The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-02

rude sho1ks since last September II IL -
rr,,. 9ar4 there IL small reason 20 doubt
me fsrfl that tire constzEtinopis riots were
errsrea in the first instance by hand OF
devoted Armenian patr1oSs. VINO received
the sacrament at tire hands OF their priests
and went straigatway into the streets or
StarnbouI 20 make such a stain ry their
blood that al Europe must see II. the act.
whatever its morality. begga-s any IN his
tory for sheer ahrsgation Of SELF And
now. among a host OF sporadic uprfssngss
comes this revolt Of Zeitoun 10 show that
ArnrrIans cannot only offer Up themselves
like sheep. bat in their OWE time and place
display sufficiently lion-iike attitude
Zeisoun is neither by history nor character
quite Ike any Other Armenian town Up
10 less than twenty years ago IL could
boast that il maintained intact the tradi-
ton Of Armenian Independence. The Wild
and beautiful valley IN which it Hes ana
all the passes through Taurus north and
south were a bit Of free Armenia in
the very midst Of the house OF homage
The town owes sts origin TO refugees from
Syria and Cilfcia. driven by the Egyptians
in the latter half OF the fourteenth century
10 reiinqulsh finally their kingdom Of Les
ser Armenia In the native chronicles OF
the Independence it's name never occurs.
and we have 10 wait until Paul Of Aleppo
passed that way In the seventeenth GEN.
fury 10 hear of "the weif-known Armenian
town Zeitonn.' In the mountains Of their
northern frontier the fugitives founded two
robber nests, Hsdjim. two days march
above their ancient capital. Sis. and this
Zeitoun. dozen hours 10 the northwari
OF the city OF Marash- Both these strong
holds can be approached only through
passes OF extreme dificalty. and both are
set on mighty islands of rock Joined to
the abutting mountain sides by narrow
raf fxxr. 4.-
very similar. Their houses cling bat-like
to the face OF the buttress. the roof Of one
serving for courtyard TO another above.
For streets they have the steepest and most
tortuous of alleys, cut by rude flights of
steps. and dipping every now and again
under dark, narrow archways. which could
be closed in an instant against attack The
larger edifices. churches. bazaars, and gov
eminent offices huddle on the narrow sum-
NIT of the rock, windowless until far above
a mans reach. and then showing nothing
better than arrow-slits. Fine brigani
towns, in fact, where a corps of infantry
might perish without seeing dozen OF
the foe.
Hadjim Is the more squalid. having from
the first been less successful in asserting it's
independence. and ii contains now as abiect
ana poVerfy-strtcken a population OF 9e0
souls as any in all Turkey. The valley be-
low is straight and stony: the uplands
above OF the bleakest. A few Turks have
been imported TO strengthen the official
hands, and many CircessIans. Of more evil
repute than usual. have responded to an
invitation TO settle In the valleys around.
Thus the back OF the Hadjinli has been
broken thoroughly, and in the present ris-
ing. this descendant Of the feudal Arne-
mans has hardly lifted finger. The Zeit-
ounli, on the other hand, has waxed rich
by long immunity in brisandage; gun on
back and knife at belt. he strides about his
hills with the agility of goat and the gait
of Hon. In all the eastern Taurus, end
for many miles out upon the plains, his is
a name Of terror. Ask any Syrian villager
by which he would sooner be attacked. a
Kurd or a Zeitounn and he viii pray Allah
that IL be not the latter. These mountain
GERS have lived on plunder for centuries,
respecting no man. Christian or Moslem,
except a Zeitounli. and paying allegiance
or taxes TO no one but their own Dere-bsys.
The most desperate brigand with whom the
authorities have had to cope for many a
long day. Chuiu. who held up the French
vice consul at Diarbekr some three years
back, and az late as last summer was ter-
ror in Mesopotamia, Is a man OF ZsitoIn.
The race is as handsome as brave, tall,
why, but somewhat over-delicate in fea-
ture. muteIy reminding the traveller that
in it's isolation IL has inbred for centuries
and fiercely resisted any infusion of NEW
blood.