The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-27
RACE DEVOID OF MERCY
THE WILD, UNTAMED KURDs AS DE-
sCRIBED BY DIR. HEPwoRTH.
Horrors Perpetrated by the Cruel
menia-Protected by the Turks.

NEW YORK, Jan. 26.-Rev. DR.. George
H Hepworth, the special correspondent of
the Herald, writes from Bitlis, under date
of Dec IA, as follows: One of tie most i'm
portanr phases of the Armenian question is
seen after a visit to Bitlis. / thought Err
zeroum was the flthiest city in the world,
wholly without sanitary regulations, and
more like a vile dungeon than a proper
place to live in. But it is a miniature Paris
in comparison with Bitlis, where in spite
of the Tigris, which rushes through the city
and might be made to wash it clean if there
were any brains abroad, the streets are
ankle deep in mud 1t became absolutely
necessary, however to visit this city, be-
cause it is in the region where the massa-
ores were most infamous and where they
were prosecuted with a degree of outrage
which should make the civilized world
blush with shame.
Just north of us is the Sassoon region,
which was almost literally wiped clean Of
it's inhabitants, and where whole villages,
scores of them, were literally destroyed
Even here it is not easy to get at the truth,
for the Asiatic is so built that he never has
an exact idea of anything. Let me talk,
then, about the Kurd as an individual and
about the Kurds as a race, for in that way
only can we get a good view of the situa-
ton.
The Kurds are not in the same branch of
the human family as the Turks, the only
bond between them being their loyalty to
the Sultan and their religion. There are
on the plains and plateaus of Anatolia
about goo Kurds. and not many more
than 100000 Armenians-not aggregated. but
scattered These kurds are wild, unnamed,
a ri hNyd don Hafyil cot n
have never been anything but robber bar
ons in the past. They will take their swords
off and offer them to you If you happen to
express admiration for them, and they will
steal your sheep and cut your throat with
out conjunction If occasion offers. Remem-
Der, too, that the Kurd Is now, and always
has been, accustomed to bear arms. He has
pistol, sword or dagger, or possibly all
three while the law prohibits the Armenian
from carrying weapons of any kind.
The Kurd has now less money than for
merly, but he has the same wants. The
Armenian had until the massacres the same
amount of money as formerly but he was
not compelled to give it to the Kurd for pro-
lection. There was an emergency, and
rather perllous one, to contemplate The
outcome of it is not hard to anticipate, and
it is just what any careful observer in this
country would expect.
have interviewed everybody within
reach, from the vail down to the man who
has shot wound in his head, and who says.
though he can bring no better evidence than
hearsay, that it was from the gun of an Ar
menian But the trouble with the Turk and
the Kurd is that they cannot make a clear
statement of any subject. No two tell the
Another difficulty lies with the witness,
whether he be Turk or Christian. He will
tell you in private that Kurd has stolen
his cattle, but the moment he gets into
court he declares that the kurd never did
anything of the kind. He knows that IL ne
gives evidence against the accused ne VIII
probably lose the few cattle that are left,
and little thing like perjury does not trou-
BILE him at all.
panic-stricken at the slightest cause. or
without any cause. This is notorious fact
Under such circumstances, when the news
came to the Sultans ear, he would natu-
rally telegraph an order to put the rebellion
down, being ignorant that there was no re-
bellion to be tut down. The troops arrived
and such crimes were committed that wom-
en- threw themselves into the river rather
than submit to dishonor. When the panic
was over it was discovered that there We're
in reality only two reVolutionists in the
place and that all the mischief was done in
consequence of some ones wild imagina-
ton. That is page of true history, and
it contains a key to the situation.
When l was at certa village some
nights ago the Armenian episcopos OF Baga-
zid paid me a visit He had ridden on
horseback four days in order to meet me.
The governor of the lBagazid district is
Colonel Djebar Bey. Bagazid was saved
from serious disaster by the efficiency of
this colonel.
What did he do? When he saw what was
going OH he got on the track of the revolu
tionists caught them and sent them 10
prison, where they are to this day. But for
that act there would have been a massacre
in Bagazid perhaps equal to the Sassoun
calamity. In that one case at least, the
right steps were taken, namely the guilty
were punished and the innocent were saved.
Unless these Kurds are. restrained and
made amenable to the laws of the land there
is still further trouble in store. Fourteen
destroyed villages We're re-established by
foreign charity and the Armenians there set
on their feet again. Cattle were given to
them and they had comparatively bright
down on them and drove off nearly all their
live stock and left them as badly off as
ever. What hope is there for a people who
are subject to such outrages? And if the
Kurds are being protected from the conse-
quences of their crimes, what is to become
- 49,