The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-08
THE ZEITOUN RISING.
Armenians Surprise the World by showing
That They Can Fight.


Correspondence London Times.
In all this Armenian rebellion-for as
such history certainly will know the trou-
bles of the past autumn-there has been
no incident more striking that that which
has recently taken place at Zeitoun. Four
hundred men of the sultan's regular
army. well known to be as good a fighting
force behind breastworks as any in the
world. have surrendered themselves.
fort. heavy guns and stores, to an un-
disciplined horde of Armenians, and are
lying now at the mercy of the latter,
with small hope of being either released
or revenged.
The popular conception of the Armen-
ian as a petty, clerkly race has endured
some rude shocks since last summer. II
il be true land there is small reason 10
doubt the facU that the Constantinople
riots were excited in the first instance by
a band of devoted Armenian patriots,who
received the sacrament at the hands of
their priests and went straightway into
the streets of STEAMBOAT to make such n
stain by their blood that all Europe must
see it, the act whatever its morality,
beggars any i'm history for sheer abnega-
lion of self. And now, among host of
sporadic uprisings. comes this revolt or
Zeitoun to show that Armenians cannot
only offer up themselves like sheep, but
in their own time and place display a
sufficiently lion-like attitude.
Zeitoun is neither by history nor char
acter quite like any other Armenian
town. Up to less than 20 years ago II
could boast that il maintained intact the
tradition of Armenian independence. The
wild and beautiful valley in which IL lies
and all the passes through Taurus north
and south were a bit of free Armenia in
the very midst of the house of bondage.
The town owes its origin to refugees
from Syria and Cillcia, driven by the
Egyptians in the latter half of the four
teenth century to relinquish finally their
kingdom of Lesser Armenia. In the ma
tive chronicles of the independence its
name never occurs, and we have to wait
until Paul of Aleppo passed that way in
the seventeenth century to hear OF the
weIl-known Armenian town Zeitoun." Ia
the mountains of their northern frontier
the fugitives founded two robber nests,
Hadjim. two days march above their an
cient capital. Sis. and this Zeitoun,
dozen hours to the northward of the city
of Mardsh. Both these strongholds can
he approached only through passes of ex-
IRENE difficulty. and both are set on
mighty islands of rock Joined to the abut-
ting mountain sides by narrow necks
Their houses cling bat-like to the face
of the buttress, the roof of one serving
for court yard to another above. For
streets they have the steepest and most
tortuous of alleys, cut by rude flights of
steps, ana dipping every now and again
under dark, narrow archways, which
could he closed in an instant against at
tack. The larger editices, churches. ha-
zaars, and government offices huddlc on
the narrow summit of the rock window
less until far above a mans reach. and
Sits. Fine brieand towns, in fact, where
corps of infantry might perish without
seeing a dozen of the foe.
HAHN is the more squalid, having from
the first been less successful i'm asserting
its independence. and il contains now as
abiect and poVerty-stricken "A population
of 1900 souls as any i'm all Turkey. The
valley below is straight and stony: the
uplands above of the bleakest. a few
Turks have been imported to strengthen
the official hands and many Circassians,
of more evil repute than usual. have re-
sponded to an invitation to settle i'm the
valleys around. Thus the back of the
lIadjmli has been broken thoroughly.
and i'm the present rising this descendant
of the feudal Armenians has hardly lifted
a finger. The Zeitounli, on the other
hand. has waxed rich 10y long immunity
in brigandaEe: gun on back and knife a
belt, he strides about his hills with the
agility of a goat and the gait of a lion.
H. all the eastern Taurus. and for many
miles out upon the plains, his is a name
of terror Ask any Syrian Villager bv
whom he would sooner be attacked a
Kurd or a Zeitounli, and he will pray Al
lah that IL he not the latter These noun
taineers have lived on plumber for CEN
turtles. respecting no man. Christian or
Moslem, except a Zcitounli, and paying
allegiance or taxes to no one but their
own Derc-beys. The most desperate bri-
gand with whom the authorities have had
TO cope for many a long day. Chulu. who
held up" the French vice consul at Diar-
bekr some three years back. and as late
as last summer was a terror in Mesopo-
tamia. is man OF Zeitoun. The race is
as handsome, as brave, tall, why,
but somewhat over-delicatc in fea-
ture, mutely reminding the trav-
eler that in its isolation il has in
bred for centuries and fiercely resisted
any infusion of new blood.