afterwards the Christians. Re
port says the commissioners said to
the Moslems: I'VE 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 reciting the benefits the
Christians had received during the
reign of the beneficent sultan, Abdul
Hamid Khan and the perfidious con-
duct Of the Armenians, who had start
ed newspapers and sent men to Wash
ington and Chicago to agitate and
stir up the nations against their gov
eminent In conclusion odd
said: Hereafter If either Turks or Ar
menians stir up trouble there will be
no more imprisonments, but the death
penalty will be visited upon such Of
fenders''
After the reading of the address Alb
dull an Pasha began to address the
Christians in a much more violent
should again begin to 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 gained, we gained with blood, and
when we give up this morsel we will
give it up with,
BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD"
So far as I can learn, in the Har-
poot vilayet, the commissioners spent
all their time in MeZreh, and did not
even visit the city of Harpoet, which
was plundered and burned although
| it is only two miles from Mezreh. No
questions were asked of the Christians
summoned before them. When the
commissioners had finished their
speeches they dismissed them.
Another fact of interest is the send
ing out of officials Ito enroll in the
government lists the names of Chris
tians who have become Moslems
Multitudes have been forcibly con-
| verified to- IslaEa., 81 do not mean sim
ply that they have been obliged to
| choose between becoming Moslems
and perishing by the sword but that
they have been bound or held while
| the rites peculiar to Islamism were
| performed without their consent 1
know of one case in which an aged
| priest was tied to his own door and
the rite performed. while in other vii
lagos Christians begged to be killed
and their Turkish neighbors said to
them: No, we want you to till the
| heldS. We will make you Moslems -
The government has said that these
! conversions were worth nothing and
that no one would be forced to change
his religion, but now the government
officials write these new converts, while
! the Turks drive them to say that they
are Moslems. In the village of Sheikhaj
the official said to the Christians: 81
write your names on a separate list to
satisfy the Turks; there is no force
about it." But one acquainted with
Turkish ways may expect to find these
Christians soon enrolled as Moslem cit
liens. The carrying off of Christian
| girls, and women, too still continues.
In the city Of Palu, Turks carry off
| girls, keep them for a few days and re-
turn them. The same is done in many
| other places. I'M one of the Arabkir
| villages eight girls of the place are i'm
prisoned in Turkish harems. Their
| friends hear their cries, but can do>noth-
ing to help them. The restitution of the
Armenians beggars description. Men
who were wealthy in October were beg
| ging for bread in November. Villages
were pillaged Of every scrap of food and
clothing. When the plunderers could
find nothing more to carry off, the vii
layers returned and sifted the dust to
gather a few kernels of wheat or bar
ley. Doors and windows were carried
off. In many cases the timbers Of the
houses were pulled out and carried off
Jars were broken. Everything of value
which could not be carried away was
broken. Windows, cupboards and boxes
were smashed. The utmost pains were
taken to leave behind nothing of value
to the owners. And all this was done
at a time when winter was so close al
hand as to make it reasonably sure tina,
COLD AND HUNGER
would destroy those whom the SWORD
had spared. Wherever you go, 20,
meet wan, pinched' faces and people
clad in scanty garments. And yol
know that muItitudes spend the long
cold nights huddIed together, will
nothing to lie down upon and nothing
to cover them. Il OF course, disease set
In and carries them off.
It is estimated there are between 80,
600 and 100000 people in extreme desti
tuition. Europe and America are touch
ed with compassion, and funds are be
ing gathered for the relief Of the suf
ferers in every town and city. It is ia
otherwise with the Turk. He views hi
work with complacency and does no
like to see it interfered with. The gov
eminent has given a little aid occa
sionally. In many cases the allowanc
is one-siXth as much as is given to tn
Turkish gen d arme, or soldier. 1 hav
seen the bread given in several places
It resembles the linseed cake used i
Europe and America for feeding cattle
Even this allowance is seldom cor
tinued for any length of time. A larg
share of the government appropriation
for the relief Of the destitute goes int
!, the pockets of officials. Moreover, tn
Turks are hostile to relief work, an
oppose it in various ways. In the cit
! Of oil T,1rI m he Chris