San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-12-21

SHE LEAPED FROM THE PRECIPICE.
gun anew after the floods subsidized,
for Armenia is one of the oldest lands
and its people trace their lineage direct
to that Biblical emigrant ship which
| coloniZed it when the world was young.
From many quaint, flat-roofed dwell
ing arose Christmas carols to which
soft-yoiced echoes sang responsive
choruses among the cliffs, and at least
one church bell tried bravely, singly
and alone, to supply an imitation of
Christmas chimes. 1t was a peaceful
picture, upon which the stars twinkled
approvingly as they bespangled the
slopes with frost-diamonds and coated
countless sparkles from the pallid snow.
The Armenians are devout people, and
make much of the Christmas festival.
! This little hamlet was in many respects
not unlike Bethlehem, and near it were
many shepherds who guarded their
fiocks by night, as did those of Judea
when the angels sang of peace on earth,
! good will to men.
At the home of Abanazar, the head
man of the village, there were quiet
! festivities, decorations of holly and
other evergreens, songs of praise and
stories which for generations had hand
ed down cherished traditions and
legends of Armenia. There were the
aged grandfather and grandmother,
Abanazer and his good wife, three little
! girls ranging from six to twelve years
old, and Zillah, the 16-year-old daugh-
ter, with her affianced lover Akthar,
the stalwart young herdsman. She
was beautiful maiden, with regular
features, large eyes aglow with love,
the small but symmetrical form char
acteristic of so many women of her
race. In her picturesque costume she
was marvellously handsome, and her
tones were as musical as the tinkle
of silvery bells or the low notes of Ak
thar's flute, to which she sometimes
sang a soft accompaniment. The pleas
ant scene in this home was duplicated
in many others that starlit Christmas
eve.
Suddenly the scene changed. The
! church bell rang in sharp, short strokes,
a spirited alarm, confusion succeeded
calm, and there were excited exclama-
tons ard hurrying in hot haste as
derdashed madly down the one central
street, shouting: Save yourselves,
Christians, the Kurds are coming!"
! But there was no time. Close upon
his tracks came hundreds of swathy
horsemen, turbaned and fierce, with
loud Mohammedan maledictions
shouted in deep-voiced hate, and eyes
which cleaned like live Goals from be-
meath beetling brows. In a moment
pandemonium seemed to have broken
loose, the guns spoke sharply, seine
tars flashed in silver and turned Grim
son, and soon the flames from burning
buildings cast their lurid glare over an
earthly hell wherein fiends held high
carnival in shedding innocent blood.
Abanazar and his family, with others,
gained the church which stood on the
edge of a precipice, and there made q
brave stand, but it was useless
Breaches were made in the walls, the
place carried by storm, and hundreds
slain before the altar dedicated to peace
and decorated with Christmas symbols
in readiness for the morrow. The foo
literally ran in blood, and Zillah. il
speechless anguish beheld the men q
her family and her lover cut down. ant
women subjected to tortures whicl
chilled her to the soul. With othe
women and girls she fought heroicaily
but finally found herself breathless an
. disarmed in the embrace of Rustcn
the huge leader of the Kurds, who ha
often in days of peace paid her after
, tions rs often repealed.
: Suddenly she drew the steel bodki
: from her hair, plunged it with unerrin
r aim and the strength born of desper;
4 ton into the giants heart, and as h
0 sank to the floor she bounded to III
4 side of the church, seized lighte
n taper, opened a trap door in the iioo
, hurled the light into supply Of powde
{ stored there, and springing through
side door leaped from the precipice 9
a scores of other women had done with
the horrible half hour preceding. Thei
was a flash, thunderous roar, and II
solid church seemed to be heaved hig
o, in air, while in the lurid light of tho G,
plosion dead bodies of men and wome