The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-02-27
rnM..lNmnxilX oUrnAG rs.
Story Told by "a luf'dsh Official Whose
Heart WAS Touched,


Boston, Feb 26.--An intelligent Turk
ish official, whose heart has been great
ly moved by the recent outrages in the
province of kharpout, has prepared a
document, of which the following is a
translation, and forwarded it to Boston,
Coming as it does from Mohammedan,
who has title and is in the public SER
vice, 1t is document, says the cores
pondent in Constantinople who for
warded it, of no small interest and i'm
portanee for 1t is a testimony indie
pendent OF any other testimony which
has been given, but which on every
essential point confirms what has been
previously related.
The translation of the Turkish state
ment accompanying the table of statis-
tics, is as follows:
A petition in behalf of the Armenians
was given to the powers, in the hope OF
improving their condition. An imperial
tirman was issued for carrying out the
reforms suggested by the powers.
On this account the Turkish popula-
ton was much excited, and thought
that an Armenian principality was to
be established, and they began to show
great hostility to the poor Armenians,
who had been obedient to them and
with whom they had lived in peace for
more than GOO years. To the anger Of
the people We're added the permission
and help OF the government, and So
before the reforms were undertaken,
the whole Turkish population was
aroused, With the evil intent OF obliter-
ating the Armenian name; and so the
Turks Of the province, Joining with the
neighborlng Kourdish tribes by the
Thousand, armed with the weapons
which are allowed only to the army
and with the help and under the guild
ance of Turkish officials, in an open
manner, in the day time, attacked the
Armenian houses, shops, stores, monas-
teries, churches and schools and COM
mitted the fearful atrocities set forth in
the accompanying table. They killed
bishops priests, teachers and common
people with every kind of torture, and
they showed special spite toward &C.
clesiastics by treating their bodies with
extra indignity, and in many cases they
did not allow their bodies to be buried
Some they burned, and some they gave
as food to dogs and wild beasts.
They plundered churches and monas-
teries, and they took all the property of
the common people, their flocks and
herds, their ornaments and their money,
their house furnishings and their food,
and even the clothing of the men and
women in their flight. Then, after plum
dering them, they burned many houses,
churches, monasteries, schools and mar
kets, sometimes using petroleum, which
they had brought with them to hasten
the burning; and the large stone
churches which they could not burn
they ruined in other ways. Some
churches were converted into mosques,
and devoted to Moslem worship; other
churches suffered all sorts of defle-
ment; the sacred books were torn in
pieces and cast upon the dung hills,
and even the priestly garments used in
the celebration of the mass were put
upon harlots. Besides this, priests lay
men, women and even small children
were made Moslems by force. They
put white turbans on the men and cir
cumcized them in q cruel manner They
cut the hair OF the women in bangs,
like that of Moslem women, and made
them go through the Mohammedan
prayers. Married women and girls
were defiled, against the sacred law,
| and some We're married by force, and
are still detained in Turkish houses.
Especially III Palu, Severek, Malatia,
Arablzir and Chooukoosh many women
and girls were taken to the soldiers
barracks and dishonored. Many, to
escape such dishonor, threw themselves
into the Euphrates and some commit
ted suicide in other ways.
1t is clear that the majority of those
killed in Kharpout, Severels, Husenik,
Malatia and Arabkir were killed by the
| soldiers, and also that the schools and
churches of the missionaries and Gre
gorians in the upper quarter OF Kllar-
pout city, together with the houses,
were set on fire by cannon balls.
At present merchants, bankers and
others of the principal Armenians are
obliged to beg their bread. If immedi-
ate aid is not sent, multitudes of the
sufferers will perish Of hunger and cold
during the winter. The government
| makes little effort to provide for the
comfort and security of the people, and
| unless special protection is provided,
the survivors will perish like the rest
1t is impossible to state the amount
of the pecuniary loss. The single city
of Egin has given 1900 (some say 1900
| Turkish pounds as ransom.
/ These events have occurred for the
reasons I have mentioned. wish to
show by this statement. which I have
written from love to humanity, that the
Armenians gave no occasion for these
| attacks.
The Turk whose document is thus
| translated figures that the total deaths
in the province of Harpoot have been
1884; the wounded, S,000 houses burn
ed 1852; and that the number Of desti-
| tute is 94,S70.
An eye witness of some Of the above
mentioned dreadful events. a man of
the highest reputation, appends to the
above statement the following words:
strange as these statements are,
they are not overdrawn. The facts Ii is
| impossible to exaggerate. Every place
| has its own tale of horror, and when
| individual cases are examined, the rec
ord is too awful for the human ina gin
alton. Only Cod and the angels can
! b T. t.