Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-01
BODIES OF MURDERED ARMENIANS
PARAFFIN SOAKED AND BURNED
Awful Fate of Men, Women and GIRLS Held in
Captivity or Slavery in Camps Of Turks.
Arabs and Circassians.

Arabs and
NEW YORK, May 31.-Stories told
by Christian women and girls of Ar
menia. who were deported from their
homes. led to virtual captivity or
slavery in the camps q the Turks
Circa ssians and Arabs or held cap
tives in Turkish harems in Asia
Minor, have been received here by the
American committee for Armenian
and Syrian relief. The statement is
sued by the committee says that the
women whose narratives are made
public were released by their masters
or rescued by allied troops
After the signing of the arna4stice."
says the committees statement, many
of the Turks. believing that by so
doing they could escape punishment.
turned the women-many of them
with babies-into the street. Cable
grams to the committee have reported
that numbers of these women were
wandering about the country crazed
by starvation and exposure. AS fast
as possible they are being gathered up
by the committees relief workers and
placed in homes established for their
care. A late telegram said that fifteen
such Homes have been established in
Asia Minor"
Massacred in Diabolical Way.
Stories of these Armenian victims of
n, roro 0hf IA iped nv DIR
Loyal L. Writ. member of an expedi-
ton sent to Turkey by the committee.
. They are taken down as related by
Dr. w. A. Kennedy, field director OF
the lord mayors relief fund of Lon
don. After taking them down. DIR.
Kennedy assured DR.. Writ, he person,
ally reread the affidavits to the mar
rators and they signed them In his
presence.
Together these tales constitute one
of the tragic chapters of the war.
some instances the experiences OF as
many as 5000 refugees who had been
driven from their homes and forced
on journeys of hundreds of miles
from fertile Armenia into the borders
of the Syrian desert. On the way nun,
dreds at a time were separated ana
massacred, often in the most diabolical
way.
Girls Kept Naked in Captivity.
Hundreds of girls were torn from
the other members of their family
and taken, none knows where. by the
Turks, Kurds or Circassians. Scores
were compelled to live in captivity
naked for months and suffering from
sunblisters and beatings. Armenian
girls who escaped death were bar
tered like cattle. after their fathers
or relatives had vainly paid ransom
for them. Some saw their fathers or
friends murdered. In the tents of the
Arabs in the Syrian desert many were
bound and forcibly tattooed on. the
forearm, lips and chin to mark them
as Moslem women.
Generally, the stories indicate that
the captives were moved sometimes in
large groups from Armenia south
ward toward the desert of Syria. The
stories told by at least three Arme-
nian Christian girls deal with the
movement of one of these great
groups consisting of 1000 families or
5000 persons.
LOO Separated, II ostly Killed.
One story es this awful journey into
the desert was told by Takouhi GueZe-
kuchukian, a girl Of eighteen. who.
with her father, mother, four sisters
and a brother. was deported from
Hadjin, in Arana province, in May.
1915. They were moved southwark to
Aleppo and thence further on toward
the Syrian desert until the party num-
bered about 1000 families. At silva
ria, she said. they were told that on
payment of 5000 Turkish liras they
would be allowed to return.
THE refugees said they could not
give this amount" the Armenian girl
told DR.. Kennedy. Then the Circas-
SLAMS of the tribe of Chickens who
had control Of them separated out
LOO of the poorer families and took
them away. The same evening some
of these people returned and said they
had escaped and that four hours after
they left the Chickens had begun to
kill them with iron studded clubs.
The remaining families raised 1900
pounds and sent deputation of fifty
two men with it to buy their security.
The amount was refused and the men
were beaten and sent back.
Took Money, Refused Liberty.
"They raised an additional 500 liras
and took 1000 Turkish pounds in gold
| to the Circassian beys. who took the
money and tried to force them to sign
paper saying the Armenians had
| paid no money to them. The deputa-
| ton refused to do this and the fifty
| two men were bound and taken away
! A few days later, according to the
girls story, the remaining families
were deported from Sivaria and after
eight days arrived at Shedadieh, on
| the River Habour east of Deir-es-Zor.
| ION the way" the girls story went
on. $50 men were separated and TAX
en- away and soon after the Circas-
slams returned and divided among
themselves some Of the clothing which
she recognized as belonging to some
| of the men which they had taken
away The next day 300 more men
| were taken away and killed" AS the
refugees resumed their journey on the