The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-15
MILLION ARMENIANS
THE PREY OF TURKS.
determination Of a People
Now Going On, Relief Com
mittee Reports.
SAYS ALL WAS PLANNED

which the American committee has re-
ceived. Il Is probably we'll within the
truth to say that Of the 100000 Ar.
inenians in Turkish territory a year ago
at least 1000, 900 have been killed or
compelled to fee the country. OF the
exiles thousands have died on the roads
and In the deserts Of northern Arabia.
creasing."
This Is the summary made by the
American Committee for Armenian and
Syrian Relief Of the condition OF Ar
menians In Turkey. Among those on the
committee are Cleveland Dodge. Cardinal
Gibbons. Bishop Greer and Oscar 3.
Straus.
In a statement issued yesterday Prof.
Samuel T. Dutton. secretary Of the com.
mittee. said that the committee 10 daily
receiving authentic reports Of the atrooi.
ties which have been perpetratsd upon
the Armenians during the last fifteen
creaslns."
I~ndescriba ble Suffering.
the suffering Of the refugees who
have anaged to escape from their tor
mentors beggars description" the state
ment says. TT American committee Is
In close touch with the Lord Mayors
committee Of London. n the chairman
OF h committee. In a letter under date
OF November % to the chairman Of the
American committed said: The com
mittee knows that there are 10000
refugees still In me Caucasus. besides
$4,000 who have died there and 10000
who have returned to parts OF Turkey
and Persia
THE latest communication from Mr..
Morgenthau. American Ambassador to
Turkey. dated November s. says that
there will be untold starvation among
all peoples during the winter There Is
very good evidence to show that the
work OF giving relief to the refugees
Is carried on with difficulty. and one
authority says: IT seems that they are
treating the Germans no better than they
are the Others in this matter
Lord Bryce is quoted ~ saying. In a
speech In the House OF Lords on October
6 last. that the atrocities are a well
Moslem element which destroyed the
h~omogeneity OF the empire and consti-
tuted an element that might not alwAys
submit to oppression
Lord Bryce states that there Is evil
dence to show that the massacre IL the
result Of a Governmental policy which
has tren entertained for some time. and
that It IL In no way the result Of Mos
lem passion against h Armenian
Christians.
These atrocities arc viewed by the
better class OF religious Moslems with
horror rather than sympathy. II IL "A
- hl,A@r., Chat htDh knGlAVn NIL
thoritles condemned the massacres or
dered by Abdul Hamid. and. according
10 all the evidence obtainable from au-
,hentic sources. these recent massacres
are far more atrocioW.
hole Population Driven Ont.
The whole Armenian population Of
zach town and village WAS cleaned out
by A house TO house search. The women
and children were sent under convoy OF
tho lowest kind OF s~old!ers-many OF
them just drawn from tho jails-to
their distant destination. which a
sometimes one OF h unhealthy districts
In the centre Of Asia Minor. but more
frequently the large desert in The prov
,nce Of Del el Zor. which lies east Of
Alerpo. IN tho direction Of the Eu-
pirates.
lucy WftV v WI ~ tiV W.
diers day after day. all on foot. Rcaten
or left behind TO perish II they could not
keen up with the caravan many fell by
the way and many died OF hunger. Not
a few Of the women were stripped naked
and made to travel in that condition
under the burning sun. Some OF the
mothers went mad and threw away
their children. being unable to carry
them any further. The caravan route
was marked by a line OF corpses and
comparatively few seem to have arrived
at the destinations which had been pre-.
scrihed for them.
zone high In authority says that what
struck him was the comparative calm
ness with which these atrocities were
detailed by those who had first hand
knowledge Of them. Massacre was the
order Of the day. But massacre was not
the worst fate In store for the unfor-
tunate Armenians. When they were
driven from their homes many Of the
women were not killed. but reserved for
a more humiliating fate. They were
mostly seized by Turkish officers or
civilian officials and consigned to their
harems.
The boys and gtrli. were also very
largely sold into slavery at prices some
times Of only ten or twelve shillings,
while other boys Of tender age were de-
iivered to dervishes to be carried of 10
a sort Of dcrv'sh monastery m there
forced to become Mussulmsns.
In Lord Bryce's speech. TO which
reference has already been made. we
are told that In Trebizond nearly the
whole Armenian population Of from 5000
to 10000 were destroyed-some by
drowning. some by slaughter. some by
being sent to death elsewhere.
at would seem that three-fourths
or four-ifths OF the whole nation has
been wiped out. and there IL no case In
history, certainly since the time OF Tam
erlane, In which any crime so hideous
and upon SO large a scale has been re-
corded
The American committee makes a plea
for money to aid refugees who have
come across the ' orders OF Armenia In
safety and are I'm dire need. Contribu-
tons should be sent to Charles X. Crane.
treasurer. 20 Fifth avenue.