The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-10
VICTIMS OF THE TURK.
Terrible Situation OF the Remnants of
Christianity v Left i'm Asia Minor Foreign
Interference Alone Can Help Them.

London. Feb. ?.-The United Press
CORRESPONDENT at Constantinople sends
the following information:
In spite of the satisfactory reports
spread abroad by the Turkish govern
ment regarding the attack on Zeitoun,
II has not been IA success. The Zeitoun-
lis. fighting against superior numbers.
were favored by their impregnable po-
sitiOn and the winter season. In one
battle alone the Turkish losses art
given as thousands. although this num-
ber does not seem possible. The Zei-
tounlis are said to have enough prOvi-
sions to last until July. Whatever may
be the result of the mediation. no fur
ther attack can be made until after
March, Regarding the numerical
strength OF the Zeitounlis. nothing can
be said with certainty.
The unfortunate condition OF Tam
Zara near Shark Kara Hissar (prov-
ince of sSivas) has been mentioned be-
fore. The following letter. dated Jan.
3. was written by a native of the vii.
lage:
Upon Nov. a great crowd of Turks
came uDon the village and called upon
the people of the village to come out.
The men and women were made to
stand together and then in the presence
of the women the men were killed. Out
above years of age were killed on that
awful days. Then the houses were
stripped of all that was in them. The
women were stripped of their clothing
where it was worth carrying of. The
prettiest women were carried off by the
Turks. And now of TamZara there are
only 300 women and children left.
"You canot imagine the terrible con-
diton of these people. J nave seen.
again and again, young women. VINO
were delicately brought up, dressed In
two sacks, One it'll holes cut in corners
for the legs and the other with holes
for the head and arms. They were
happy to have so much in the way of
clothing, And the worst of everything
Is that the soldiers and Zabtchs, when
ever they choose, again and again
force their way into the houses in Tam
cara, here there are no men to beat
them off, and do what they like with
the women and girls. The government
has turned back these women every
time that they have tried to escape to
other places. and there is no hope for
these wretched women left. the spoils
of every passing Turk. unless some
poWer will be interested enough in them
to stop these continuous OutraSes.
That the Turks are waging n war
of determination against Ieitoun is
shown by their treatment of the VII
lagos around. FurnuZ is situated about
nine miles east df Zeitoun and with the
approach of the Turkish army the
Christians had fed into Furnuz from
the surrounding villages. until finally
there were at least four thousand people
crowded in to the town. They had
watchers out on the approaches to
give warning of the arrival of the
Turkish army with the intention of
fleeing to Zeitoun. In some way the
Turkish army eluded these watchers
and surrounded the town by night. so
that the unfortunate Christians awolse
TO find a Gordon around them. Three
hundred women and children were
brought by the soldiers to Marash
They say that the rest were killed.
This two days winter journey over the
snow was especially hard on the chill
dren. Many of them dropped down on
the way from exhaustion and were left
to die. The soldiers would not permit
the mothers to delay the march.