The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-01-13
1t Makes Up a Thrilling Dr.
nsnian Chapter.
RECITAL TO U. S. COUNSEL
A evolutionary Plot and Its Out
tCome-SonS Saved Them
selves From the Turks.

! Chalmers Roberts, in the Atlantic
Monthly, tells the story OF the massacre
of the Armenian insurrectionistS in
Constantinople in the month of Aug
| ust, 1896, when from seven to ten thou
sand of them were killed.
Mr.. Roberts was a member OF the
American Legation at the time. He
states positively that the massacre was
in no sense religious, but entirely po-
litical. The Armenian revolutioniSts,
like the Irish patriots, were betrayed
for gold by their own friends. No
lieved that the Armenians were con-
spring the downfall of Turkish rule.
The American and Beigic Ministers
visited the Armenian cemetery, and
at one time saw fifteen hundred to
two thousand bodies laid out in rows,
awaiting burial in the trenches The
numbering Turks went about killing
only with clubs. They worked silent
ly. killed and moved on. The soldiers
refused to restrain the mobs until the
Foreign ambassadors demanded it.
Mr.. Roberts elateS the case of a wo-
man who came to the American Lega-
ton for aid, after the massacre. She
was an Armenian woman, with a mark
edly strong face. There was some
ideal OF incarnate womanhood about
her., said he. Her clear eyes were
OF the sort that yield few tears" The
following is a part of her story as she
related it in the legation:
Il had no cause to raise my sons to
love the Sultan. Their poor father was
sent to cruel imprisonment and a slow
death, only because he was a friend of
the brave, good Murad, whose place
this usurper now holds. They knew
his history. But to save them | sent
them away as soon as they had been
properly educated. Serkis, the elder.
went to Athens, where he followed his
fathers profession, and taught. Hagop
went first TO Marseilles, then to Paris.
and finally to Berne, where he was &C
lively engaged in furthering the work
of the revolutionary committee. But
this, / assure your Excellency. was
against my advice. Only MardiTros,
their milk brother, the child of my sis
ter, who died in giving him birth. re-
manned with me. My daughter Anna
was married two years ago. Almost
before | knew it my boys became very
much involved and very enthusiastic in
the Huntchaglst cause. The Govern
ment knew it. The police came to see
me and questioned me about them.
The Government knew of the whole
plan days before it came to be carried
out. They could have prevented the
whole demonstration. But it pleased
them to permit the attack on the bank
to be made, in order to justify in the
eyes of the world a wholesale massacre
And they have well succeeded
1t happened that one of the chief
traitors was to lead the attack ON the
debt building. He failed to appear at
the proper time, and sent messengers
postponing the attack and deceiving
my boys, who were there ready. Then |
came the news, like lightning, Of the |
taking of the bank. My boys hurried |
home and thought themselves still safe |
They little knew, as l know now, that |
the police, thanks to their traitorOus |
colleagues, had been watching them |
tor days. On the evening of Wednes-
lay one OF the chief police of Psamatia, |
1T the head Of a squad of soldiers, came |
20 my house and demanded my sons. |
By this time the killing was we'll on in |
closed. | opened window in the up
Der story and denied that my sons were |
n the country. He replied that l was |
wing, and then began to tell me how
ong they had been there, what they |
lad been doing, and even where they |
lad been in the morning. The boys,
who were listening behind me, knew
hen that some one had proven traitor.
still denied their presence. Then the
officer ordered the men to batter in the
toor. They struck it not more than
,nce, when Serkis seized some bombs
which were under the divan and began
o let them fall among the soldiers.
Two, l think, were killed. But as they
began to shoot I could no longer watch
hem. l ran to aid Mardiros in bring
ng the bombs from the cellar into the
second story Before we had carried
hem all upstairs the soldiers came
back reinforced and the battle began
again. One of their bullets made