To the English Consul at Aleppo, and to the English Ambassador of
Constantinople.
All the suburban towns of Hajin where Christians live were
plundered by Mohammedans, and some of the Christians were
killed. The people of Hajin and we are in danger; immediate help
is needed.--Nov. 5, 1895.
To the American Minister at Constantinople.
The Christian villages of Hajin were totally plundered by the
Mohammedans. About two thousand, naked and hungry, ran away and
came to Hajin. Both the Christian people at Hajin and we are in
danger; immediate help is needed.--Nov. 5, 1895.
Extracts From a Hajin Letter.
My Dear Sir:-- Nov. 25, 1895.
The situation is growing worse here. All the suburban Christian
villages were plundered by Mohammedans. Some of the villages which
were plundered were as follows:--Shar-Dere, Roumlou, Kokooun,
and Dash-olouk. All of them are left naked and hungry. Came here
to our city, and we are taking care of them. And the government
never punished any of the plunderers. They were encouraged, and
surrounded our city, and nobody can go out of the city, and if this
continues so, we shall have a famine soon, and die in the city. The
government does not protect us, but helps the plunderers, and we
are continually threatened to be killed. Our only hope is in God.
Another Extract From a Letter of an Armenian.
Nov. 25, 1895.
My Dear Uncle:--
If you ask our condition, thank God that we are alive. But beside
life we have nothing, no comfort, no happiness, no property, no
church, no religion, all are taken from us. Though we are alive,
many of our number were killed, and those who survive are wandering
here and there, naked and hungry, and are dying in that manner.
God is angry, and exceedingly angry to us. Perhaps he will hear
your prayers; pray for us, or else all of us shall perish. I can
never describe the horrible situation in which we are put.
Yours truly,
From Hadish Village, Armenia.
My Dear Friend:-- Dec. 2, 1895.
In great sorrow and in despair I am compelled to write to you a
few lines to inform you of our most miserable condition.
The Turks and Kurds came to our village, plundered everything we
had, killed more than 600 persons, violated the women and girls,
tortured the pregnant women, and now we who survive have nothing to
live on. Naked, hungry, cold, hopeless, we are crying bitterly. I
write these few lines; perhaps you can inform the Christian world
and they may help us and relieve our sufferings.
Yours truly,
There are many other cities, towns, and villages in Armenia, where
thousands of people were tortured and killed, their houses burned and
plundered, their children kidnapped, the women violated. But there
is no space to put all here in this book. I am sure the reader will
be satisfied with reading this long chapter of Armenian horrors,
and the letters on the atrocities from different reliable sources.
To sum up, during these frightful scenes in Armenia more than 100,000
Armenians were killed, and half a million left without food, homes,
or clothing; they are dying in heaps; and there is no hope of getting
any help from Armenia itself, even when the spring comes, for those who
would have supported them are killed, and most of the destitute are
women and children. Everything, even to clothes, is taken from them,
the head of the family is killed, and they are left hopeless and in
despair. How long can the Red Cross Society help them? How long can
the American people help them? Not very long; when spring comes they
will say, "We have done all we could for the Armenians; let them take
care of themselves." But will they stop to think how the Armenians can
take care of themselves? Have they oxen and horses to plough? No. Is
there any man left to support his wife and children? No. Suppose here
and there an Armenian is left (I mean in the country places, not in
the cities), dare he go out to his field and work? No. Were any of
those who plundered and killed punished? No. What guarantee can we
have, then, that those who survive will not be killed or plundered
in their turn? None. Will the European powers who signed the Berlin
Treaty give any assurance to the Armenians that they will be protected
hereafter? No. Is the Sultan a better man since the massacre? No. Are
the Turks and Kurds better people since the atrocities? No. They are
worse than ever before, because they have a freer hand, and all their
passions are roused to greater strength. Well, then, if these are
all facts, what is the use of feeding people a few weeks merely to
keep them alive for another massacre that will finish the rest of them?
O reader, do not be cheated. The Armenians need practical aid, not
deceptive aid. I mean the Armenians must be liberated from the cruel
Sultan; if not, no aid is given to the Armenians. Because the future
will be worse than ever before.
Thus far I have continually assumed and tried to prove that the Sultan
of Turkey deliberately ordered all these atrocities committed. But
perhaps you will doubt the statement of a native; you will think
I am prejudiced. Therefore I will give you American testimonies
from reliable sources. Please read the following from the "Review
of Reviews":--