The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-06-02

= nc luAluWNlH 4he!4N hiN ANh. AASAAA
tho thousands established by incontro-
vertlbla evidence. ard confirmed by
blue books. consular reports and ufim-
peaclable testimony OF eye Witnesses
notwithstanding the unsDeakahle
shame that thoge who were so brave as
to testify in the face Of almost certain
imprisonment, torture and death, to
these terrible truths; before European
and Turkish consuls and commissions
we're deserted by "The Great Powers
and left de6enseless to be Imprisoned,
tortured and put to death by every dew
ilish device which demons incarnnte
could contriYe, while the christian
nations looked on IN criminal ac-
quiescence, reading the bloodlest,
blacklist record that has ever blotted
the pages of human history, In guilty
silence. when the guns on the greatest
armaments the world has ever seen,
should be laundering up to the very
throne of the Eternal against these
worse tkan helllsh horrors which no
mortal mind could begin to Imagine In
all their awful blending Of tears and
blood and agony and death with which
II is written by bloody sword and bayo-
net, dripping dagger and CORY spear,
deadly ball and cruel blows, torments
and fortunes too terrible 10 tell, crimes
that boil the blood to dream OF, wrongs
that wiring the heart to think OF, hor-
rOrN that slckan the soul to hear OF,
deeds no decent tongue could speak Of,
by demons who disgrace our race, and
desecrate our age, and damn us II In
different.
Truly, no pencil could picture, no pen
could depict, no tongue could tell the
terrible details OF these awful tragedies
Of modern martyrdom in the midst OF
the maddest maelstrom Of death and
destruction that has we're darkened the
ages; as Moh0mmednn dcmoniacs, with
their Wild dellrium of devillsh delight
in obedience to orders OF the sultan,
seemed determined TO eXtermlnate the
Christians OF Sassoun, this scene oc-
CURED, as sworn TO by eye Witnesses
II being but ono Of innumerable In
stances Of the like:
An Armenian mother, a pure, Chris-
tlan woman. assaulted by the Turkish
soldiers, fell ON her knees and implored
them for the sake of her unborn babe
to spare her. allah. himself will re-
ward you richly for this mercy shown
to a woman In my state!" she cried.
No attention was paid to her pleas
but soldier offered to bet as to the sex
OF the babe.
stakes put up, and the pleading mother
merclleysFy torn open, amid their yells
Of flpnllsh laughter, TO settle the cues
ton. when the wager was paid, while
babe and mother suffered so and died,
because she bore the name OF Christ
4, "a VEtm
Another scene at sassoun which gives
us a glimpse of that awful carnival Of
hellIsh cruelty shows the soldiers
drunken with their bloody debauoh,
betting on how many helpless Christian
children they could ALL at one stroke OF
the sword.
81 bet you ten tshireks can cut clean
through the neclSs OF four Christian
puppies as one stroke Of my scimitar, y
Done" shouted a crowd of Turkish
regulars, as they snatched four tender
children from the arms OF their frantic
mothers, and bound them amid heart
rendlng screams one neck above an
other.
The brave Turk, who had made the
bet touched the neck OF the nearest
stroke. His bright sclmitar flashed for
an instant above them. then four little
llfeless forms Quivered In the blood
stained dust, before their mothers eyes,
to whom such death itself would have
been most unspeaknbly more mercitul
than such an agoniZing sight.
Turkish soldiers took delight In plac-
Ing long lines of Christian children In
files to be fired at as targets, to see how
many little helpless, homeless. hungry
lnnocents they could kill or wound, or
cripple for life with one cruel shot,
while others were torn apart by their
limbs, and others had their jaws
wrenched asunder, and sui others were
held IN by their hair 10 he dncapltated
or dcformed for life, before their broken
hearted mothers. Many women. with
babes unborn, were ripped open and
their babies carried about upon spear
points in sport.
In one village about sixty young
brides. with the most beautiful girls,
were crowded Into their Christian
church and kept there for days TO sau-
ate the lust of their tormentOrs, till they
were done to death, and their blood
strcamed from the doorway into the
street,
In another, the most attractive wo-
men of the place We're promised 10 pc
spared II they would deny their ialtn,
but pointing to the dead bodies 81 tnelr
fathers, husbands and brothers before
them. they replied:
"Why should we deny Christ? We
are no better than they! XIII us, too.
So they shared the same shametuI
fate of thousands OF Christian women
and girls Of Armenia.
Their natural defenders having been
traaCheruuSly disarmed by the imperlnI
government I'm preparation Tor TINS
Wholesale robbery. outrage ana slaugh-
Tor, Christian women and children WERE
hunted like Wild beasts, after the losS OF
their fathers. husbands ana brothhIs' 70
bp turned over by thousands IN obnul-
cncc To imperial orders. to serve the
brutal lust Of thelr Mohammedan per-
sprutprs ill those were tired OF then'
when those who had survived We're
hnckcd to death by swords ana mayo
nets. or left tol!ugcr and die.
Rands Of hundreds Of starving near
~ mixed. tnrrOTiZed women, whose nus
hands fathers and brothers had been
Imprlsonod or slaughtered, and homes
dp5iroved saught mercy OF command
Irg officers of troops OF the sultnn in
vain. In anuwor to their tears and en-
tratics, they were ordered 70 be OUT
rtgcd and then butchercd in drdves, by
Inc demons who had agillod them, when
wearled Of their devilish debauch.
Turkish Torturts.
But this was better than Mohamme-
dan captivity for Christian women
which is and has been the common lot
Of beautiful Armenian girls and women
FOR ages passed. when Kurd or Turk
could take them alive.
one band Of brave women, worthy OF
the ndmitutlcn Of the whole world, had
defended their little ones, their lives
and their honor day and night ~ over