[Inclosure 1 in No.
655.]
Extract from a letter from ——, of Erzerum, October
17, 1895.
I found the whole country all the way to Bayazid on the Persian
frontier in a most grave state. The Hamidiek Kurds are the rulers of
the country, and the lives of the Christians are at their mercy. It
is possible that many have been sacrificed since we passed. The
Kurds declare they will lay the country waste in blood before they
submit to any favors granted to the Armenians. This is boasting, but
a report of massacre there at any moment would not surprise me at
all.
Letters from Erzingan and Kemakh give information of a most serious
condition there. Erzingan city is probably safe, but the out
districts are in panic. I have a most pathetic letter from the
pastor in Pakarich. The village of Zarigoner was attacked; 900 sheep
and other animals were driven off, two men were murdered, and six
women brutally used and robbed of their clothing. Several houses in
Komer were pillaged. Upper Pakarich was attacked, the flocks driven
off, and two Armenians taken captive and held for £150 ransom. The
pastor says, “We are within the breadth of a hair of the grave by
fire and sword.” Two hundred armed Kurds are laying waste the
Armenian villages. They are the men of Khan Oghlou of the Dersim
region.
The Moslem population of this city (Erzerum) has armed itself and is
most insolent and most offensive in its threats. However, we have
now little fear of an outbreak in this city. The Armenians are
conducting themselves well indeed under the circumstances. The more
violent of them seemed to content themselves with the death of two
informers. The authorities are taking precautions to preserve order.
The out districts are in a more defenseless condition, and no one is
safe. Very many people do not leave their houses.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
655.]
Extract of a letter from ——, of Marsovan, October
19, 1895.
For some months past things had been comparatively quiet here, the
pending negotiations between the Powers having an influence to make
all parties rather conservative. The stringency on the part of
Government officials against Armenians in the matter of restricting
travel, etc., was very much relaxed, and the harvesting season gave
a spontaneous comfortable and genial feeling to the community which
almost took us back to the good old days of harmony and peace.
Unfortunately, the Armenians took advantage of this apparent
extension of their liberties and made themselves obnoxious to the
Turks in many little ways. The temper of both parties was thus
prepared to leap into a flame when the spark should be applied. In
the meantime our pupils came together for the fall term, and to our
surprise the number of students was greatly increased, so that now
in the place of the 96 we had last year we have 187. We have felt
very strongly the responsibility of restraining and guiding such a
mass of young minds. While the Turks said nothing to us, they were
closely watching us and all that was going on, and it may well be
supposed that they were not altogether pleased with the way things
were going.
The events of the first days of the month at the capital at once
changed the social atmosphere. It was charged with excitement. The
glum and lowering looks on men’s faces, of which you have spoken,
became well-nigh universal. Shops were closed early, rumors of all
kinds were rife, and muttered threats were heard and exaggerated.
Our kaimakam (governor) summoned into his presence the principal men
of the three Armenian communities (Gregorian, Protestant, and
Catholic) and
[Page 1331]
gave them
some paternal advice about keeping their people quiet. In the course
of the conversation, Rev. Mr. Kinajian, the Protestant pastor, used
some expressions which were probably more in tune with a British
than a Turkish atmosphere, and considerably irritated the governor,
who spoke rather sharply to him. The conversation turned, however,
into pleasanter channels, and the incident was supposed to be over.
But it would seem the governor must have reported this and other
supposed grounds of suspicion to his superiors, for Wednesday
evening, just before sunset, Mr. Kinajian was arrested, without
being informed of the reason for his detention, and during the night
he was hustled off to Chorum, as his friends were informed, on his
way to his birthplace, Ourfa. This action of the government has very
much stirred up the extreme Armenian party in the city. His arrest
at once brought back all the old feelings of excitement into the
community, and fears and suspicions began to rill men’s minds very
much as they did two years ago. It became very difficult to control
the sentiments of our students. Some of them were utterly
demoralized with terror for their lives, while others were crazed
with a desire to do something desperate.
Friday evening, at about 8 o’clock, we heard the alarm of fire from
the girls’ school. We rushed out to hear that it was all over. The
damage done was slight, but the circumstances all point to
incendiarism. Our suspicion is strongly directed toward the Armenian
revolutionists, who are trying every means to get us excited, so
that we may send alarmist dispatches to the capital and to the world
at large. The wicked violence of this party is what makes our
position here now critical in the extreme, and unless something
efficient is done very soon by the powers that be, in some quarter,
the situation is likely to grow worse. The responsibility of the
European Powers is very great, and humanity demands that a speedy
end be put to the terrible strain under which the whole country is
placed.
