The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-07-20
SIXTY OF
OPULAT|ON OF
800 ARE FOUND.
TURKS CARRY AWAY ALL AR
MENIAN WOMEN AND KILL
CHILDREN AND MEN.
By ASSOCIATED PRESS.


Russo-Armenian Camp, Near Bash
kala, Kurdistan, July 19.-For a per-
periments with new submarine G-3
gion 1t is necessary to step only a
few yards from Bashkala on the
Chukh road to the hamlet of Heresan.
There today the Associated Press cor
respondent found sixty Armenian
men, all that are known to remain
alive and free in population of 500
mot single woman or child but
what had been killed or carried away
by the Turks and Kurds.
Half dozen wells were crammed
with the bodies of those who had not
been carried away. Sherabeg, Kur-
dish chief, began the ravages last
fall, killing score of men and car
rying off thousands of head of cattle.
Some sixty of the sturdiest of the sur
teen miles away to procure arms and
help, but they could not recapture
their village, and had to flee for their
lives, leaving the remaining popula-
tior in the power of the Kurds. The
latter camped at Heresan all~winter
and used the women and children as
they chose. Immediately after the
defeat of the Turkish troops under
Hawllil Bey, at Gilman, the Kurds
foresaw their expulsion and made an
end of such of the female and youth
full population as they did not take
away in slavery.
In Bashkala there is no one living
| now. But lately it was fourishing
and picturesque Asiatic city with
many well-stocked stores and COM
Portable homes. Many of the houses
were two-story structures of brick
with tasteful balconies. There was
an abundance of good rugs and some
European furniture. The population
comprised $500 Armenians, a few
Jews and perhaps 5000 Moslems. Of
the Armenians, 500 women and chill
dren had been carried away and di-
vided between the harems of Hassem
Bey and HASH Bey, Kurdish chiefs.
The remainder had persisted or fed.
The Bashkala Moslems had also paid
dearly, for their handsome city was
looted, disnantled and burned. There
were fires in dozen places when the
Associated Press correspondent Wis
tied the city today with a Russian
| general and his staff. The revenge
on the Moslems had been worked in
spite of the strict injunctions issued
1 NV Al&l A
leaders. The Armenian volunteers
were particularly enraged because the
Moslems, and, it is said, the Jewish
merchants also, betrayed the Armen-
ians, who had been friendly to the
Russians on their first advance on
Bashkala last year.
| 1t is characteristic of the bitterness
between the two races, that rs Here
san recruits serving in the Turkish
army were killed outright in the way
of reprisal when news was received
of the Turkish defeat at Gilman.
The correspondent has been riding
almost daily with General n of
the Russian army or Andranik, the
Armenian leader, in pursuit of the IL
lusive Turkish army under Hallil Bey.
It was disclosed today that at least
part of the Turkish forces were in a
superb position on the slope of high
mountain, fanked by some still
higher. The Russian artillery sue
ceeded in sending the forces to cover,
but there was no general engage
nent. There has been warm cross
firing between outposts, and on May
20 the Armenians succeeded in driv-
in gthe Kurds from some of their
mountain strongholds behind Bash
kala and from the eastern side of the
pass of Chukh. 1t yet remains to be
seen whether the Turkish forces,
which were shelled today, are of full
strength.
| One thing which impresses an
American visitor in this region is the
excellence of the grain fields of the
upland plains. As good as they are
in some places, the country would
gain enormously from the application
of American irrigation methods and
modern agricultural work. Whatever
may be the issue of the war, it seems
quite possible that this will come to
pass, for all Armenians look upon
America as their school-master.