St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-25
MASSACRE AT MARsovAN.
st. Paul Girls story of the Awful
Carnage.

st. Paul Cribs story of the Awful
Carnage.
young woman who formerly lived
in st. Paul, but who is now in the
missionary service in Armenia, writes
this letter regarding the massacre at
MarSoVan:
The collection at Marsovan of force
of Redif troops, said to number over
a thousand, and the constant repeti-
ton Of stories of violence in other
cities, threw the whole population of
Marsovan into high state of excite
ment The Turks were overbearingr
and threatening and the Christians
paralyzed with fear. On Thursday,
the 18th of November, the excitement
eliminated in a report that the Turks
were declaring they had received au-
thorization to kill Christians for four
hours on the next day Friday, the
15th. Armenian merchants and others
presented this story to the kaimakam
and asked his advice about closing
their shops and remaining at home on
that day, The kaimakam assured
them that they had nothing to fear,
and that he would protect them. The
next day they were butchered in their
shops, and the entire stock Of their
goods looted, as we'll as those of many
others Who escaped. IS The
storm burst on MarsoVan Friday, the
10Th. AT noon, while the Turks were
IN the mosques, an alarm was raised
that one of the mosques had been at
tackled by Armenians (but no one can
point out which mosque it was). At
once multitude of Turks rushed to
their houses, seized their arms and
made an onslaught upon the market.
There they seem to have slaughtered
right and left as many Armenians as
they came across. Others attacked
and looted private houses. This bloody
work began very near to our premises.
On the east and south we could hear
storm and shrieks mingled with pis-
tol ana musket shots and fierce bat
ter1ng on doors. Especially on the side
nearest to the girls boarding school
pandemonium reigned, until it had
spent itself there and surged on to
richer fields near the markets Bullets
came humming over and struck the
girls school building. Finally the
sounds grew fainter and the firing
more distant. We had two Circassians
on the premises, one our permanent
night Waterman, and the other was
the kavoss of the consulate at Twas,
who CHANGED to be here on his way
pack from Samsoun. They have done
us good service. We sent them to
communicate with the kaimakam,
whom tney found patrolling the city,
and putting check to the bloodshed.
lie told them he had already sent SOL
dlers to surround our premises to pre-
vent any evil being done there. These
soldiers were soon observed in SQUADS
outside OF our walls, and, while this
increased the perturbation of some no
raid upon our grounds was allowed.
towards night the kaimakam himself
came TO see US, and brought a guard of
twenty-five men under a lieutenant,
who remained upon the premises on
guard all night The next morning
the colonel in command came himself
with similar number of men to re-
heVe the guard Their assurances are
very fair. God grant they may remain
faithful, and that our HELPLESS bows
ana girls may be spared. When the
hurricane burst upon the city we al
lowed the pupils Of the two schools
TO ABANDON the school buildings and
10 huddle together in our houses. where
they remained all the afternoon. Aside
from rear OF what might happen on
our own premises, the feeling of helm
!essness to do anything to check such
hofrld work was most distressing. One
poor woman lay in the street where
she was struck down from noon tin
nlght, just few yards from a little
postern gate Of our grounds which
was locked and nailed I'D. and we
could see her through the cracks in the
gate, put we could not get at her. nor
could we do anything to aid her. All
the Armenian shops in the market of
Marsovan are said to have been nil
laged Upon the outbreak a number
OF the people in the market rushed into
Tash Han, large stone building the
most secure in the market. There thew
shut themselves up to stand sieee
Inc Han was afterwards surrounded
with soldiers and so protected from at
TACK. so tar as can be learned tha
turkish troops had no share in Tho
massacre, but have been, rather tard-
ny, the means Of its being checked
Many villagers from neighboring
iurklsh villages locked into the city
TO nave a share in the plumber. Those
who came in on Friday were in time
TO nave share in the business. Rut
those who came in on Saturday were
turned back by the troops who formed
GORDON around the city. Great num-
pers OF turkish women came in among
these people from the villages, and
they were greatly disappointed not to
be able to see the sport.
On Saturday, the day after the
massacre, there was a CHASTITY spec-
tacle IN the bottom of the valley. on
the edge Of the Armenian cemetery
outside Of Marsovan. Corpses were
brought out by the wagon load and
tossed on the ground in disordered
heaps. Aside from such rifling of the
bodies as was done by the perpetrat-
ors OF the slaughter,a hyena-like horde
Oh parbarians pounced upon the dead.
after they had been cast out like offal
upon the ground, and stripped the dis
nOnored carcasSes of what poor and
bloody clothing they had upon them
leaving them in all degrees of nudity
Finally, about noon, score of Ar.
inenlans, with an Armenian priest.
were sent out, protected by a strong
guard of soldiers, and buried this mass
OF humanity. Eighty-three bodies were
laid In one long trench, and left for
the witness of the resurrection day.
Besides these others were buried in
div1dually by their friends. The num-
per Killed is probaly about hundred.
Der killed is probably about a dun
Too early to buy new Hat? Not too