The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-11
THE NEW COLISEUM AND ITS
BLOODY ARENA.
By Twenty Years r. sident of Turkey.

AT the Chicago meeting to give
help to the sufferers in Armenia, one
of the speakers used the following
language:
A long time ago, in the Coliseum at
Rome, Christian martyrs we're brought
| out into the arena and savage bea SITS
we're let loose upon them and crunched
their bones and sucked their blood, to
the infinite delight of the bowling mobs
that witnessed the dying agonies of their
innocent victims. That Coliseum has
been rehabilitated in Asia Minor, only
on an infinitely larger scale, and all ma
tons are crowding around to see the
sickening sight. Among them are the
mightiest nations of our so-called Chris
tendon. whose flags have been emblaz-
oned with victory in almost every land
| and whose guns have Numbered defiant
| ly on almost every Sc a, [Great applausel Z.
They have only to say, mo more of
this or we let drive with all the might
that is in ue, and as sure as there is a
God in heaven every drop of blood that
you shed shall be paid for in your blood"
and the demon Of destruction would be
quickly quelled.
But the so-called Christian nations
are watching each other, instead of the
| Turk, and are thinking of their share in
the partitioning of Turkey when the
Christians are all killed off and the Mos
lens all driven off, and some of them
have large money invested in that infer
nal coliseum, money likely to be lost if
the show is broken up. And 30, though
their hands be on their swords and fine
words be on their lips, they simply look
on, while the heavens are lurid with
burning cities and the earth is deluged
with innocent blood.
Such impassioned words need great
and dreadful facts to substantiate
them. Such facts are coming in
daily with sickening regularity with
every mail. The area of the scene of
these massacres is about that of New
York and Pennsylvania. In this dis
trict at least fifty thousand, and pos
sibly one hundred thousand persons,
mostly men, have been killed, and
half a million, mostly women and
children, are wandering on the noun
tains, living on roots or are shivering
in the desolate remains of their once
happy homes.
These massacres have taken place
in over forty cities and towns and in
hundreds of villages. They were or
dered by the Sultan and were sternly
repressed until all was ready; then
soldiers and civilians among the Mo-
hammedans together rushed to arms
and Systematically began slaughter
ing the men, outraging women, and
torturing children, and pillaging
shops and houses. The wealthy and
influential class are especially the
mark of the destroyer.
In Trebizond the four Diradoorian
brothers, wealthy -four and commits
sion merchants, worth over hun
bred thousand dollars, were attacked.
Three were killed. The murder of
one was especially atrocious. The
morning of the massacre zaplieh or
military policeman, came to his mill
and told him that the chief of police
sent compliments and said that re-
volt of Armenians was hourly expect
ed to break out and if he wished
safety he should come to the govern
ment building, where he, the chief,
would protect him.
"All right" said the merchant, "sit
down and have lunch, and then we
will 60"
Refreshments were served to the
policeman and Mr.. D. and then they
started. After few steps the soldier
turned and shot Mr.. D. with his car
bine aud left him dead.
In Erzingen lived the Manashians,
wealthy merchants, father and two
sons. The father, was one of the
ten richest men of the city, univer-
sally respected. He and his two sons
were all killed, their houses and
shops plundered of everything, their
safe broken open and all vouchers
of government obligation destroyed.
The women of the family and five
little children are left with only boy
OF fourteen as their protector. From
wealth and happiness they are re-
duced to poverty and widowhood in
one day with only the clothes on
their backs in their desolate homes.
In Erzroum the massacre began at
noon with the sound of the bugle and
closed the same way with the "recall'
at 4:3O P. NJ; 56S bodies were buried,
two days later, in the Armenian ceme-
terry. About sixty of these were
women. In one house two married
women and a young girl of Is were
f,,-l dao1 ap6 almost naked m.