The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-09-20
GERMANY AND AUSTRIA GUILTY
 OF 0UTRAGES AGAINST ARMENIA
Documentary Evidence From Berlin Proves That Itle Central Powers Failed To Bring Influ-
 ence to Bear on Asiatic Ally.
thing to do with any "excesses" that might have been committed
Feasting and Murder at Bal1u.

thing to do with any ''excesses" that might have been committed.
 Feasting and Murder at Baku. The last phase of Turkish mili- tancy was inaugurated by the Brest- , Litovsk Treaty in March, 1918, and 1 extended, as far as pr. Lepsius' doc uments are concerned, down to the capture of Baku last September. On
 the strength of the Brest Treaty the
 Turks occupied not only the assigned
 districts of Ardahan. Kars and Ba-
 tum, but advanced into the more densely populated Armenian lands be
 yond. As this advance threatened
 to engage too deeply the Turkish re-
 serves, which he desired to see em-
 ployed nearer home. Ludendorff in
 June. 1918, addressed from German
 Main Headquarters a strong remon-
 strance, based entirely on military
 considerations, to Enver. linden
 burg endorsed Ludendorff's injunc-
 ton. and pleaded "as a Christian"
 that the Caucasus populations might
 be preserved. Enver returned an
 evasive reply.
 The entry of the Turks. under Nuri
 Pasha, into Baku on Sept 16-17,
 1918, was the object of an extraor
 nary dispatch by Lieutenant Colonel
 Paraquin, the German Chief of
 Staff. to the Turkish Eastern Army
 Group.
 Colonel Paraquin was, he says. be-
 sieged by German residents. begging
 for protection, and on their heels there followed the neutral Consuls on a similar errand. These appeals were communicated to the Pashas with
 an urgent request for attention. But
 the Pashas and their suites were en-
 crossed with preparations for a full
 dress banquet While the Pashas and their German cOnfederatcs made merry, the inhabitants of Banku were being plundered and murdered The Turks" says Colonel Paraquin, did not allow themselves to be disturb ed.'
 In the evening the Danish Consul appeared in the great hall of tho Hotel Metropole. where the convivial- ties were in full swing. and reported to Colonel Paraquin that German houses were being pIundered and that the lives of the occupants were in danger. The German colonel there upon strOde up 10 Nuri Pasha and in a loud voice said to him:
 Your Excellency, beg of you now
 at last to take effective steps for the protection of the Germans. If nor. shall be compelled O report to the l German Embassy at ConstantinopIe how little you protect German life and property"
 Nuri was taken aback, but pro- 1 tested that he had done everything | possible. The colonel pointed out | that not a single senior officer had ! yet visited the town. and that the | troops. instead of being told off on guard duty, had merely been paraded | Tor inspection. The colonel declares ' that, although the moment was not
 one for polite amenities, he employed | no word or gesture that might be | calculated to give offence Never l theless, on the following day. Sep | tember IS, HaIl Pasha sent his aide ! de-camp to Colonel Paraquin with a l message to say that, in view of the ! colonefs conduct todwards Nuri Pa 1 sha in public the day before, he was | relieved of his post as Chief of Staff
 to the Ee stern Army group. l All the sa tisfaction that General von | kress, the German High Commis- { sioner at Tiflis, could get out of Nuri 1 was an assurance in French that any 1 little accidents that might have 1 occurred would be repaired.