The Portland daily press., 1896-07-21
CHARGES AaAlNsT A MISSIONARY.
Turkish Authorities Declare Rev. Mr.. Bit.
lis Incited Acts of Violence.

Boston, July 20. Tho American Board
has received q translation of the charges
against Rev. George Knapp, which have
been forwarded by the Turkish minister
of foreign affairs to the United States
charge diaffairs ct Constaninople. 1t will
be remembered that Mr.. Knapp though
under great pressure to leave the country
without submitting to u trial has re-
manned at Constantinople, demanding
thai formal charges be made, and that
there be a judicial investigation.
kev. E. Il. Strong, ID. D., editor of
the Missionary Herald, says that the
charges rsfute themselves, and that If 90
persons have been found TO make depos1-
lions of this sort they must have been
made at Bitlis; it was entirely without
the knowledge of Mr.. Knapp or his
friends.
Here are the charges:
This missionary, who was one of the
principal mninstays Of the Huntchagist
committee at Bitlis, INDUCED in all sorts
of subserviso intrigues. Ii was at lis in
stigaton that Armenian agitators pro-
voked disturbances in the provinces.
III fact this missionary was aiways in
correspondence with armenian leaders,
among whom was Hampariscom (alisS
Muorad) chief of the Sassoun and Teinri
insurgents, in order TO stir up trouble
with view of creating an armenian
principality in Asia Minor. and used to
aend to Sassoun and elsewhere under tho
protext of distri buting did, emmissaries
who were charged with the mission of
giving most pernicious oounsels to the
inba bitants. IDcited by him the agita-
tor Hoisep, son of Carabed, and several
of his Armenian compositions had at
tempted in the open street of Bitlis to
toreibly abduot q KUordish girl from her
PARENTS Mt the same time calling the
latter by the most abusive names and
disappearing the imperial government
and che Mussulman religion.
8 b is missionary, in company with
certain agitalora, used to hold meetings
at his house or in the churches, or at the
bis hops residence, in order TO prepare
the Bitlis incident. It was he who had
Migrants in his hire and armed then in
order to provoke trouble. lie encouraged
the oredulous ArmeniaDs to attack tue
mosques during the Friday prayer and
kill the faithful, TO asSasinate the Mussul-
ma officials and notables whom thoy
met in lonely PLACES and TO urge such of
their owns nationality who were faithful
to the imperial government TO refu se TO
pay their taxes and to address such
language TO the III ussulmen as would
tend to excite tllem.
In one word he did his utmost to dis
turb order and peace. Ho acted as inter-
nediary i'll the exchange OF guilty CORE
spondence, propagated the most 1evolu-
tionary idsas and spread abroad sensa-
tiOnal runners.
tio ms governing public instruction, he
briod TO incalGate SUPERVISE principles
into The minds Of his pupils, and sought
to indGoe the ArInenians to embrace
Protes tnntism. He persuaded those of
them who occupied public places not to
go TO their posts. 1t WAS by the alarm
signal, Risen by means OF @ bell which
he bad installed uear his house, that the
Armenians shut their shops and attack sd
the mosques at the time of the Bitlis dis
turbance.
= The Armen1anE, IAanaZap, Serpe and
1ionprey, the latter Mr.. Knapp's servant,
who wounded d certain khvork Agha
BaKalin, have testified before the exami-
nary magistrate that they committed
this crime under orders from missionary
Knapp, who promised to give one hun
dred pounds to whomsoeyer succeeded in
killing one or more members of tbs
Bakalian family, and TO provide for this
future of his wife and children. They
have further testified that it was George
Knapp himself who furnished the re-
volver used in the perpetration of the
crime.
at is also stated In their dispositions
that this missionary was aware of revoiu-
| tionary plans Of the Arinenians, and that
he had advised them to assasinate SONS
of their fellow Christians in order that
the crime might. be attributed to Mussul-
mans. Quite recently Mr. Knapp had
| used abusive Language toward the
Mussulmans passing III front of his house
| and bad sought to provoke the Mussul-
man population to fresh troubles All
these facts are established by judicial ex-
animation. Besides Ham mazap, Sepre
and Mir. Knapp's servant, the persons
whose names follow ,Nalso made deposit
tons against this missionary"