The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-09
PROSECUTED ARMENIA.
Her Woes Set Forth at Meeting
Yesterday.


Yesterday.
Large Gathering at Portland City Hall
ELOQUENT Address by Rev. b. Fav
MilIs-Resolutions Adopted.
For Armenial
That was the sentiment which at
traoted thousands Of Portlanders to CITY
hall yesterday afternoon. Poor Armenia!
The sad, sad story Of her grieyous wrongs
and her cruel persecution has been told
daily in the papers with all its harrow
ing detail for these many, many months
Every day or two brings added intelli-
gence of the destruction of some college,
settlement, or even city laid waste.
Countless thousands are butchered In
cold blood. Noble men literally hacked
to pieces In their own door yard. Then
with f1endish shout of satisfaction and
knives reeking with the hearts blood of
Christianity the villianous Turk hastens
on seeking more Christian breasts where
in to bury his murderous blade, more
young and oomely meidens to add un-
willing lustre to his deviiiah harem;
more dispen sers of Turkeys worst
enemy, educa tion to demolish; more
temples of Jehovah to deface, debAse, de-
stroy. Then when the day of blood is at
last at an end; with hands yet warm
with the life blood of martyrs to the
faith once delivered to the Saints, fall
on his knees aud renders an account of
his stewardship to his acoursed s'Allah"
and thinks himself blest anew by
the idol of blood for each Christian he
sends by hendish hand to swell the
'tvast company around the great white
throne.s'
The exeoutioner congratulates himself
that he has been permitted to destroy the
enemies of hia God and execute the will
of the demon, despot, the Sultan of all
Turkey, who from within the walls of
gaudy palace. rules his british subjects
with iron will and cruel hand. a
monarch, feared but not beloved; u
diplomat shrewd and cunning; d
flnancier, greedy, grasping and un-
scrupulous: a tyrant, whose very breath
is law; the most colossal murderer of
the century; the blaokest figure in the
darkest chapter of the history of the
10Th century civilization.
Such is the ruler Of the "unspeakable
Turk" of today.
It was to escape the fury of this
despot's unquepchable thirst for
Christian blood, that small band Of
desperate Armenian refugees, after un-
told hardships, made their way to Mar
settles, France. Here they were found
by that devoted friend of suffering hui
mainly. Frances T. Willard. Miss
Willard acts, as well as talks. In very
short time those ArmeniaDs were on
their way to the great home of freedom
and religious liberty.
A score of them stood OH the stage of
City hall yesterday afternoon and look ed
into the faces Of an immense Yankee
audience.
It was striking picture at once,
eloquent, maddening, pathetic. Eloquent
as an example Of the kind OF human prey
the Christian world Is abandoning 60 the
Sultan's knives: maddening to think
that most of these men had to flee from
their own homes at the end of the nine
teenth century to preserve their lives
from heatnen murderers; pathetic to
watch the convicting emotions reflected
in the strong faces Of the men as they
gazel down into the faces of the great
crowd where every eye was kindly. where
every face became welcome. Tears
stood in the eyes and coursad down the
cheeks Of the strangers at frequent inter
walls.
They were sturdy looking set, with
we'll knit frames They were neatly
The eyes of all were handsome. DIS the
faces of all were sad. There was a
tragedy in every ono of those lives.
| Each of the Armenians had white
sash around mis- shoulder with the words
Armenia. Each carried a small
American flag. They gripped them like
iron. That flag had come TO mean de.
liverance and safety to them. No wonder
they Rugged it to them so lovingly.
| On the stage with the Armenians were
Governor Cleaves, Rev. DR.. Blanchard,
Rev. d. M. Pratt, Rev. J. B. Sheppard
Mrs. l.. M N. Stevens, who has had
especial care of them since they arrived.
and who has found homes for them
among the good people of Maine.
Rev. Mr.. Pratt offered prayer.
GOVERNOR CLEAVES
on taking the chair spoke br lefty and
gracefully, mentioning the fact that the
people of Maine yield to no common.
wealth In their zeal for righteous
cause. Today the Christian people Of
Turkey Are exposed to che most dannable
ourrages. Their only offence is that I'm
der the leadership Of American mission
aries they have adopted Christianity ane
planted it's banner in the soil of America
| Gov Cleayes gracefully introduced rht
celebrated evangelist, Rev. b. Fay Mills
Mr.. Mills made one Of his characterised,
eloquent addresses which held the closes
attention of the audience.