Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-01-18

New York, January 1.-THE Armen-
ian Relief Association made public to-
night two letters which describe the hor-
rors of the recent massacres in Tur-
key:
Cesarea, November 80, 1S95.-While
the Armenians were engaged in their
business. as usual, the Turks fell upon
them, killing 600 defenseless men and
wounding a thousand more. The mob
divided into four parts. The first
plundered the stores; the second looted
the houses; the third secured the
maidens and young brides. while the
fourth, fiends incarnate, attacked the
public baths. These human devils kill
ed six naked women in the presence Of
the others, snatching their babies from
their arms and bayOnetting the moth
ers. The shrieks and agonizing cries
OF these poor creatures made no impress
sion upon the minds of the savage
Turks, who laughed at their death
agonies. They then took some Of the
young girls who were with their moth
ers at the bath and dragged them naked
by their feet through The streets, fol-
lowed by a jeering and hoOting mob.
The Turks who attacked the houses
then killed them and fired the houses.
The err Is of the women in their distress
mingled with the
HOARSE SHOUTS OF THE TURKS
made a sound that can never be for
gotten The men who survived the
swords were discovered taken to the
magistrate and searched; but no arms
were found in their possession. not
even a knife. When released and allow
ed to return to their homes, they were
confronted by most CHASTITY pictures.
Some found their wives dead, others
horribly mutilated; daughters had been
outraged and were bleeding. My
hands almost fail me to write the aw-
full particulars. II is impossible to de-
scribe IL. II took three or four days to
remove the bodies of the dead with forty
cars. Add TO this the want, the desOla-
ton. OH my God! for how long! how
long Where are those Christian pow
ers who saved African slaves? Where
are those Christians who advocated
brotherly love and mercy, sending their
missionaries to teach US? Are they deaf
10 our piercing cry?
Van, November II, 1S95.-The Ar
menians have determined not to be
slaughtered like sheep, but to defend
themselves as best they may. After
the massacre in Paghesh, five or six
hundred Armenians were gathered in
an Inn and the government soldiers
were called to conduct them to their
homes, but instead they were taken to
the court yard of the government build
ings and a few of them only were set at
liberty after signing by coercion the
statement that Turks are not guilty,
as the Armenians made the first at
tack"
The Turks gave similar reasons for
masSacreing the Armenians in the sur
rounding country.
Near Harpoot seven villages were
compelled to accept Mohammedanism
and also near Van, the entire popula-
ton of two villages were forced to
change their religion. Eight villages
near Van have been entirely depopulat-
ed. most of the inhabitants were killed.
and those who survived escaped to the
snow covered mountains where they
now wander with their children naked
and starving. The men who were fore
ed to accept Mohammedanism have
been compelled TO tal0a their own sis
terS-in-law whose husbands have been
killed. to wife, a practice most jhorri-
'1o 20 the Christians who hate poly
gamy.
THEY ARE ALSO COMPELLED
to plumber and kill their Armenian
brethren to show that their CONVEX
sion to Mohammedanism is genuine.
The young maidens of these villages
are carried into the Pashas' harems.
The Kurds have attacked the same viii
ages over and over TO make their work
of destruction complete The country
has been reduced to such absolute pow
erty. that there is now no money in
the treasury. The Armenians are una
bic to pay taxes as they have no stores,
and no harvest fields.
This is the prophecy of a still worse
fate in store for us. for the reason that
the government will insist on money
being raised and as we cannot pay We
will he considered as rebellious and a
massacre will follow.