New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-06-24


of the most horrible outrages on record.
The powers of the earth, after seeing
some thirty to forty thousand Armenian
Christians massacred in cold blood, have
at last decided to stop trifiing with the
s.sick man of the East" and are sending
their fleets to Constantinople to compel
him to keep his promises. The powers
have disgraced themselves by netacting
before this time For while they were
holding conferences and talking about
this most important matter, the blood
thirsty Turk has been busying himself
uprooting Christian nation subject to
him.
IL vain has the Sultan proclaimed his
ignorance of the outrageous doings OF
bis soldiery. Reliable reports from the
affected regions have called the attention
of the civilized world to the oppression
and misrule of that Turkish monster,
the Sultan, who is the only responsible
ruler in the Ottoman empire, and who
governs according to his own free
will. He has in vain attempted to
lay the blame at the door of. the Armenl-
ans, who, although they hold in their
minds deep-rooted longing for liberty,
have not permitted themselves even to
think of engaging in revolt against the
authority of the sultan, however great
their desire to be freed from the irk-
some rule of their oppressor.
Reports from inhabitants of the re-
gions, who have spent many years near
the scene of the outrage, the tales of eye
witnesses, and even the confessions of
more tender hearted soldiers, lay the
whole story clearly before us. 1t seems
that some Turkish soldiers, or rather
semi official robbers, after plundering
Armenian villages of cattle, were pur-
sued by the Armenians in the hope of
regaining their stolen property, and in a
fight that ensued several of the robbers
were slain. This was, as they thought,
enough provocation to excuse them for
carrying out what they had Sc long de-
sired, namely, the determination of the
Armenian Christians.
When a report of the affair had been
submitted to him, the Sultan at once Or
derel his infantry and cavalry to sup
press the rebellion. But his soldiers not
finding any revolt, devas. lated the country,
SO that in the future none should be at
tempted. AS some of the soldiers them
selves report, one hundred victims were
allotted to each of them to dispose Of.
No compassion was shown to age or sex,
even when the victims fell suppliant at
their feet. From thirty to forty thous-
and Christians met fa,e such as the
darkest ages of history have not wit
messed. For then, defenceless woman
and children had the chance of life in
slavery, while in this case men, women,
and children met the same death-the
sword or the bayonet. Tender babes at
the breasts of their suppliant mothers
were rransfxed by the weapon of the
merclless Turk. Some of the Christians
were permitted to choose between Islam
and the sword, but in all cases, so far as
known, they died true to their faith. In
one place, one hundred or more victims
were crowded into a church and cruelty
murdered, and blood issued in streams
from the door, while in other places,
thev were crowded into their houses and
burned alive.
But why should I prolong this sicken-
ing tale? It is enough that an outrage,
horrible in its details, like the one, some
OF the particulars of which have just been
narrated, cONld have been committed IN
Il country and by the soldiers of IL ruler
who had been taken into the so-called
"Concert of Europe" and had agreed to
dlyest himself and his people of the bar
barrie ideas of their ancestors, and that
the other powers of the concert have
failed to do their duty, namely to COM
pei the Turk to live up to his agreements.
1t would seem that the other six part
ners would he ashamed of their blood
thirsty companion, and i'll the name Of
humanity, not only declare him out of
the concert, but also uproot that rotten
empire whose rulers have devastated the
fairest regions of the globe and hold an
oppressed population under their sway
by the power of the sword. The TACT
that this is not the first massacre of the
kind instituted by the "unspeakable
Turk" throws even more disgrace upon
The European powers.
Look over the items of Turkeys ac-
count and you will be astonished to learn