Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-24
DID THEIR WORK TOO WELL
Extent of the Reproof Administered to the
Plunde-ers of Armenia.
SIGNIFICANT WARNING FOR CHRISTIANS
Turks Do Not Look Kindly on the
Sending of Aid from Foreign Coun-
tries-Destitution and suffering
from Cold Are Terrible.

remembered that the sublime porte, soon
after the massacres in this country, sent cut
con- missoners to investigate recent disturb
ances and take measures for quieting the
country. One group OF commissioners went
to Erzeroum and the other entered the coun-
try at Sassoun and came to Sivas. This COM
mission 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 arrival, when summoned, there
appeared before them number of leading
men, Moslems and Christians. These were
admitted to the presence of the commits
sioners separately, first the Moslems after
ward the Christians The report says the
commissioners said to the NJ Stems: We did
not expect 50 much of you, but now you have
done it, never mind. Henceforth you must
keep the peace
when the Christians wee admitted the
commissioners received them standing and
at once began to read an address recting
the benefits the Christians had received dur
ing the reign of the benefcent sultan, Abdul
Hamid Khan, and the perfdious conduct Of
the Armenians, who had started newspapers
and sent men to Washington and Chicago
to agitate and stir up the nations against
their government. In conclusion the address
said: Hereafter, If either Turks or Ar
menans stir up trouble, there would be no
impfisonments, but the death penalty will
be visited upon such Offenders After the
reading of the address Abdul AL Pasha began
to address the Christians in a much more
violent strain. He said If the Armenans
should again begin to agitate. not even the
name Of Armenian would be allowed to re-
main; they would all be blotted out Draw
ing himself up to his full height and stretch
ing out his arm like sword he said What
q nd
we give up this morsel we give 1t up with
blood, blood blood
80 far as l can learn in the Harpoot
villayet the commissioners spent all their
time in Mezren, and did not even visit the
city of Harpoot, which was plundered and
burned, although it is only two miles from
Mezren. No questions were asked of the
Christians summoned before them. When
the commissioners had finished their speeches
they dismissed them.
CONVERTED BY FORCE.
Another fact of interest is the sending out
Of officials to enroll in the government lists
the names of Christians who have become
Mosems. Multitudes have been forcibly con-
verted to Islam. / do not mean simply that
they have been obliged to choose between
becoming Moslems and perishing by the
sword, but that they have been bound or
held while the rite of circumcision was per-
formed 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 neighbors said to them: No
we want you to till the feds We will make
you Moslems and they circumcised the
Christians by force.
"The government has said that these con-
versions were worth nothing, and no one
would be forced to change his religion but
now government officials write the names
Of these new converts, while the Turks drive
n Say In
lage Of Sheikhaj, the officials said to the
Christians, L write your names on a sepa-
rate list to satisfy the Turks there is no
force about it But one acquainted with
Turkish ways may expect to find those Chris
tians soon enrolled as Moslem citizens The
carrying off of Christian girls and women,
too. still continues. In the city OF Palu,
Turks carry off girls keep them for few
days and return them dishonored. The
same is done in many other places. In
one Of the Arabekir villages, eight girls of
the place are imprisoned in Turkish harems.
Their friends hear their cries, but can do
nothing to help them.
THE destitution of the Armenans beg
gars description. Men who were wealthy in
October were begging for bread in Novem-
of food and clothing. When the plunde rers
could find nothing more to carry off, the
villagers returned and sifted the dust IN
gather few kernels OF wheat or barley.
Doors and windows were carried off. In
many cases the timbers Of the houses were
pulled out and carried Off. Jars were broken.
Everything OF value which could not he
carried away was broken. Windows. cup
boards and boxes were smashed. The utmost
pains were taken to leave behind nothing Of
value.
DESTITUTIoN is TERRIBLE.
"And all this was done at time when
WRITER was so close at hand as to make i.
reasonably sure that cold and hunger would
destroy those whom the sword had spared.
Wherever you go you meet want, pinched
faces and people clad in scanty garments.
and you know that multitudes spend the
long, cold night huddled together, with
nothing to lie down upon and nothing to
cover them. OF course, disease sets In and
carries them Off 1t is estimated there are
between $4,000 and 100000 people in extreme
destitution.
Europe and America are touched with
compassion. and funds are being Ca hered
for the relief OF the sufferers in every town
and city. II is far otherwise with the Turk.
He views his work with complacency and
does not like to see 1t interfered with. The
government has given little aid occasion
ally In many cases the allowance is one,
sixth as much as is given to Turkish gen.
darme or soldier. have seen the bread gwen
in several places. 1t resembles the linseed
cake used in Europe and America for feeding
cattle Even this allowance is seldom coz
share of the governments appropriations for
the relief of the destitute goes into the
pockets Of officials. Moreover. the Turks
are hostile to relief work and oppose it in
various ways
I'm the city of Palu the Turks said to
the Christians If our beneficent sultan
wishes you to have money he is abundantly
able 10 give it, but he has not seen ft to
do so, and now you are receiving money
from the English and forming an alliance
with them We will cut you on No Chris
ian in ..alu dares to receive or distribute
funds. ] happen to know that the Armenian
missionaries tried to send money into Palu,
and ii was returned to them because no one
in Palu dared to receive it, The same is
true of the town of Choncoush.
'In some of the villages tax gatherers
took from the villagers the scanty pittance
they had received to keep them alive. They
bat them to extort from them the money
One poor villager said The rod is hard
and the hesn is soft 50 we gave it up
II $50 by the papers that the Red Cross
Is about TO take up this work OF rellef, but
greatly fear the Turkish government will
exhaust all its tactics TO keep them from
entering the country. While negotiations are
pending the Armenians will be dying. Then
II they succeed In entering Turkey, they
will have 10 encounter population hostile
to their work, who have been emboldenei
by their success in recent raids. IL is hard
to predict the result. 1t should be said
thera are executions 10 the hostility of the