The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-27
100000 ARMENIANS
SLAIN IN 6 MONTHS
L. s. Asked to Bring Pressure
to Force Turkey to End
the Massacrcs.
CITIES ARE DEPOPULATED

A preliminary report Of the Committee
on Armenian Atrocities issued yesterday
asserts that 1t has evidence which tends
to show that probably a half million
Armenians have been murdered since
March or have been driven into the
desert to die of starvation and exposure
unless speedy relief reaches them
The committee. which consists OF
rrof. Samuel r. Dutton. Charles X.
Crane. Cleveland II. Dodge. u. stuart
Dodge, Arthur Curtiss James John n.
Mott. Rabbi Stephen s. Wise, Frank
Mason North. Stanley White. James II
Barton. William Sloane and others. was
formed for the purpose OF investigating
the facts regarding the reported mas
sacre OF o -MoSlems In Turkey. and
also 10 ascertain whether anything can
be done to relieve the situation The
committee asks that American pressure
should be brought TO hear on Germany
and Austria TO force Turkey TO put a
stop TO the massacre OF Armenians.
The statement in part follows:
"A subcommittee has thoroughly in
vestigated the evidence and has just
made "A 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 defence
less II innocent Aimen!ans. including
decrepit men, women and children and
their forcible conversion 10 Islam
Written testimonies OF eyewitneeses,
whose names are known to the commit.
tee but which obviously cannot now he
made public. have been examined with
tho tNnNAQf ~ TIL. 49,.
hundreds OF ~ and the character
and position OF the authors and the pos.
~itiveness OF utterance carry absolute
conviction.
The witnesses examined include Ar.
menians, Greeks. Bulgarians, Italians
Germans. Turks. Englishmen, Ameri
cans business men. travellers and OIL,
Gals OF great variety me rank. No
a single statement can be questioned a.
TO the facts reported. These all agree
in the declaration that from Smyrna
on the west to Persia. and from IN,
Black Sea 20 Arabia. a propa ganda O
eNtermination OF non-Moslcms is nov
being carried or by the Turkish Gov
ernmen far surprising in ferocity anC
exceeding In destruction anything don,
by Abdul Hamid during his long clree
OF massacre and determination.
The statements examined. many O.
which are in the possession Of the com
mittee. cover hundreds OF towns ant
cities, in which in many Instances al
or the ArrnenIans have been killed out
right, often after horrible tortures. o
sent to the desert TO die OF starvation
and that 100. with diabollcal cruelt,
The ostensible deportation of mer
women and children towar I'd Mesopota
mia is usually but a form OF marchinI
those starving, helpless and freuuentl
naked refugees out into the mountain
10 be outraged and b%utchered, sometime
by their guards and sometimes by tn
kurds. who gladly cooperate in the worI
OF destruction.
included among these refugees an,
victims are pupils and graduates fror
the American schools and college,
teachers and professional men who hav
taken degrees In American and Euro
pean universities. men and women VIII
have represented the brains and enter
prise Of the country for a generatio
and more.
The plan OF procedure, which |
Identical in all parts OF the countr,
seems to aim at the complete ellminl
tion Of all ron-Moslem races fror
Asiatic Turkey, and already that air
is In "A fair way Of accomplishment :
far as the ArmenIans are concerned.
"In several places American pronert
has been seized, Americans searched. i'm
prlsoned and expelled from the countr,
their letters and kilograms. even fror
the United States consular offices. inter
cepted and their lives put In leopard
This, however. is OF trivial importanc
compared with the work OF destructio
going on among the Armenians.
Evidence seems to prove that proba
bly, 500 O00 Armeniars have alread
been murdered or forced to the deser
whore only death awaits them unless r.
lief is secured AZ once. And all this ha
taken place since March and IL now a
the height OF It's grewsome fury.
The committee Is confident that
the press OF the country should with n
the emphasis at its command voice II
protes, and call on the Turkish Cover
ment TO put an end 10 this crime again,
humanity and return the exiles who ma
yet be living 10 their homes II coul
hardly fail 10 produce results. In vie
OF the great influence which German
and Austria exercise over their ally n
American people cannot fall to hol
them morally responsible ~ thes
atrocities are permitted to continue"