The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-04-12
HUNDREDS MASSACRED
Men, Women and Children Slaught.
cred at Baku.
Cotsacks Aided the Tartars-Victims Shot,
stabbed and Burned 10 DEATH
Armenians Unarmed.

Vienna. Austria.-Full reports of the
Baku atrocities are published here.
| The m%assacres of Kishineff and Gomel
were child's play in comparison. Over
1000 Christians, men, women and chill
dren. were slaughtered within three
days by Mohammedans, amid scenes
defying description.
The victims were shot, stabbed or
burned to death. their eyes gouged cut
| and otherwise mutilated. All this hap
pened in the presence of the police
force, a regiment Of infantry and sew
eral sQuadrons of Cossacks and the
Governor, Prince Nakashidse, who
were unmoved onlookers for three
days. The officers and troops amused
themselves while the slaughtering was
going on.
The whole vas arranged by the Gov.
eminent to prevent the political mani
festations threatened by the Christian
Armenian population. The Mohamme-
dams, who are called in those parts Tar
tars, were supplied by the Government
with revolvers and ammunition and
given a free hand.
At the house of Balabek Lalayef up
ward Of forty persons were burned to
death. those trying to escape the
flames being instantly killed, soldiers
and officers coolly looking on. Lalayef,
with his old wife and nephew, escaped
to the cellar, but were found and cru
ely tortured, their eyes being pierced.
The military interfered only when
resistance was offered by the Chris
tians, and then the Cossacks h~elpedthe
Mohammedans to beat the Christians.
The wells are still full of corpses.
Reuter- quotes the Petersburgkiya
Viedomosti for the following account
of the massacre at Baku: From 6
o'clock in the morning Of February 20
and from noon OF February % a mas
sacre without precedent and quite un-
expected took place in the streets and
public squares at Baku. The Tartar in
habitants, armed to the teeth, attacked
the Armenians, who were unarmed
and defenseless, and pitiIessly massa-
cred them, without distinction Of rank,
position, age or seX. The panic was
general. All the shops and places of
business were at once closed, but the
owners Of them were shot down. .
4 sort>ef torpor, which it is impossi-
BILE to describe, seemed at first to have
taken possession of everybody. There
appeared to be nobody to take the de-
Tense. of the unfortunate people. The
soldiers did not attempt to disarm the
fanatical murderers, who hunted men
like wild beasts, killing them by hun
dreds. It was in vain that the defense
less, inhabitants impIored the Governor
by telephone to- send help The reply
was always. the same, mo Cossacks;
no guard" It was equivalent to the
verdict: die. since thou art taken"
The bodies. Of men, women and chill
dren and horses were lying in the
streets, and squares by dozens, by hun
dreds.. There was no one to- take them
awayr
The authorities remained inactive.
Blood flowed in streams. and every
where the criminal apathy Of the au-
thorities was the subject Of universal
indignation. The massacre lasted al
most three days.
Toward noon on February 10 q Tartar
entered. an Armenian church and be-
gan to. fire on an Armenian soldier.
The police officer who was present ar
rested him.. but atterward set him at
liberty without disarming him, and
shouted to- the crowd: Kill him. or he
will kill you ALL" In saving himself
the criminal fired on the crowd. n OF
whom ran after" him and Killed him.
This seems to have be m tile signal. In
all no fewer than 10000 cartridges
were expended.
The Armenia1ls' were not armed, and
any Of the young people from Balak-
hany and he Black Town engaged in
the exploitation Of naphth. and in fac
tories), who, had f. lverS We're dis
armed by the guards posted en- the road
from Balakhany ard the Black Town
or were not permitted to- enter the
town. In a word. the unfortunate Ar
MEANS were left tOtheir' fate. Peace
was only restored on, the. third day to-
ward noon.
For the most part Armeniaas were
killed. but the stray bullets struck Rus
slams, Georgians and Jews 1ndiscrimi-
nately..
A. telegram from Erivar eTranscau-
ca sia). says an ARRAY took place be-
tween Mohammedans and Armenians
there. Some persons were killed.