Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-04
ARMENIAN VICTIMS
SLAIN BY THOUSANDS
Turks Have Organized Most Effective
Massacre World Ever Has
Seen.
PEOPLE MAY BE WIPED OUT
Old and Young, Women and Chill
dren Are Being Put to Death, and
Countless Murders Are Preceded
by Torture-Horrors Prove True.

- butloH, cleveland II. Dodge,
arthur c. James. Stephen s. Wise. F.
Mason North, John r. Mott Stanley
White. James l.. Barton, William
Sloane. William L. Haven. George A.
Plimpton. Karl Davis Robinson. Fred
erick Lynch, Norman Hapgood, Edward
L i,,im smith, Bishop David II. Greer.
william w. Rockwell, Oscar S. Stratus,
and others representing American in
terests In the Turkish Empire. have
made careful and extensive irvcstiga-
tlon OF the evidence bearing upon tho
atrocities inflicted upon Armenians in
turkey. and have collected Il mass of
statements upon the subject from
sources that are unquestioncd as To
Veracity. Integrity and authority of
the writer's. For reasons that will be
obvious TO all. the names and positions
or the various writer's can not be given
at this time. These are known to the
committee. who vouch for them and for
their statements. In most cases II will
Dc necessary TO conceal the place from
which the statements were written.
and even the name OF tho cities and
towns referred 10, In order that tho
writer or his interests may rot suffer
irreparable harm.
a Few OF these documents which are
In the possession Of the committed and
which come from Greek. Bulgarian.
Turkish. American. German. English
and Armenian sources. are quoted here.
ANfs SWEET ofF
FOR MILITARY SERVICE
The trouble for the Armenians be-
gan. as for all other nationalities. with
the collection OF soldiers. The govern
ment swept off all men possible for
military service. Hundreds of the
bread winners marched away. leaving
their wives and children without
means Of support In many cases the
last bit OF money was given to 1T out
tho departing soldier. leaving the fam
iiy In a pitifully destitute condition. A
number OF Armenians were quite we'll
on and paid their military exemption
fee. much larger number escaped
In one way and another, SO there were
more Armenians than Turks left In tho
city after the soldiers had gone. This
made the Governmcnt suspicious and
fearful. The discovery OF Armenian
plots against the government in other
places added to this feeling. The spe-
cial Armenian troubles began in the
beginning Of May. In the middle OF
the night about twenty of The leading
men Of the national Armenian political
parties werc gathered UP and sent 10
where they have been Imprisoned ever
since. III June the government began
looking for weapons. Some al the Ar
menians were seized. and, by torture.
the confession was extracted that a
large number OF arms were in the
hands of different Armenians a sec
ond inquistion began. The hastirado
was used frequently. as well as fire,
torture I'm some cases eyes are said
TO have been put out). Many guns were
delivered. but not all The people were
afraid that II they gave up their arms
they would be massacred as in 1895.
Arms had been brought In after the
declaration OF the constitution with
the permission OF the government. and
were for self-defense only. The tor
ture continued. and under It's Influence
one fact after another leaked out TN
der the nervous strain and physical
suffering many things were said which
had no foundation in fact. Those in
f!cting the torture would tell the VIC
tim what they expected him 10 con-
Tess. and then beat him until he did
1t. The college mechanic had con-
structed an iron shot" for the athletic
games, and was beaten terribly In an
effort to fasten the making OF bomb
on the college. Some bombs were dis
covered in the Armenian Cemetery.
which aroused the fury of the Turks TO
white heat II should be said that 1t
is very probable that these bombs had
been buried there in the days OF ABB
dull Hamd,
OLD AND YOUNG. RICH AND POOR.
SICK AND WE'LL CARRIED AWAY
the gendarmes went through the town
gathering UP all the Armenian men
they could find-old and young. rich
and poor. sick and well. In some cases
houses were broken into and sick men
dragged from their beds They were
imprisoned in the barracks. and during
the next few days were sent eff toward
-- In groups OF from thirty to $50.
They were sent on foot. and many were
robbed Of shoes and other articles Of
clothing. Some were In chains. The
first group reached and sent
al "a
that this was a scheme OF the govern
ment in order to encourage the rest.
None Of the rest have been heard from.
Various reports have been circulated,
the only one generally accepted being
that they were killed. One Greek driver
reported seeing the mound under which
they were buried. Another man. in
touch with the government, in answer
to a direct question. admitted that the
men had been killed)
Through the Intervention Of n Turk,
the college was able to free those of
its teachers already taken, and oh
tain stay of proceedings against all
Of It's teachers and employees, by the
payment OF the sum Of 275 Turkish
liras. Later this same Turk said that
he believed that he could obtain the
permanent exemption Of the entire
college group by tho payment of a fur
there sum OF 400 liras. The money was
which showed that no definite assur-
ance OF exemption would he forth
coming, the matter was dropped.
Following the sending of the groups
OF Armenians In the direction of -,
crfers went through the streets OF tho
town announcing that all male Ar
menians between the ages of fftecn
and seventy were TO report at the bar
racks. The announcement further
stated that their refusal to obey would
result In their being killed and their
houses being burned. The Armenian
priests went from house to house. adj
visinS tho people to obey this an
nouncement. Those reporting at the
barracks were sent away in groups,
the result being that within few days
practically all of the, Armenian men
were removed from the city.
On the 3rd or 4th of July the order
was issued that the women and chill
dren should be ready to leave on the