The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-27
Wholesale Massacre of Christians
Probable if the sultan Succeeds in
Aiming All His Troops.
ATROCIOUS DEEDS At EGIll
OVER 1000 ARMENIANS KILLED RY
BARBAROUS MUssULMANS.
Many of the Victims Left on the Street
as Food for DOGs-Fresh Prom
Uses by the Porte.

CoNsTANTINoPLE, Oct. e. = The re-
port that trouble of serious nature is
brewing here has so often been sent out
that any fresh announcement to that effect
is looked on as having little or no founda-
ton in fact But in spite of this, it Is
but right to state once more that eV-
erything points to further and very seri-
Gus trouble preparing on all sides through
cut the Turkish empire. The ball was set
rolling on Wednesday last, when the Sui
tan signed two trades. which were issued
the next day, levying a poll tax OF hVe
piastres per head on all Mussulmans and
increasing the tax on sheep, public works
and education by / to IL per cent, the
funds so raised to be devoted to military
purposes This caused the representatives
of the powers to send a collective note to
the porte couched in the strongest Ian
euage calling attention to the danger that
the arming of the Mussulmans was certain
to create and pointing out generally the
critical situation of affairs in the turkish
empire But large purchases of arms have
already been made and the danger In
creases hourly.
The porte has sent a reply to the col
lective note of the ambassadors AS usual,
however, it was an evasive answer, ana III
substance simply stated that the money de-
rived from the additional taxes was only
intended to imply the armament of the
Mustahfuse, or Landstrum, the third and
last class of the Turkish army reserves,
and to strengthen the armament of the
other land forces of the Sultan, which con-
sist of the Nizam, or regular army, and
it's active reserve the redif, or Landwehra,
and the MuStahfuse already referred 10.
Conscripts in Turky serve six years IN
xr,;+1 fhaO a
the reserve Then they serve eight years
in the Redif, four. in the first class and
their years of service by serving six years
in the Mustahfuse. The action OF the Turk
ish government in completing the arma-
ment of the Mustahfuse indicates that the
empire is facing a situation which may ne
cessitate calling forth all the military
forces at it's disposal, and 1T also indicates
RusSo-Turkish war.
Under these circumstances ii is but nat
ural that considerable uneasness prevails.
OF course, there is always in view the pos
sibility, at least, that the Sultan by these
the attention of his subjects from the actual
state of affairs brought about by his NAL
administration, and that, seeing that the
powers are really in earnest and that an
understanding between Russia, France and
Great Britain means decisive action, he is
by these ornaments practically threatening
a wholesale massacre of the Christians and
announcing that Turkey will resist to the
Happily there IS one feature of the crisis
that has soothing influence upon Abdul
Hamid. This is the financial situation. 1t
is about as bad it possibly can be. All
negotiations on the part of the Turkish
government for temporary loan have
is one of utter helplessness. On top of this
the price of bread has risen 40 per cent. and
of o' wheat 20 S up This has ecdedv pi ace
gravated the prevailing distress and it's
consequent discomfort. The police continue
making arrests, and ii is understood that
many. more bombs have been found
In Armenia the greatest apprehension
in the city of Egin are just reaching here
in spite of the efforts made by the Porte
to suppress anything but the official news.
The Armenian report says that 1000 Ar
menians We're killed at Egin. so far as
known that no Turks were killed and that
houses standing for the Christian popula-
ton, and that the women and children
and in some of the remaining buildings,
bereaved, destitute and hungry to such an
extent that even the Governor General
telegraDhed they were in need of food.
The official account of the affair is that
the Armenians remained in the church on
Sunday and Monday SO long as to excite
suspicion and that the government repre-
sentatives sent officials to investigate.
These officials are said to have found that
the ArmenianS gathered in the church and
placed a rope around the neck of the rep
resentative of the Armenian patriarch and
shouting: why, you did not allow us to
make disturbance before?" The Turkish
shot
Tuesday, Sept. IA. which precipitated the
massacre. fired by Kassab Mangovb,
a prominent Armenian and that the Ar
menians emerged from their church armed
with $50 rifles and with bombs bearing the
names of their deposed patriarch Ixmriian.
and marched to the upper part of the town
where they met the soldiers who were re-
turning from driving off the Kurds and
that the Armenians ttereupon fired upon
This, the Turks say. led to reprisals
Whichever version of the massacre at
OF iC frIIa jc
effect of the slaughter, plundering and
burning of houses. is very serious 1t is
claimed that in certain quarters when the
heavy SHOWS are ON the ground and the
escape of the unfortunate Armenians is
ain ost impossible. when the telegraph
wires are down and the roads impassa bic
the Turk will resume his butchering. with
the knowledge that the news will not reach
Europe or America until the massacras
are practically things of the past IN ba
denied and eventually condoned by Iapse
of time. The reports from Egin aiso 81
that number of Christians I bo also say say
murdered in adjacent villages since The
massacre in the city
The events of the past year have serious
~ weakened the authority of the Turkish
government over it's Mohammedan sub
} }s th very little confidence can be placed
IN me soldiers and gendarmes, as the lat
ter have received no pay for many montbe
and see no immediate prospect of getting
any.
Bodies Left Food for Dogs.
BOSTON, Mass. Oct. 26.-Advices from
'A"Ap pvt SdSlcIii III hey, received in BOS-
ton confirm dispatches to the Associated
Press in regard to the extent and barbaritv
of the recent massacre at Egin. These adj
vices state that many of the dead were left
In the streets for days as food for dogs and
large numbers were thrown into the En-
pirates The bodies We're seen floating
down the river forty and fifty miles below
the city In some cases whole families
were oblterated. Exact statistics Of
course. cannot be given now but it is
feared that 1000 is an underestimate. All
- ng1Xr ut h.l
that the massacre was official, and that it
was wholly without reason.
HAS THE SULTAN WEAKENED.
1t Is Now Said Reforms VIII at Once
Be Introduced.