New-York tribune., 1897-07-29
TALK WITH MISS KROKORIAN
SHE TELLS OF THE TERRIBLE TROUBLES
IN HER COUNTRY.
Under THE AUSPICES OF THE WORLDS W. c. T.
L. SHE is LECTURING IN THIS Co' 'NIhA
THE MONEY To AID THE
ORPHANS IN ARMENIA.


ORPHANS IN ARMENIA.
"r an, grateful indeed. for opportunity to pre-
,ent 10 the public the sad condition OF my poor peo-
ME in Armenia" said Miss Rebecca krokorian' OF
Armenia Yesterday to Tribune reporter. per
hans the readers Of the Only Womans Page womb
like to know the cause of our terrible trouble me
question is altogether a religious one anu 'ie
trouble is the same that our fathers ana lore-
fathers have had to bear for hundreds OF years
.ruepia WAS one of the first countries 10 De con-
verted TO Christianity. which was proclaimed as
the established religion in the year "Io AZ ''e
rise OF Mahometanism the Turks emordced II a'
once as suited to their character and began to 90
away with the Christians. tell YOU. 1t Is a rehs-
,ous war Let me ,ead YOU quotation rom
the Koran. which. you know. Is to the iurhs what
the Bible is 20 you. Here it is:
% God Of all grace destroy the infdes (every
nm not a Mahometan is called an inidel by the
Turks,: destroy thine enem = make their chlIdreh
ornbsns and defile their homes; give them anu
heir children and their families. their relatives by
marriage their brothers and friends poSSeS''o"S
and wealth as booty to the Mahometans.
That prayer every Turk i compelled TO pray I'VE
zines a dav Yes the Christians under the power
- Msnometansm have always endured the same
sufferings now.
Whenever We have been prosecuted we nave "p-
,eale5 I, the Powers, especially to Eng land VINO
rro,oived Cyprus as bribe TO close her eyes to the
surerjngs OF the Armenians. The Turks s"" .ha'
the Cnristan world cared nothing 'or uN' anu -"
1sq, an official massacre WAS ordered "r' w.
wounded and either burned or buried while awe
Women were outraged and children cut ih'o p"'"7
hsfo,e the eyes o. their mothers. Sometimes cHl-
dren were cut in pieces and then ooI'u J." 40"
mis- and the mothers were forced 10 eat me "''"
until often they became raving mahaCs. NAV"
niece OF bread which q refugee brought 10 my mouse
las, winter and which ne told me was maze Win
,,,r,a, blood mixed with earth Women were forced
,o eat OF this bread for months-a mixture maut
OF the blood OF their husbands ana srown-np som
after this massacre tie Turks watched 'he
Christian world What would IL 40. A. j" one
said ANYTHING they kept on.
.Our loss Of people during the last two years Is
somewhat over hundred thousand 1t was pfin-
cipaIly the men the bread"inneis ana 'lr nr'H9
Of families that were slaughtered More thah i"i'F
thousand Armenians have been forced 10 embrace
Maboynctansm More than hfty thousand houSts
have hecp numbered. and most OF them burned ~
the present day more than three hundred 'h'u7""u
human beings mostly widows and orpnahs' Of H"s
rnartvr race are perlshing from starvation. Nhd'-
ever Is told about the imprisonment ana slaughter
~ men 7 assure YOU that nothing approaching
the truth f. todd about the real situation OF women
IN those regions It Is not because facts cannot DE
obtained thai this Is So bat because W. cannot ma
words TO express the horror OF our Cohdlilon: .,o
In a large town. which is well known for. ne ne
beauty and education OF IT'S women w uhicb j.
,be day we go 10 the Turkish baths In alo..lt!,
y'I,11 women were selected and taken away. some
o. them destroyed themselves III oroef 10 e>'"Pe
degradation -.,.t.c obo,, vourself Miss
Krokorian?" asked the reporter -, , .,t,.
"Certainlv wish II, was III" i'f'f'
story Is a strange one MY Idtnt' W. ArrrOoari'1
cbnrch sbout CITY years ago. ana ever SINCE ht
has been a brave soldier OF JeNuS e. tosn.l
almost the first VINO ever P!ff@S1i'" @ l,id ibo
T5iJiciv i'm Armenia especially to men. Ialn uc
.o,rS S.,,;or ~ The temperance WOlk thtrt anu oM-
ing 70 IN. wonderful growth. leIt obi.Scu ~ -
nv country about years ago anu ~ -.
this journey TO America ior TT hu P' Tracbcd here
some money for a MISSION nan"
"Perhaps YOU would like 10 know SONY fIl6 W., "' ir
nv own town. came from ihctooD Wy u,as
a massacre I'm the town ,"ni',ard or ave thonsand
and more than four thonsahd o. a,,, bome aud
women and children were Ie't "''"0"' ~
W. t,,her was the oldest mnist 'r-the sue s
% 10 eock lie r. ie early in the MOI h'i ,,a,
The SIM and went out among his gre ,id not
pie encouraging them 70 uie IA rot like this so
denv Him The Government ana no. IMe ma nan
,hes rr.s,ed him and that poor dedf oIu ~ ,,,,
aho,, eighty wears oidsunercd W. I'm tton sent
prisonrnent in Turkish dungeons rrN, an in tbe cold
and wind and snow OF last "'''''
another Imprisonment. -. ho has bcen released
and Is now doing grad woi n, MS terrible n5a--
sacre 60 tha CONDITION Of the orphan ci'liuI ora
rnariyrs II is estimated that th115od iron, out
hundred thousand. and unless h,iP - tbrir own
side tho vi starVe I'm the streets Ul - 49, on
,nu,,s ~ Lrov the Turks viii mikr rEa, "a
deaVor 10 bring the children lnlo ~ ,heir great
secure them for the future. Scrlle Nh nagcs in
neeS xre bave undertaken 10 arrdhB, ~ p'.' th1t
Arnc,rte ,or ,bcee children. ! am Rlad I" S"f the
| work for This cause under tHc go, ~ ,,ieo for
WorId's ~ G r T. ana tnst the h0il. f. vii
this work will go Mrs. leich NJ NJ 'd,r"c;iy home
be divided equally one,nit. one,nitad for an orphanase in
and the other 10 De "'PO'''