Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-12
TURKS AND KURDS KILL MANY
Men Slaughtered and Women and
Children Are Carried Away
Into Slavery.
LOOT AND BURN As1AT1C CITY


Correspondence Of the Associated PressJ
RUSsO-ARMENIAN CAMP, NEAR
BAsHSALA. Kurdistsn. July l3.-For n
perfect epitome OF conditions IN this
region II Ia necessary TO step only a few
Yards from Bashkala on the Chukh road
20 the hamlet Of Heresan. There today
the Associated Press correspondent found
sixty Armenian men, all that are known
to remain alive end free In a population
OF 50O-not a single woman or child hut
what had been killed or carried away by
the Turks and Kurds.
Half dozen wells were crammed with
the bodies OF those who had not been
carried away. Sherabeg a Kurdish chief
began the ravages last fall. killing a
score Of men and carrying off thousands
OF head Of cattle. Some sixty OF tho
sturdiest OF the survivors fled 10 a mon,
astery about fifteen miles away to pro-
cure arms and help, but they could not
recapture Their village. and had TO flee
for their lives, leaving the remaining
population in the power OF the kurds
The latter camped at Hcresan all winter
and used the women and children as they
chose. Immcdin tely after the defeat OF
the Turkish troo0s under Hailil Bey. at
DilmRn. the KuTds foresaw their expul..
sion and made an end Of such OF the 10
male and youthful population as they
did not take away In slavery.
In Bashkala there In no one living now
But lately u was fiourishng and pic
turesquo Aslatic city with many we'll
stocked stores and comfortable homes.
Many Of the houses were two-story strtic-
Of krNrh NTH IN If hal
There was an abundance OF good rugs and
some European furniture The population
eomprived 1900 Armenians, a few Jews
and perhaps s,oo0 Mosloms OF the Ar
menians. 500 women and children had
bfeu carried away md divided between
the harems OF Hassem Boy and Hasn't
Bcy. Kurdish chiefs. The remainder had
perished or fled. The Bashkala Moslenns
also paid dearly. for their handsome city
was looted. dismantled and burned. There
were fires I'm n dozen places when the
Associated Press correspondent visited
the city today with a Russian general
and his staff.
Murdered in HeprisaI.
II Ia Characteristic OF the bitterness be-
tween the two races that twenty-five
Heresan recruits serving in the Turkish
army were killed outright in the way of
TopTdSal when news was received OF
the Turkish defeat at Gilman.
Tho correspondent has been riding al
most daily with General N. OF the Rus
alan army or Andranik. the Armenian
leader. In pursuit OF tho Elusive Turk
ish army under Haun Bey. II was
disclosed today that at least part OF the
Turkish forces were in a superb posi-
ton on the slope OF q high mountain,
thanked by some still higher. The Rus
sian artillery succeeded in sending the
forces 10 cover, but there was no gem
ersl engasement. There has been warm
cross firing between outposts, and on
May % the Armenians succeeded In driy-
Ing the Kurds from some OF their noun
tain stronghoids behind Bashkaia and
, from the eastern side OF tho pass OF
chulsh. Ityet remains to be seen whether
the Turkish forces. which were shelled
today are or full strength.
One thing which impresses an Ameri-
can visitor In this region is the excel.
ience OF the grain fields OF the upland
plains As good as they are In some
Places. the country would gain enor-
mously from the application OF American
irrigation methods and modern agricul-