The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-02
OF THE TURK |
Atrocities in Armenia Described BY
a. Eye Witness.
APPALLING HORRORS NARRATED
Text Of Q Letter Received from Harpoot
BY an Armenian Now Resident In
Scraniou-Assertions which
Almost Staggcr Belief.

Below is the text Of a letter received
by II. B. Dikran, an Armenian residing
at 42S Adams avenue, from a fellow Ar
menian who was his classmate FL coll
lege. Mr.. Dikran. who Is employed In
the Oriental rug trade, vouches for the
reliability of the correspondent and for
the authenticity of the translation. The
letter follows:
Harpoot, Armenia. March 13, 1896.
Dear Fr;end:-You ought to thank God
a thousand times a day for being under
the nag of free country. Our sufferings
for the last three or four months are
beyond description. The history OF man.
kind has never recorded such whole-
sale massacre. torture and rapine, prac-
ticed on an innocent and peaceful ma
ton as has been practiced on us this
last year and a half, and especially since
last September. by the infamous Turks
and barbarous Kurds. All these awful
crimes have been committed under the
light of the civilization of the nineteenth
Gentry! Shame!
think the man who Is the author and
commander of thes dark and shameful
crimes is more cruel and barbarous than
Nero ever was. and l would like to see
him and the others who are responsive
for the awful bloodshed and never made
an effort to save the helpless Armenians
though they had the power to do sO).
before the bar of God. where 10000 mar
tyrs of Christianity and justice will judge
them.
HORRIBLE DETAILS.
In my last letter / wrote you the de.
tails Of how escaped and lived in a cave
for two weeks. and gave you an idea
Of what was going on. But every new
day brings US from a village, or n neigh
boring city, more details of the terri
BILE massacres and misfortunes that our
brothers and sisters had suffered. and are
suffering yet.
In the VIlayet County, of Harpoot the
first village they attacked was Partak.
All the men were killed or tortured, wo-
men were outraged and the poor Ar.
menians were exposed to every kind of
cruelty that gang Of barbarous mob
and soldiers could practice. Every house
was burned down after being robbed. The
other villages had almost the same fate
very soon. In Ichma the Protestant peo>
pie fled to the church. but the soldiers,
breaking the doors. rushed in. taking fifty
young men out in the yard and cut their
heads oil. The fate of women was such
that would not dare to describe it.
their brothers. One Of the brave women
made the most heroic struggle with the
kurds to protect the honor OF her daugh-
ter. She rushed on the kurd, took his
weapon and killed him. But when she
saw that some ten Of his terrible COM
rades were coming toward her. she, with,
out any hesitation, killed her daughter
and herself. In Palou they killed every
educated Armenian. The stores. houses
and shops form pile of ruins. Those
who escaped death have nothing left ex-
cept a single undershrt. In Diarbekir
some Of the rich Armenian families had
Sallantly protected themselves as much
as they could and succeeded in killing
some OF the soldiers and Kurds who at
tackled their houses. But the government
has arrested the leading members of these
Families and sentenced some of them to
death and some to the penitentiary for
"a ThAte nal lima &c, that
tected themselves. Somebody may oc.
casionally ask, what became OF those
terrible kurds and Turks who took .he
life away from SO many innocent people?
Where are they? Are they also under
arrest?'' No; on the cont 'ary. Some of
them who were more successful In butch.
cry have received financial rewards, hon.
ors and promotions from the Sultan.
In Malatia, when terrified Armenians,
were running for their lives. some of the
prominent merchants and bankers took
refuse in the building Of the govern
ment, hoping TO be safe there. 1t was
only few minutes afterward when ev-
cry one OF them was lying dead in that
WORST OF ALL.
The fate Of Hoylou. village ten miles
from here, was worse than ALL There is
not single house left. We could see,
from the mountains. the smoke rising to
y she SKY two weeks after the day the
burning ana piilage were started. They
tried. very hard at first, to urge the
Armenians to accept Mohammedanism
but when they saw their efforts We're In
vain they started their butchery. And
how awful a butchery. Even small chill
dren were not spared. The Turks enter
ed house and killed as many as they
could. They spared only the life of Two
brides In that house and imprisoned them
In room to practice on them more hor-
rible crimes than death, when they would
be through with their slaughter. But the
two young ladies', knowing what was ex-
pected OF them, jumped down from the
window to the backyard and threw them
selves into q we'll.
In the city of Harpoot, the whole part
where the Armenians used to live, is bare
ground. The plunderers were very con-
scientious in robbing. When they were
In house or store they carried away
everything, even the brooms. The beauti-
full and fertile field which lies before this
city has the appearance Of desert now
The number Of Armenians killed
wounded or lost in this country Is esti.
mated to be 5000 or 10000.
Everywhere. two days before the mas
sacre. the government had sent soldiers
to search Armenian houses and take away
everything by which they could protect
thmselves. Special attaition was paid to
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