Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-05-01
the booklet under the headline

the booklet under the headline
methods of Slaughter"
"These were Of various kinds. An
officer told me that in the Vilayet OF
Bitlis the authorities collected the
Armenians in barns full of straw Tor
chaff), piling up straw in front of the
door and setting it on fire, so that the
Armenians inside persisted in the
smoke. He said that sometimes hun
dreds were put together in one barn.
Other modes of killing were also en-
ployed lat Bitlis). He told me to my
great sorrow, how he had seen a girl
hold her lover in her embrace, and
so enter the barn to meet her death
without tremor.
"At Moush, part were killed in
straw+barns, but the greater number
by shooting or stabbing with knives,
the Government hiring butchers, who
received a Turkish pound each day
as wages. A doctor, named Aziz Bey,
told me that when he was at Marzifun,
in the Vilayet of Sivas, he heard that
a caravan of Armenians was being
sent to execution. He went to the
Kaimakam and said to him: You
know I am doctor, and as there is
no difference between doctors and
butchers, as doctors are mostly occu-
pied in cutting up mankind. And as
the duties Of a Kaimakam at this time
are also like our own-cutting up
human bodies-I beg you to let me
see this surgical operation myself.
Permission was given, and the doc
tor went. He found four butchers,
each with a long knife; the gend-
armes divided the Armenians into
parties of ten, and sent them up to
the butchers one by one. The butcher
told the Armenian to stretch out his
neck; he did so, and was slaughtered
like a sheep. The doctor was amazed
at their steadfastness in presence OF
death, not saying word, or showing
any sign of fear.
"The gendarmes used also to bind
the women and children and throw
them down from very lofty emf
nence, so that they reached the ground
shattered to pieces. This place IS SAID
to be between Diarbekir and Mardin,
and the bones of the slain are there
in heaps to this day.
Another informant told me that
the Diarbekir authorities had killed
the Armenians either by shooting, by
the butchers, or at times by putting
numbers of them in wells and caves,
which were blocked up so that they
perish Also they threw them into
the Tigris and Euphrates, and the
bodies caused an epidemic Of typhus
fever. Two thousand Armenians were
slaughtered at a place outside the
walls of Diarbekir, between the Cas-
tie Of Sultan Murad and the Tigris,
and at not more than half an hours
distance from the city.
There is no doubt that what Is re-
lated as to the proceedings OF the
gendarmes and the Kurdish tribes
actually took place. On receiving
caravan of Armenians the gendarmes
searched them one by one, men and
women, taking any money they might
find and stripping them of the better
portions of their clothing. When they
were satisfied that there remained no
money, good clothes, or other things
of value, they sold the Armenians in
thousands to the Kurds, on the stipu-
lation that none should be left alive.
The price was in accordance with the
number of the party; was told by
a reliable informant of cases where
the price had varied between 1000
and 200 liras.
after purchasing the caravans. the
Kurds stripped all the Armenians,
men and women, Of their clothes, SO
that they remained entirely naked.
They then shot them down, every one,
after which they cut open their stom-
achs to search for money among the
entrails, also cutting up the clothing,
boots, ETC., with the same object"
From the many executions special
ly described, we select the following to
show how the Christian martyrs OF
Armenia met death at the hands OF
Germany's ally:
'Shahin Bey, man of Diarbekir,
who was in prison with me, told me
that number of Armenian men and
women were delivered to him for
slaughter, he being soldier. He said:
Whilst we were on the way, saw an
Armenian girl whom l knew, and who
was very beautiful. I called her by
name, and said Come, will save you,
and you shall marry young man OF
your country, Turk or Kurd-' She
refused, and said: If you wish to do
me a kindness I will ask one thing
which you may do for me- told her
I would do whatever she wished, and
she said: L have brother, younger
than myself, here amongst these peo-
pie. I pray you to kill him before you
kill me, so that in dying may not be
anxious in mind about him.. She
pointed him out and called him.
When he came, she said to him, MY
brother, farewell. kiss you for the
last time, but we shall meet, If 1t be
Gods will, in the next world, and He
will soon avenge US for what we have
suffered They kissed each other, and
the boy delivered himself to me. !
must needs obey my orders, so !
struck him one blow with an axe,
split his skull, and he fell dead. Then
she said 4 thank you with all my
heart, and shall ask you one more
favour; she put her hands over her
eyes and said: Strike as you struck
my brother, one blow, and do not
torture me- So I struck one blow,
and killed her, and to this day
grieve over her beauty and youth, and
herswonderful courage"
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