The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-10-15
|OMMITTEE TELLS
. OF ATROCITIES

A preliminary statement of the com.
mittee on Armenian atrocities was
given to the press a week ago, by Prof.
Samuel T. Dutton, secretary of the
committee, which comprises Charles r.
Crane, Cleveland H. Dodge, d. Stuart
Dodge, Arthur Curtiss James, John r.
Mott, Rabbi stephen s. Wise, Frank
Mason North, Samuel T. Dutton, Stan.
ley White, James l.. Burton, William
Sloane and others of New York.
The purpose of the formation of the
committee was to investigate the re.
ported massacre of non. Moslcms in
Turkey, and it's relations to American
interests and also to ascertain whether
anything can be done to relieve the
situation.
The statement follows
"a subcommittee has thoroughly in.
vestigated the evidence and has lust
made report to the full committee, con,
frming in every particular the state,
ment recently made by Viscount Bryce
regarding the imprisonment, torture,
murder, massacre and exile into the
deserts of Northern Arabia of defense
less and innocent Armenians, including
decrepit men, women and children, and
their fOrcible conversion to Islam.
"Written testimonials of witnesses
have been examined with utmost care.
The witnesses include Armcnians,
Greeks, Bulgarians, Italians, Germans,
Turks, Englishmen, Americans, bust
ness men, travellers and officials of
great variety and rank. Not a single
statement can be questioned as to the
facts reported. These all agree in tho
declarations that, from Smyrna on the
west to Persia, and from the Black
Sea to Arabia, a propaganda of cxter.
mnatiOn on non MOslems is now being
carried on by the Turkish government,
far SURPRISING in ferOcity and exceed
ing in destruction anything done by
Abdul llamid during his long career of
massacre and determination
'The statements examined, many Of
which are in the possession of the com
mittcc, cover hundreds of towns and
cities in which, in many instances, all
Of the Armenans have been killed out
right, often after horrible torture, or
sent to the desert to die of starvation
The 0stensible deportation of men,
women and children toward MesOpO-
tamia is usually but a form of march
ing those starving, helpless and FIRE,
qucntly naked refugees out into the
mountains to be outraged and butch
cred, sometimes by their guard and
sometimes by the Kurds.
Included among these refugees and
victims are pupils and graduates from
the American schools and colleges
teachers and professional men who
have taken degrees in American and
European universities, men and women
who have represented the brains and
enterprise of the country for gener,
alton and more.
"The plan of procedure, which is
identical in all parts of the country,
seems to aim at the. complete elimina
ton of all non MOslem races from Asi
attic Turkey, and already that aim is in
fair way of accomplishment so far a.
tn" Acmenians are concerned.
"Iu several places American proper
~ has been seized Americans searched,
imprisoned or expelled from the cOun.
try, their letters and kilograms, even
from United States consular offices. ia
t"rr"Ited and their lives put into jeO
parhv.
Evidence seems to prove that prob
ably 5OO0OO ArmPnians have already
been muir tered or forced to the desert,
where only death awaits them, I'm 'css
relief is secured at once. And all this
has taken place since March, and i,
now 1T the height of its grcwsome
tuFN