The writer is well acquainted with Aintab, and some of his best
friends live there, if they have not been killed. It has about 40,000
population, one-third of it being Armenian. There are great scholars
among them. Central Turkey College is there. It is an American college,
but most of the professors are native Armenians, graduates of Yale
College. There is also a woman's American College and a hospital. The
Evangelical Armenians are the strongest; they have three large
churches. They are considered to be the richest Evangelical Armenians
in Turkey. But hundreds of them were killed, wounded and plundered;
in all about 4,000 of the Armenian population were killed.
A Letter from Aintab, November 23, 1895.
Aintab has had its baptism of blood and fire, and we sit in grief
among ruins. We had been hoping that the many things which seemed
to combine for our security would save our city from the fury
of the storm which is desolating so many places about us. Our
Christian community is large (about one-fourth of the whole
population), and the Christians, as a class, are exceptionally
intelligent and influential; the leading Moslems of the city
are intelligent and able men, and have shown themselves to a
degree tolerant and even friendly to Christians; the governor
has seemed disposed, beyond most Turkish officials, to respect
the rights of Christians. There is a considerable number of
foreign residents sure to be witnesses of any violence done to
Christians. The college and hospital have for years commanded a
powerful influence in the city; the hospital especially has the
good-will of all classes; the college, its students and teachers
were no doubt regarded by many with much suspicion on account of
the latent antagonisms inevitably existing between progressive and
conservative ideas, but personal relations were, so far as I know,
always friendly. Another thing in our favor has been the fact that
the Christians of Aintab have given very little countenance to the
ultra-revolutionists, who have no doubt provoked trouble in some
places. Relying upon all these things, we had for nearly three
weeks been hearing reports of fighting and massacre at Zeitoon,
Marash, and Oorfa, and other places, with comparatively little
anxiety for ourselves. It is true we were frequently hearing of
fearful threats and warnings of what the Moslems were preparing
to do in Aintab, but we had got hardened to that sort of thing,
and regarded it as largely the invention of cowardly roughs to
terrify those whom they did not dare attack. The most alarming
thing in the situation was that the government was disarming the
Christians, and at the same time giving out rifles and ammunition
to Moslems. This, however, was attributed to an exaggerated fear
of a Christian rising, of which they profess to have information.
Meantime the Moslems liable to military service were called out
and equipped and hurried off toward Zeitoon, where it was reported
that the Christians were in rebellion. This, no doubt, was the
occasion of intense irritation, and both the soldiers and their
friends were saying, "If we must fight Christians we will begin
with those close at hand." Under these circumstances the native
Christians became very anxious, and made such preparations for
defense as circumstances permitted, at the same time keeping as
quiet as possible, and avoiding all controversy and altercations
with the Moslems. The government increased the police force in the
city, and held a considerable force of troops at the barracks near
the town, and the governor and principal men seemed to be making
much effort to quiet the people. Several considerable tumults
had occurred and been promptly suppressed without bloodshed;
so day after day dragged on, each hour increasing the hope that
we should tide over the crisis.
Saturday morning, November 16, more than three weeks after the
first riot in Marash, at about half past seven, just as we were
rising from breakfast, our people came in with white faces saying,
"The day of judgment has come in the city." We hastened to the
door, and sure enough the mob was at work; all the west and
south part of the city seemed to be in an uproar; crowds of
people rushing in every direction, roofs covered with excited
men, women, and children; the strange mingling of cries of fear,
anger, and defiance, with occasional gun and pistol shots, made
an exhibition of the most fearful tumult and confusion.
Already troops were hurrying forward, and soon a company of some
sixty soldiers were stationed in front of the Girls' Seminary,
with pickets out to cover the approaches to the hospital and
college. Dr. Shepherd and Mr. Sanders mounted their horses
and hastened to the hospital and seminary, where they remained
until the rioting ceased. The college is about half a mile west
of the seminary and hospital, and commands a full view of these
buildings, and of the whole west end of the city, where most of
the rioting occurred.
What we, who were looking on, saw from this point was the narrow
streets densely crowded with intensely excited people, now and then
a rush made upon some house or gate, the rally of defenders on the
roofs, among whom women were often foremost, using stones, clubs,
and sometimes guns and pistols as best they could. Sometimes the
attack is beaten off, and the assailants withdraw to organize a
new assault, sometimes a gate or wall is broken down, and then the
noise of conflict subsides and the work of massacre and plunder
begins. Later on, long lines of people moving off to their homes
laden with plunder, and later still the flames and smoke rising
from the burning houses.
What we heard was the indescribable roar of the mob, pierced by
the sharp reports of pistols and guns, with now and then shrieks
of agony and fear, and shouts of defiance or command, and over all,
and most horrible of all, the loud shrill "Zullghat," (wedding cry)
very like the cry of our northern loons prolonged and sharpened,
raised by Turkish women crowded on their roofs and cheering on
their men to attack. The massacre and pillage began in the markets,
and in those parts of the city where Christians' houses, surrounded
by Moslem neighbors, offered easy points of attack; these places
having been looted, the mob moved on towards what are known as the
Christian quarters of the town. There the resistance became more
obstinate; in two of these quarters the old street gates were still
in use, by shutting which, the district enclosed becomes a small
fortified community capable of making a strong resistance to an
organized mob. The assailants were at last beaten off and arrested.
Under such general conditions the storm of mob violence raged
on without much abatement till the middle of the afternoon, when
the tumult gradually subsided, and night at last brought quiet,
except in the vicinity of burning houses, where the uproar went
on till near midnight. By morning, arrangements seemed to have
been made which gave us hope that order would be maintained;
the guard for our mission premises had been increased, and the
soldiers posted at intervals around the Christian quarters of the
city. Very early in the morning of the 17th, crowds, evidently
eager to share the plunder, were seen hurrying towards the city
from every direction. The soldiers met and turned them back, and
even beat some of them and chased them off. They soon returned,
however, increased in numbers, and being joined by friends from
the city, became very turbulent. About noon we saw through our
glass an officer, apparently a captain, ride forward into a mob,
and address them at some length; we could not hear what he said,
but immediately, without any show of opposition from any one, the
whole crowd came pell-mell with the soldiers into the city. This
was at the southwest corner of the town, and immediately under
our eyes. At the same time much the same thing was occurring at
the northwest corner; then for an hour chaos was let loose again,
and the horrors of the previous day were repeated, only that this
time the Christians were prepared, and, being in a strong position,
were generally able to beat off their assailants. At one point
of the line of defense were a few Moslem houses, and we were
delighted to learn that the men heartily and bravely joined in
the defense with their neighbors; the gallantry of this act was
somewhat marred, however, by the demand which they made the next
day for a large sum of money for their service; these men actually
demanded and received about $5 apiece for this neighborly help.
When it became apparent that the mob could not force their way
into the places held by the besieged, the soldiers, perhaps having
received new orders, resumed a show of activity, fired a few shots
into the air, and drove the mob out of the city and dispersed
them; this is the last serious fighting that has occurred up to
the present time, though local tumults have broken out frequently,
several houses have been pillaged and burned, and two Christians
at least were shot while being conducted through the streets by
soldiers. Strict military rule is now established, and special
care is taken to safeguard the lives of property of foreigners. We
are kept under very close restriction, and not allowed to visit
the city except for special objects, and then under a strong
guard. The amount of damage we can only estimate; as nearly as
we can judge, the figures will be about 200 killed, 400 wounded,
nearly all the Christian shops and 250 houses pillaged, and a
considerable number burned. Some 1,000 men who in the first panic
took refuge in khans and mosques are still held as prisoners,
for purposes which we can only surmise.
P.S. Dec. 17. Quiet has for the most part been maintained under
strict military rule. No Christian can yet venture out without
armed escort, and there are not wanting signs that there is waiting
and even expectation of another signal from above. The government,
however, seems to be trying to restore order and confidence. We
are glad to say that we have heard of no cases of special violence
or abuse offered to women.
The above-named prisoners have been gradually released, till
now there are only some six of the principal Christians still in
confinement. The number of killed just now must be set down at
over 400; the butchery in the markets where the first attacks
began far exceeded our belief. A great number of bodies were
thrown together into some distilleries, and these buildings
set on fire and burned to the ground, thus removing for a time
much of the terrible evidence of the extent of the massacre. The
attack being made in the morning and beginning in the markets, it
happened that the killed are about wholly from the "bread-winners"
among the Christians. As a result, there are now in Aintab more
than 4,000 people dependent on charity for daily bread, and most
of those to whom they would naturally look for aid are utterly
impoverished; the outlook for the winter is simply appalling. We
appeal for aid speedily in the name of humanity.