The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-03-18
DEEDS OF TURKISH DEV.
ILTRY At HARPOOT.

news from Harpoos shows that 10 taa'
village at least some sort of orders hase
gone out to discounteoance the forced
conversions. Whea the authorities
from Harpoot teiegeapbed to Coustao'
tiuople for iostractioas the reply cane
"Do not use force to convert" The
local Governor interpreted the orders
literally, and even announced that
everyone was to retase. In one quae.
ter Of Harpoot all the Christians had
been converted and eiseumeised, SO that
.shey feared to open their church. But
the Ulema or religious leaders of the
Moslems came 10 body aud begged
them to renew their services in the
church. This change however, is
only in the cities and large towns, 10
the villages and hamless such orders
will have no effect. The Mollabs and
oetey Mukhtars can easily see to it that
10 one returns. Only K some one OF
them is punished will these Mollahs un-
aerstaud that i; is dangerous to intim
idete. 1t seems hopeless almost to talk
of punishment for religioss oppressors,
whea countless murderers go uohuog.
In Jsschmen a certain we'll known
sheik ten days after the oRtbreak mur-
dered forty persons 10 cold blood at the
door of the church aud surely some re-
eogaitioa should be made of such
crime. In regard to othes "ourders the
excuse Of the Government has been
chat it will be impossible to bring home
any single act to any one peEson. This
sbeik, however. ten days after quiet was
restored, invited all the leadisg Chris
sians to conference Some feared and
hid about sixty. however, assembled
ia the church, when the door was locked
upon them. then under the lead of this
shiek the Moslems brought out these
men one at time. Forty refused to
accept the Isham aud were killed.
Here is certaiuly one clear case that
ought to DC taken up.
Ir January Turkish officials 10 the
country>districts Of Harpoot and Diar-
bekir occupied themselves with visiting
the villages recently converted" IN
ssructing the people on 90 account to
admit, 10 case they were asked. that
they had been forced to accept Islam.
The people we're informed that death
would be the penalty for complaints of
the corApulsion used to convert them.
There are Is. 900 of these forced COD.
verts 10 the province of Harpoot alone,
and 10, 900 in the whole region devas-
tated by the massacres. 10y dispatch
of consuls by the powers would easily
verify the facts reported. and would
also reveal the pitieous pleadings of
these people for deliverance from servi-
tude from hatred religion. Iuforms.
tioo from various points in the provinces
of Siya, Harpoot. Diarbekir, Bislis and
Van shov that the process of forcing
Christians to become Moslems is still 10
active progress.
Io twenty-eight villages in the dis
trict of Harpoot st last accounts Janu-
ary 3U) there had been no Christian
worship held since the first week 10
November. This abo!l'iop Of Christian
worsss:p among q Christiao people is a;
least coonived at by the imperial au
thori,ies, for they do nothing to protect
the worshippers from the attacks Of the
Mohammedans, who declare that it
shall no more be allowed The aboli
ton Of worship is simply part Of the
scheme to abolish Christianity.
The name of the Rev. Hagop
Abouhagatan, pastor of the Protest
ant Church at Oorfa, in the province
of Aleppo, must be added to the
long list cf Protestant clergymen
who have died as martyrs during the
recent massacres. He was an able
and devoted man. graduate Of
German university (Leipsig) He
was murdered on the 29th of Decem-
Der, when the second horrible mas
sacre, this time of over 1000 Chris
tians, took place at Oofa.
: The purpose to abolish Christianity
Is pressed forward With the whole
force Of the Government BY the IN
direct means of depriving the Chris
tian communities Of their rneh nf in
auence, who have survived the mas.
sacres. In every town or city where
the rnassacres occurred arrests OF
such men are now in progress. No
charges are preferred against the
men arrested They are arrested
simply at the will of the Governor.
The communities are thus deprived
of their natural advisors and remain
a prey to any enterprise which the
petty officials of the Government on
the lmams of the Moslem Hierarchy
choose to inaugurate against them.
At Aintab one of the Protestant pas.