The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-30
DESTITUTE ARMENIANS
REFUGEES FROM CONSTANTINOPLE
IN WANT AT MARSEILLES.
Anxious to Come to America. but
Cannot Do So Because Their
Means Are Exhausted.

NEW YORK. Sept. 29.-The Marseiiles
| correspondents of the Associated Press cab
les as follows: There exists a condition
of affairs in this city at present which
seems to be a disgrace to Europe and to
the Armenian associa lions generally
throughout the world. Subsisting upon
government. municipal or private charity
here are five hundred unfortunate Armen-
ians men, women and children, young and
old. healthy and sick, who have succeeded
in escaping from the bloody massacres at
Constantinople and who were one and all
buoyed up by the hope, on landing here.
of being able eventually to reach the land
of freedom-the United States. But weeks
have already elapsed and nothing definite
appears to have been done for their relief,
much less towards finding them homes, by
any one of the many associations for the
suffering Armenians which have been or
ganized in England or America. These UNI
fortunates however, seem to be the very
cIassAto which. the hand of charity should
be first extended. They are homeless, near
ly alsare penniess, many are enduring the
pangs of hunger and yet nobody seems
willing to step in and guide this band of
refugees to some place where they can be-
gin life. anew and under more promising
circumstances. Large amounts of money
have been raised in the past for the relief
of destitute Armenians in Armenia. but the
situation of the latter is not a whit worse
than that of the half-starving people here,
if as bad. The Armenians in Armenia GER
tainly had their coreligionists and fellow
countrymen to tall back upon, but the poor
people" here seem to have no friends in
the world, yet they are as honest and in
duStrfouS & class as you can find on the
shores of the Mediterranean.
Some South American spectators, it is
true, taking advantage OF this deplorable
situation. have prevailed upon three nun
dred others of the Armenian refugees to
allow themselves to be transported to the
Argentine Republic, there. in all probable
ity, to meet the fate of thousands of the
Hebrews of Russia who, owing to the phil
anthropy of the late Baron Hirsch, emil
grated to South America only to find them
selves, fguratively speaking, tossed from
the frying pan into the ire. 1t is true that
the climate of Argentine is said to be more
healthy than that of the regions where the
poor Hebrews tried to settle in, but the end
is likely to be the in the case of the
Armenian refugees who are not a class
of people likely to thrive in roughly
founded colonies.
Only about eighteen of the eight hundred
Armenians who reached here have as yet
been able to start for the United States.
These few immigrants are of the better
class of Armenians. They fairly well
supplied with funds and will probably start
for New York via Southampton. But what
is to become of the remaining unfortunate
Christians, fleeing from the bloodstained
Turks. who are living on charity here with
their eyes turned longingly towards the
United States? 1t would seem that these
poor people may be barred from reaching
the United States and they may be forbid
den to land there, even If they succeed
in obtaining transportation to the shores of
North America Surely if there ever was
case in which iron rules necessary no
doubt, might be relaxed, it is in the case
of these stricken people. flying from the
prosecutions and butcheries that have pre-
vailed in their own land. There is material
here for the foundation of a strong Ar
menian colony and it would appear that
there must be some spot on earth where
these victims of the bloodthirstiness and
msgovernment of Abdul Hamid, Sultan of
Turkey. who. according to generally cred
tied reports, must have caused the massa-
ere of some fifty thousand Christians dur
ing the last few years, can earn an honest
living.
The stories told by the refugees of perse-
cution and massacre would. it seems. soft
en- the most hard hearted. They admit that
a band of some forty Armenians. about
month ago. captured the Ottoman Bank
killing the Turkish gendarmes. The Ar
menians claim that this demonstration like
many others. only planned to compel
Europe to redress the wrongs from which
they suffering. Then. however. fol-
lowed the terrible massa cres in the streets
OF Constantinople and its suburbs in which
from 1000 to 5000 persons were butchered
or drowned. Hundreds We're driven into
the police and military depots at the point
of the bayonet only to be carted out dead
at the rear doors of these buildings and
buried in long trenches dug for that pur-
pose in various cemeteries. Hundreds upon
hundreds of unarmed fleeing Armenians
were beaten to death in the streets with
budgeons furnished. there is no doubt TO
the populace by the Turkish authorities.
The saughterers went about in gangs. di-
rected by agents of the Turkish officials
killing all Armenians they caught sight OF
Carloads of dead bodies were constantly
crossing the bridges to the hurying
grounds. many hundreds of living Armen-
ians being taken in boats to the Bosphorus
and drowned, and countless Others We're
taken in ships to the Black sea. from which
trip they never returned. And while this
terrible work was in progress the Turkish
troops looked on unconcernedly and the
guns of the foreign war ships We're silent
say the Armenians. with sorrowful en-
phasis.
Cannot Come to This Country.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 29.-The attention
of Commissioner Stump. of the Immiyra-
ton Bureau. called to-day to the
movement looking to the colonization in
this country of Armenian refugees. Mr.
Stump said that Secretary Carlisle and
himself had been fully advised of such a