New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-12
THE ARMENIAN MASSACRES
An American Eyewitness Story TIE Chssy Crimes Committed y tie
Turkish Authorities

rs TrTe---e-: u -: -: az - 20;
vat k.='
= s;.,e e a :t.s AZ ;sc-sE-c tl--ss
-o.e. q v..ct ! us: 20 ~r.;s, re AZ
--e-icrs 6.s -o- -ebe. : cosic .e-i q petty
r7afsacres ard IKE ;e-rorizi-g o. eonnuni-
ties - police and CerdG-nes. The Anne
n.an leaders pleaded with me coTnirocden
exaggerated Ar-1eniaus not 70 resls; or IN
any way give the government at excuse for
severe measures. The determination OF the
Armenians had been deereed by the Con-
s.antnople authorities. the leaders OF the
Young Turks. whose motto is Turkey FOR
the Turks" First the leaders Of the people
were TO be removed, and four of the leading
Armenians, invited by the Governor Cen
eral 10 hold peace conference TO bring
about harmony in Shadakh were foully muir
dered the first night en- route, by the gov
ernor's orders Soldiers were sent "a
Shadakh with orders to wipe out the Ar
meniar population. and no secret was made
of the orders. The Armenian member OF
Parliament was seized and deported. The
ini abitants of the villages of Haigatsore
we're massacred by the governors special
regiment, and mutilated women, girls and
even infants. who after days in the noun
tairs were brought to our hospital, testified
TO the ruthlessness of the attack.
Only at the sixth village, when it was evil
dent that a general massacre was on, die
the Armenians begin to resist. There less
than half a dozen young men held the at
lacking force off until some of the women
and children could escape to the mountains
This was April II and IS. Soldiers and
gerdarmes had been CHARTERED in nearly all
the villages and instructed to complete the
massacre on Monday, the 10Th. The Kai-
makam of Arjesh. trusted by the Armenians
called the men to the government building
and, marching them out under guard in
companies of fifty, shot down two thousand
five hundred, regardless of their having paid
their "badal" and contributed in many ways
to the government.
These rumors reaching Van, it is not
strange that the Armenians were uneasy
ard ready to defend themselves when at
tackled on Tuesday, April 20, and they did
defend themselves heroically throughout q
siege of twenty-eight days. About sixty
men in the walled city and twelve hundred
in the garden city. variously armed with
every kind of frearm, ancient and modern
except machine guns and cannon. held OIL
the Ottoman forces and artillery till the
Turks fed. Then they burned the Turkish
quarter lest the Turks should return and
renew the attack. They did not know that
Russian army was approaching until two
days after the siege was raised. With their
leck of proper arms and ammunition, the
Armenians would not have dared to rebel
and attack the trained Turkish army.
Knowing what do of Turkish official re-
ports, | am not surprised that Zia Bey Ia
misinformed, and I trust this statement Of
facts will change his opinion on some points
can vouch for the above statements from
personal knowledge.
CLARENCE d. USHER, NJ. D.,
Chief Of staff of the American Red Cross
Hospital at Van, Turkey.
last Hartford, Conn., Nov. Q, 1915.