The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-02
MILLION ARMENIANS
REPORTED EXILED'
American Committee Gets De-
tailed Account of Massa-
crcs by Turks.
EVEN TROOPS KILLED


The American Armenian Relief Fund
has received from Constantinople under
date Of August Is a letter dealing with
the attacks on Armenians. which the
committee says was written by a high
authority. In part II Is as follows:
More detailed news has been received
from the interior. 1t is a verified fact
that to-day no Armenian Is left In man.
parts of the vilayets OF Erzerum. Tre-
bizond. Sivas. Harput. Bitlis and Diar
bckir. and that a population OF about
1000. 900 has been exiled toward the
south. The local governments carried
out the work of deportation very sys-
tematically since last April. The people
In every village and town were first OF
all forced by horrible tortures inflicted
by gendarmes and bands Of criminals
released from prisons TO give w what
ever arms they had in their possession.
The well to do and prominent members
Of the communities were thrown into
Jail under the pretext of their having
arms or books or literature pertaining
to political parties In their possession.
Then began the deportation. The
majority of the men outside the jails and
those not accused of any offence were
taken out OF the and given to
slaughter, without "A single exception.
Before being sent out these people were
searched and all property found on their
persons taken by the Government OFF,
cials. In many cases the men were
handcumed and tied together in groups
OF five or ten. The remainder OF the
population, composed of women, old men
and children. were given up 10 the
Moslem popuiace. especially In tine villa
yet of Harput. every one of whom from
the highest official to the lowest farmer
appropriated forhim a young woman
or a girl. forcing her to embrace Mo-
hammedanism. Many OF the children
were also appropriated and the remain
der forced to march onward to be- even
tually murdered by bandits waiting on
the highway or to die OF starvation.
Women Left q Starve.
"A massacre took place in the vilayet
OF piarbekir. especially at Mardin. the
population being subjected to similar out
RACES. one of the eyewitnesses gays
that the caravan Of the women taken
from the vilayet OF Erzerum was aban-
utlfu III III Ild4ilS Va i''i l'uN ~
eral days. where all died OF starvation
at the rate Of nifty to sixty "A day.
"The male population of Baihurt was
! decimated in much the same way, the
/, women and children were thrown into
the Euphrates, at the spot called
! Kemakh- Boghaz. Miss Flora A. Wedel
Yari. sberg. a Norwegian lady OF noble
birth. and a German lady. both serving
in the German Red Cross Hospital OF
, Frzinjan, resigned and came to Con-
stantinople To report to several embas-
sizes the atrocities witnessed by them.
THESE barbarous acts were performed
everywhere. and the travellers reaching
~Constantinople from those parts OF the
country encounter all along their way
thousands of bodies OF the murdered
Armenians. 4. Moslem traveller testifes
that for nine hours on his way from
Malatia to Sivas he has passed through
thick lines OF dead bodies OF men and
women.
Ottoman Troops slain.
THE Armenian troops OF the ottoman
army were subjected TO the same black
fate. These unfortunate men were dis
armed and designated TO work or the
public roads. II is Learned from reliable
! sources that the Armenian soldiers who
were working on the lines OF Erzerum-
Frzinjan, Diarbekir-C rfa and Diarbekir-
Harput were all murdered. A group OF
1900 Armenian young men taken from
HarpT for military service were butch
cred near Arghen.
In short, no Armenian is left to-day
In the extensive territory from Samsun
In Sert and Diarbekir-the greatest part
was slaughtered. another part was kid
mapped and a small part was forcibly
converted and SO no longer can be
classcd as Armenians.
From Baiburt comes the report that
the bishop Of that place has been
executed on the ~gallows, even without
the sanction of the Sultan. The Bishop
of Harput was ordered to leave his
see. escorted by soldiers. but three hours
after he left the town he was murdered
by his military guards. There il no
news from tine bishops or Wears of
Ser,, Bitlis. Moosh. Keghi. Palou, ERIN
ian. Kemakh. TOkat. Gurin. Samsun and
Trebizond nor from those OF Sivas and
Erzerum. In the bazaars of CONSTANT
nople many ornaments and vases plum
dered from Armenian churches are being
sold. Armenian children snatched by
Turks from the hands OF their unfortu-
nate mothers are also being sold"