The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-08-14
TURKS IMPLICIT
AWFUL CRUELTY
ON ARMEN|ANS
100000 Murdered in Two
Cities, Children and Won.
en- Starve in Camps.

BOMBAY, July 2.--(By Mail)-The
following statement given to The AS
ISOLATED Press by British officer now
in hospital here presents vivid pic
ture OF the sufferings undergone by the
Armenians of whom comparatively lit
tie first hand information has hitherto
been forthcoming:
Before I got my wound in the fight
ing up beyond Bagdad came into con.
tact on several occasions with highly
educated Armenian who had escaped
from the Turks and was being employ
ed by US as an interpreter The stories
he told of the inhumanities inflicted
upon his compatriots were so appall
ing that made notes Of his converse
lions and have attempted hereto re-
produce in something like his own Ian
guage, so that you can get at the heart
Of the man and realize what he and all
educated Armenians feel. The interp-
refer was in Constantinople until the
end Of last year when he was sent to
the front with a party Of Armenians.
several Of whome escaped"
What He Said.
The interpreters story follows:
What you have read and heard
about Armenia is not hundredth part
Of the truth. Dante's Inferno was a
heaven compared with the hell that the
Turks have made of my country
Something Of awful reality of the past
twelve months have myself seen in
passing through on the way to the
front
"At Aleppo there are four factories
In which, under the supervision OF de-
ported Armenians, two thousand Ar
menian women are being employed un-
der terrible conditions. The women
are deportees. One Of them said to
me: On a halt during our deporta-
tions, ! saw a gendarme bury sick
woman alive. Cold b!ooded murders
were an everyday occurrence. Our
guards had orders to kill on the spot
anyone who Jagged behind on the jour-
ney. Often several were killed at
once. and there was no separate grave
for them--the bodies were just thrown
into ditch together and covered 1t
was all horrible to behold. but our eyes
eventually became hardened TO the
sight
Murdered by Thousands.
Bah and Zor are places never to be
forgotten by Armenians. I have visit
ed them. Do you know what happen
ed there few months since?
by the order of the governor. Aft.
nearly 100000 Of my brothers were
murdered by armed Circassians.
'At Constants, | saw six railway
trucks Of little Armenian children be.
ing despatched TO an unknown destin-
alton What had these little inno-
cents done to defend? Was it the
mere fact of their being alive and be-
ing sons and daughters Of our thrice
unhappy race?
1.-The German soldiers that one sees
around the stations in Armenia are
generally of low type and not far be-
hind the Turks in their disregard for
the rights Of our people.
Disregard Religious Beliefs
Their cruelty is little different
from that of the Turk but the differ
ence is only one Of kind. The Turk.
for example often respects certain
things which we have learned to as
sociate with our religious or racial
beliefs; the German has no respect
for anything, nothing is too sacred
for his profane hands. The Turk fire.
ruently used to show some respect
and Difference to the upper class Ar
menians. the educated people, regard
ing them as perhaps. capable of being
useful even in a Turkish dominion.
The German, as soon as he arrived
here, pointed out the educated Ar
menian as the most dangerous of all,
and instigated the Truks into organic |
ing a ruthless persecution Of the intel
lectual classes Of Armenians. One
day they surrounded the Offices of the
conservative newspaper Asadamard,
arrested all the staff and deported
TENN; I know not why though. Will
they ever return? Who knows?
Children Are Starved
"One day walked from a place |
where thousands OF innocent women.
girls and children were bivouacked.
suffering nameless miseries. ! walk !
ed away because could not bear any |
more to gaze upon them, and / came |
to a hill where saw little child.
was in Turkish uniform. The child |
came near me and cried in Turkish: |
Give me for Gods sake a piece of
bread. For FIVE days / have eaten |
nothing but this" He pointed to some !
melon skin that had been left lying on |
the road. aswered him in Armenian |
and the poor boy jumped up into my |
arms, saying art thou Armenian"
He remained there minute uttering |
no other word. But felt warm tears |
falling down my cheeks.
1.-THE waters Of tn Euphreates. the |
sands OF the deserts of Mespotamia.
are the graves Of the whole Armenian
nation. I can no longer weep. My |
Hnors hoyo frn,ov IN NV oynSr