Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-06-06
BRUTALITY OF THE TURKS.
Armenans and Syrians were Murdered
by Thousands.

Armenians and Syrians were Murdered
by Thousands.
Verified stories of the dreadful treat.
, ment of Armenians by the Turks ant
Arabs were contained in a statement
issued from New York by the American
committee for Armenian and Syrian
. relief. These stories were obtained by
DIR. Loyal L. Writ, member Of the ex-
pedition sent to Turkey by the COM
mission who holds numerous affidavits
from numerous narrators. These tales
CONSTITUTE a tragic chapter of the war
JThey were not isolated cases but, in
some instances, were the experiences
of as many as 5000 refugees who had
been torn from their homes.
Hundreds of girls were torn from
the other members of their family and
taken none knows where by the Turks
lcompelled to live in captivity naked
flor months and suffering from SUM-
blisters and beatings. Armenian girls
who escaped death were bartered like
j cattle. After their fathers or relatives
lad vainly paid ransom for them,
some saw their fathers or friends muir
dered. In the tents Of the Arabs in
|.he Syrian desert many were bound
and fofcibly tatooed on the forehead,
lips and chin to mark them as Moslem
women.
Poorer Victims are Killed.
Generally, the stories indicate that
the captives were moved sometimes in
large groups from Armenia southwark
toward the desert of Syria. The stories
/ told by at least three Armenian Chris
tian girls deal with the movements of
one of these great groups consisting of
1000 families or 5000 persons.
One story of this awful journey into
the desert was told by Takouhi Grueze-
kuchuhian, girl of eighteen who with
her father. mother, four sisters and a
brother were deported from Hadjin,
Adaha province, in May, 1915. They
were moved southwark to Aleppo and
thence further on toward the Syrian
desert until the party numbered about
1000 families. At Sivaria, 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, one Of DR.. Wirts
assistants. "Then the Circassians and
tho tribes of Chechens who had con-
troll of them, separated out 1,1OO 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 Che
chens had begun to kill them with
Iron studded clubs. The remaining
families raised $500 pounds and sent a
deputation of fifty-two men with II
to buy their security. The amount
was refused and the men were beaten
and sent back.
"TheN raised an additional 500 liras
en- took 1000 Turkish pounds in gold
to the Circassian Beys, who took the
money and tried to force them to sign
a paper saying the Armenians mad
paid no money to them. The deputa-
tion refused to do this and the hfty-
two men were bound and taken away"
A few days later according to the
girls story, the remaining families
ycrc deported from Sivaria and after
eight days arrived at Shedadieh, on
4he river Habour each of Deir- Es-
Zor.
"On the way" the girls story went
on. 150 men were separated and taken
away and soon after the Circassians re-
turned and divided among themselves
some of the clothing which she recog-
niZed as belonging to some OF the men
whom they had taken away. Ihe next
day 800 more men were taken away ana
killed" AS the refugees resumed their
tourney on the following morning sne
saw the bodies of some of the men she
knew. They had been dubbed 10
dea h.
Stripped by Arabs.
"a few days after this reads the
narrative. "they were told that for
safety each family Of women ana
children was to go to the house or an
| Arab. The Arabs robbed them and
stripped them of their clothing ana
sent them back to the Circassians VINO
began at once to kill them with knives
women and children, about 100 IN all.
TWENTY-FIVE boys and eleven girls were
saved and taken to the tents OF the
| Circassians. Takouhi was taken with
here sister to the village of Gerbelleh'
where she was beaten because she dld
not give them gold they believed she
had"
After having been kept while by
| Circassian she and her sister were sent
to another Chechen and then to the
house of another Circassian in She-
crush. She is now in the orphanase at
Aleqqo and her sister is in an Armen-
ian house in Nusebin.
Other incidents, evidently deailns
with this terrible journey of the
Armenians to Shedadieh, were related
to DR.. Kennedy by Araxa BarutJian'
a girl of seventeen who was a pupil
in the American girls school at Ada
4 Bazaar, in the western portion OF Asia
Minor near Constantinople. She spoke
English.
AT Shedadieh." the narrative says
"she saw a party of 800 men, women
and children all naked. 1t was in July
and their backs had been blistered by
the sun and many Of them had bruises
all over their limbs and bodies and
sores caused by the beating they had
received. During the heat of the day
they would lie covered in the water as
the pain of the sun was unbearable.'
Before she arrived at Shedadlen
two of her brothers died at Bah ana
her father at another place. AS the
Arabs were taking only unmarried girls
|