The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-01-16
ARMENIAN ouTRAeEs.
Commercial England RespOn-
sible for the Butcheries OF the
Christians by Kurds.
An Appeal to Americans for Assistance
for Suffering Armenians.

Barson. Mr.. Barson is an Armenian
resident Of Constantinople. The brutal
butchery of his Christian countrymen
by the Turks has included his father,
two brothers, sister and 18friends who
were killed in the slaughter at Kharput.
His address was graphic portrayal of
the horrible persecution of his country.
men and an eloquent appeal for the
sympathy and assistance of the Ameri.
can people in their behalf.
Mr.. Barson began his talk by thank.
ing his hearers that they think of his
country and for the efforts they are
making for her deliverance from perse.
cution. Armenia, he said, has been the,
cradle Of the human race and of civiliza.
ton; her people we're nota nation, but
people; her history the saddest bnt
Christian history. He presented the
helpless condition of Armenians at the
mercy of the Turks and Kurds, out.
ragged and slaughtered ruthlessly and
without cause. They we're not seeking
independence, but protection and just
ice.
Realizing the disinterestedness Of
Europe, the Turkish government had
begun the persecution and licensed the
wild Kurds to kill the Christians and
destroy their homes. The order was,
he said, if the Christians do not en-
brace the Mohammedan faith that they
we're to be killed wherever they were
found.
A few days since, he continued, re.
ports came from Constantinople of the
murder of all the Armenian Christian
teachers in Trebizonde and Erzeroum,
in all 70; % ministers and priests had
been killed in Bitlis by the Kurds. but
not yet has the death of one Moham.
medan preacher or priest been chroni.
cled in the bloody accounts ofthese awful
massacres.
Not because the latter were better
than the former we're they exempted
from the wholesale butchery, but be.
cause they invoked the blessings of
heaven in the name of Mohammed.
The prosecuted Armenians asked divine
blessing in the name of Christ and they
were killed in accordance with the com.
mand of the book of Mohammed that
they should be slaughtered. Abdul
Hamid is typical Mussulman; the
most faithful ruler that ever ascended
the throne of the empire and he is but
obeying the command of his God.
Upon England, he said, rests the
responsibility of this awful bloodshed,
not the better England but the com.
mercial England, which forgets and
repudiates pledges of protection in the
advancement of her trade. More than
a year has elapsed, but in spite of the
protest of better England and the prom.
ises of the porte not one of the per.
petrators of these massacres has been
punished and the work of extermina.
ton goes on without interruption.
Mr.. Barson related several instances
Of Turkish cruelty and butchery, illustra.
tive of the methods pursued against his
and reviewed the history
and cause of the present trouble, saying
that they had been robbed by taxation
Of everything they possessed and not
only this, but that the honor of their
women and young girls was at the
mercy of their prosecutors. Deceased
members of families were taxed for
seven years after their death. They
were robbed until they were destitute
and when they had nothing more to
give the government excited the Kurds
to destroy. and the army of the sultan
was sent to assist in the butchery.
He told of the pitiful destitution of
5000 homeless, starving and almost
naked Armenians seeking shelter in the
woods and caves in the midst of bitter
winter without food and subsisting upon
greens and the leaves of trees, their
waning under the exposure
and privation and the deadly ravages of
fever rapidly depicting their number.
Why is it, he asked that the Christian
powers have abandoned them to their
fate? How can We explain the hesi.
tation of Europe to terminate Turkish
rule in the world ? 1t is because there has
been no agreement reached as to the
division of her territory, and because
Europe needs the Turkish empire for q
market for her products, which the
Turk does not make and must conse.
quently import. Europe is waiting to
see the Armenian people embrace Mo.
hammedism because they are CONNER
cially in the preservation Of the Turkish
empire. With an eloquent appeal for
American assistance for his persecutad
ceuntrymen Mr.. Bsrson closed.
DR.. GLADDEN. then spoke briefly upon
the Eastern situation end at the con-
clusion of his remarks, collection for
the suffering Armepians was taken to be
forwarded to the national committee of