The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-02
Massacre by Decree

II l. HI Tue view tepuDHCl
i The procedure most generally followed was to
take the outside Of village and shoot them,
The rest of the inhabitants were then escorted
away by guard of gendarmes to exile somewhere
in the south These conveys dwindled very quickly.
| The infirm and aged were bayonetted by Kurds and
| Brgands made frequent attacks: attacks which
were never prevented by the gendarmes The
women and girls often killed themselves rather
| than be violated and mothers drowned their
babies in preference to seeing them starve
In these ways the number Of cxiles soon decreased
| Some details OF their experiences are found in "A
Memorandum of Convoy" by a foreign resident:
On the fifty second day they arrived at onother
village. and here the Kurds took from them every
thing they had, even their shirts and drawers so
that for five days the whole convoy marched COM
pletely naked under the scorching sum- For sew
eral days they did not have morsel of bread nor
even drop of water. They scorched to death
by thirst. Hundreds upon hundreds fell dead on
the way, their tongues turned to charcoal. .
On the fifty-second day they arrived at another
only 300 exiles remained out of all the $4,000 On
the sixty-fourth day the gendarmes gathered to-
gether all the men and the sick women and children
and burned and killed them all. The remainder
were ordered to continue their way
vi 'He seventeen uay. Wncn tney reached ACDDO.
80 women and children left out of the 5000
exiles from H. and $50 women and children alto-
gether out of the whole convoy of $4,000
From the zone whore straight massacre was in
favor German ye-witness sends a report. He
was in the city of Mousch and Mousch was being
efficiently destroyed by bombardment:
we all had to take refuge in the cellar for fear of
our orphanage catching fire. 1t was heartrendng
to hear the cries of the people and children who
were being b'Tned to death in their houses. But
the soldiers took great delight in hearing this and
when people who were out in the street during the
bombardment fell dead, the soldiers merely laughed
at them
We left for Harpout Harpout has become the
cemetery of the Armenians from all directions they
nave been brought to Harpout to be buried. There
theS he' and the dogs and vulures devour their
bodies. In Harpout and Mezrc the people have had
10 endure terrible tortures They have had their
eyebrows rucked out their breasts cut off, their
nails torn off, their orturers hew off their feet or
''se manner nails into them just they do in shoe
ing horses This is all done at night time, and in
order that the screams of agony may not be heard
soldiers are stationed round the prison, beating
drums and blowing whistles
In Mere public bIothel was erected for the
Turks, and all the beautiful Armenian girls and
women were placed there. At night the Turks
were allowed free entrance
The people begged us to leave for Constantinople
to obtain some security for them. our way
there we encountered only old women; young
women or girls were to be seen. In a few
villages destitute women come begging. naked and
SICK for aims and protection. We not allowed
to give them anything, not allowed to take
them in--in fact are forbidden to do anything
FOR Them and they die outside. If only permission
could be obtained from the authorities to help them!
The work Of determination seems to have been
| smplified by the nearncss of any body Of water
In Trehzond children were placed by hundreds on
| board ship and then capsizcd into the Black sea:
and every day the river Vel Dcyirmeni brought
down to the sea a number of corpses mutated and
absolutely naked the women with their breasts cut
OH. The Eunhrates was of especial service to the
ottoman government, as witness report published
| IN u German missionary journal (promptly confs-
Gated by the German consor). Among other things
this report conveys the information that for whole
month corpses were seen floating down the river
Certain prisons We're filled every day and emitted
every night into the Euphrates
Only one way remains of possibly protectrr ono.
peace of mind from Lord Bryces report of render
ing it sad but negligible document; and that is by
sahctioning military necessity" The Ottoman
government. reinforced by German apologsts who
could not deny the evidence corroborated by their
own countrymen, took this way. They explained
that no measures were taken until after the sprinr
oi 1919. At this time, it was asserted the Armen-
'ans near the Russian border revolted, and some
Joined the Russian army. I'm the face OF this !"
argues German writer 1T was the ottoman GOV
ernments duty to uphold public law and order Tn
wartime, measures OF this kind assume csncca,,v
weighty character"
Unfortunately Bryce does not leave the premise
on which to hang these comforting conclusions.
WIN proof and counter proof reference and cross
reference he shows that the Armenian prosecutions
began long before the spring of 1915. =.