Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-02-27
THE TURK PRAISED
FOR THE RECENT MASS4CRES OF
ARMENIANS.
turkish Commissioners Visit n
Scenes of the Recent M~assncres,
Express Their Pleasure 10 the
Turks, but Ask Them TO Keep the
Peace-Armenians Are Threatened
Their Trouble.

CORRESPONDENCE of Associated PrcSS.)
Constautinople. Feb. u 1t will be
remembered that the sublime porte,
soon after the massacres in this u
try, sent out commissioners to inyestl-
gate into recent disturbances and o
measures for quoting the country.
One group of commissioners went TO
ErzCroun and the other entered the
country at Sassoun and came TO SiVas.
This commission from the interior did
its work very rapidly, spending only a
few days IN each of the principal cities
on their route. The day after their ar
rival they summoned before them a
number of the leading men, Moslems
and Christians. These were admitted
to the presence of the commissioners
separately, first the MoSlems, after
ward the Christians. Report says that
the commissioners said TO the Mos
lens: I'VE did not expect so much or
you: but now you have done 1t, never
mind. Henceforth keep the peace"
When the Christians were admitted
| the commissioners received them
standing and at once began to read an
| address reciting the benefits the Chris
tians had received during the reign or
the beniticent sultan. Abdul Hamid
Khan, and the pcrfidious conduct of
the Armenians who had started news
papers and sent men to Chicago and
| Washington to agitate and stir up the
nations against their government. In
conclusion the address said: Here
after il either Turks or Armenians
stir up trouble there will be no more
imprisonments, but the death penalty
will be visited upon such Offenders"
After reading the address Abdul An
PaSha began to address the Chris
tianS in n much more violent strain.
He said if the Armenians should
again begin to agitate, not even the
name of Armenian would be allowed
to remain; they would all be blotted
out. Drawing himself up to his full
height and stretching IL his arm like
a sword. he said: what we gained,
we gained with blood. and when we
give UP this morsel we viii give it up
with blood, blood, blood"
Converted Them.
Another fact of interest is the send
ing out of officials to enroll in the gov
eminent lists the names of Christians
who have become Moslems. Multi
tudes have been forcibly converted to
/ islam. ! do not mean simply that
they have been obliged to choose be-
tween becoming Moslems and perish
ing by the sword, but that they have
been bound or held while the rite of
circumcision wos performed without
their consent. know Of one case in
which an aged priest was tied to his
own door and circumcised, while in
other villages Christians begged to
be killed, and their Turkish neigh
bors said to them: mo, we want you
to till the fields. We will make you
Moslems," and they circumciscd the
Christians Of the place by force.
The carrying off of Christian girls
and women still continues. In the
city of Palu Turks carry off girls. keep
them a few days and return them dis
honored. : The sane is done in many
other places. In che of the Arabkfr
villages eight girls of the place are
imprisoned in Turkish harams. Their
friends hear their cries but can do
notring to help them. The destruction
of the Armenians beggars description.
Men who were wealthy in October
We're begging for bread in November.
Villages were pillaged of every scrap
Of food and clothing. 1t is estimated
there are between 10000 and 100, 900
people in extreme restitution.