The Northern Guardian. — 1895-12-11 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

THE ARMENIAN HORRORS.  FURTHER MASSACRES REPORTED.  TESTIMONY OF AN EYE-WITNESS.  According to a Reuter's telegram from Constantinople, dated Monday, news from the interior states that the burning and pillage of Armenian villages continues, especially in the vilayet of Van, and that the distress among the peasants is of the most terrible character. The majority of them have fled to the mountains to escape massacre by the Kurds, and are ' wandering about there in a state of absolute destitution, without shelter and without food. The Turkish version of recent disorders, that these were provoked by Armenian attacks on the mosques, is contradicted by impartial accounts, from which it appears that there has been a general and skilfully conceived plan to attack and exterminate the Armenian population. A remarkable circumstance is that the massacres and pillage have taken place chiefly in the six villayets in which the scheme of reforms obtained by the Powers from the Sultan is to be applied. According to information from Bitlis, the American missionaries there have decided to remain at their posts. The London Daily Ch roirkle to-day publishes the following from its Constantinople correspondent have seen a letter written in French by an educated Turk, who is employed by a firtn here (with Turkish and Christian members, this may seem strange to you, but there are several such firms) as their agent in Anatolia. This Turk's evidence cannot be suspected of sinning by partiality to Armenians or Christians, and is therefore worth having. .  He says: "On my way from liussnie Mansour to Malatia, in company with three gendarmes and an officer, we overtook a band of 200 Armenian refugees, men, women, and children from Adana going to Kharput. They begged and prayed us to keep with them, as two hours before some Kurds had carried off part of their property and killed six men who had resisted the robbers. _ _  "As we passed through a valley Kurds appeared on the hills on each side and when some hundreds had collected, charged down on us, each man firing into the crowd as he came. The Armenian women and children clung to our legs, and even to the legs of our horses, for protection, but we could do nothing to save them, being only five against many hundreds of Kurds. -They were shot or cut down even while clingine, to us. I lost my horse, and had several very narrow escapes myself. Only six of the 200 were left alive when the Kurds went off with what booty they had been able to carry. "When we got to Malatia we found there serious troubles had taken place 700 Armenians had been killed, and the Armenian quarter had been burnt, and Armenian shops all pillaged, but not burnt, as they are mixed up with Turkish shops. "Pushed on to Kharput, but found things even worse there. All round villages had been burnt, after the inhabitants had been killed and houses pillaged. At lewt 60 villages had been wiped off the face of the earth ! Kharput the same system had been followed as at Nfalatia, the Christian quarter being burnt, only the American church left. This is built of stone, with very heavy door. Some Christians who had taken refuge there were saved. The authorities sent down a small gun, they say to protect American property, but as a fact it was fired several times at the church. .  " Civil Governor tried to stop murders, but the military joined in them. Soldiers declared the Padishah had sent orders to kill all Armenians, and in many cases the soldiers acted under the direct orders of their officers! Impossible to describe the state of the whole country. All is tranquil now at Khar put, as there are no Armenians left to kill or pillage. It is hopeless to try to do any business. I think I had better return to Constantinople, but wait for your orders."