The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-27
CONTINUED from previous issue.)

AS a preliminary to the searches
everywhere, the strong men of the viii
lagos and towns were arrested and
taken TO prison. Their tormentors here
would exercise the most diaboltcal in
genuity in their attempt to make their
victims declare themselves to be "revO-
lutionists" and to tell the hiding places
OF their arms. A common practice was
to place the prisoner in a ROOM, with
two Turks stationed at each end and
each side, The examination would then
begin with the hastinado, This is a
form OF torture not uncommon in the
orient, it consists OF beating the soles
Of the feet with a thin rod, Vt first
the pain is not marked, but as the pro
cess goes slowly on, 1t develops into the
most terrible agony, the feet swell and
burst, n not in~frequently, after being
submitted to this treatment, they have
to be amputated. The gendarmes would
bastinado their Armenian victim until
he tainted; they would then revive him
by sprinkling water on his face and
begin again. II this did not succeed in
bringing their victim to terms, they had
numerous other methods Of persuasion.
They would extract his finger nails and
toe nails. they would apply red hot
irons to his breast, tear off his flesh
with red hot pincers, and then pour
boiled butter into the wounds In some
cases the gendarmes would nail hands
and feet to pieces Of wood-evidently in
imitation Of the c%rucifixion, and then,
while the sufferer writhed in his agony,
they would cry:
Now let your Christ come and help
you!"
These cruelties-and many others
which | forbear to desCribe-were US
Tally inflicted in the night time. Turks
would be stationed around the prisons,
hoatiYnT Art,R,- nnI I1~y.rfYn- ,nhfgflna
50 that the screams OF the sufferers
would not reach the villagers.
In thousands of cases the Armenians
endured these agonies and refused to
surrender their arms simply because
they a none to surrender. However,
they could not persuade their tor
mentors that this was the case. 1t
therefore became customary, when
news was received that the searchers
we're approaching, for Armenians to
purchase arms from their Turkish
n%eighbors so that they might be able
to give them up and escape these
frightful punishments.
One day | was discussing these pro-
ceedings with a responsible Turkish Of
fetal. who was describing the tortures
inflicted. He made no secret OF the
fact that the government had insti-
gated them, and, like all Turks of the
official classes, he enthusiastically ap-
| IION6u lillS treatment VI ll6 utlSSNtN
race. This official TON me that al
these details were matters of nightly
discussion at the headquarters of the
union and progress committee. Each
new method of inflicting pain was
hailed as a splendid discovery, and the
regular attendants were constantly ran
sacking their brains In the effort tc
devise some new torment. He told mt
hat they even delved into the records
Of the Spanish inquisition and other
historic institutions of torture ant
adopted all the suggestions found there
lie did not tell me who carried off the
Prize In this gruesome competition. but
common reputation throughout Armenia
gave a pre-eminent infamy to Djevde'
Bey, the vail of Van, whose activities
in that section | have already de
scribed. All through this countr,
Ujevdet was generally known as thu
"horseshoer of Bashkale" for this con-
notsseur in torture had invented VIVA
was perhaps the masterpiece OF all
that of mailing h~orsesnoes to the fee
Of his Armenian victims.
Yet these happenings did not consti
tute what the newspapers OF the tim'
commonly referred to as the Armenian
atrocities; they were merely the pre-
paratory steps in the destruction Of tn
race. Tho Young Turks displayed
greater ingenuity than their p%redeces
sor, Abdul Hamid. The injunction o
the deposed sultan was merely ito kill
KILL" whereas the Turkish democrac,
hit upon an entirely new plan. In
stead of m~assacreing outright the Ar
menian race. they now decided to de
port it. In the south and southeastern
section of the Ottoman empire lie tn
Syrian desert and the Mesopotamial
valley. Though part OF this area wa
once the scene of a Furnishing civili
cation, for the last five centuries it ha
suffered the plight that becomes tn
lot of any country thar is subjected t
Turkish rule; and It is now a dreary
desolate waste, without cities an
towns or life of any kind, populate
only by a few wild and fanatical Be
douin tribes. Only the most industriou
labor. expended through many years
could transform this desert into tn
abiding place of any considerable popu
lation. The central government now ar
%nounced its intention OF gathering tn
1000, 900 or more Armenians living |
the several sections Of the empire an
transporting them to this desolate an
inhospitable region. Had they under
taken such a deportation In good fat
1t would have represented the height {
cruelty and injustice. AS a matter {
fact, the Turks never had the slightes
idea OF establishing the Armenian
in this new country, They knew tina
/, the greater majority would never reac
their destination and that those WI
J did would either die of thirst and stai