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The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954) (about)
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Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1583016
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THE WAR DAY BY DAY.
ARMENIAN HORRORS. Story of Eye-Witness.
Revolting Tale of Cruelty.
IFroni Cipt. C. E. W. BEAN, Official Reporter nilli the Australian Expeditionary Forces.]
G VU V TEPE, Oct 10 -An Armenian, «in-tinned the other day, said that at the besinmng of the war he waa fight mc in the Caucasus, against the Kussions He became ill, and with his 1 rother, who was also at the front, was .ont home on leave -hen way took them through the country of the persecution lbey arrived, after an adventurous journey, st the garrison town which waa the object of their journey In view of what thej hid seen on then journey, they went to the barracks and enlisted under feigned names He continued -
We stn)ed in that town three weeks The tluugs we witnessed during those terrible tlojs are the most awful of all the lorrors we passed through Not because the) were different from those at other places but because we to some citent took ¡art in them After we had been two tinja at our now quarters, an officci carne to the barracks, and ordered all the men
to be lined up m the j ard Then he said - ' I want i hundred men skilled in the use of bayonets ' Afore than a hundred it once came forward, we amongst them AVe were then taken to i large building in the city, and wore the uniform of gendarmes, and kail our nues and ammunition AVe were then divided up into batches of eight or ten and begin to patrol the town, ostensibly to maintain order While engaged in tin« dut) wo saw two priests and about 40 Armenians dragged by policemen towards the prison house, but, of course, wc did not interfere At every street corner a gen darme was standing on sentry duty AVe were on patrol duty Escape was im possible
Then the police begnn to enter the onops ond turn the tenants into the streets, hand cuff them ind take them to the prison hou e Ul d15 '""S l'"3 business waa kept u. Hie prisons not proving adequate, the oil and spacious building 1 mentioned be fore was temponrily turned into a prison house lor three dajB there was no change in the programme At the end of the third daj the major caine and Bald, 'I wint 40 ot the best bajoneters for a special busi ness I took the hint and did not move Hy brother who did not understand what was u. mide a move, but stopped short at a push from my elbow The 40 went up, but returned ti e follón mg day Could there be mi. doubt any longer what this 'special bus ness ins' Next day the same ofliccr sail I wai t 40 men tins time different ones \\e stood still Hie ofliccr noticed our opathj ind biwlcd out, -oil block heads ¡ouought to be ashamed of jour big bodies Line up quick, cIbo I will break
1 our heads \\ e had no choice but to obev
]icalosaidllntu signal by whistling would
be puen at midnight mid we should be
ruft lostirt lmmedntelv
'ure enough at midnight the whistle was heard cleu and sharp, and we nnmedi ately rune forw ird and lined up AVe marched through the streets guarded by geadarraes mil it 1 ist hiltcd at the big buildug anl is the big giles opened and the î oor unfortunates carne out four abreist and tied toeother with a rope, one of the long line of gendarmes stepped out to escort catii four until BOO were out and each of us hal his share of pusoners to look out for n c marched them through the dimly It streets out m the open air At sunrise ne reiche 1 a place wheie wo found si\ or mi cn joltccuicn a few gendarme-« and an officer I/ien ne noticed _ bind of 100 gen darmes IIow thej cime there, and why I dd not sec them at first is a mystery to
c
Then our officer gue the command. 'About turn I was mj stilled, and could tot tell why he hal cscoited the prisoners up to there and w hat w is the business: of
¡Eo*c gend innes there We marehed back, towera- leaving our prisoners there ljmg on the (.round four bl four tied together After 10 minutes march vi e carne to a 1 noll
nilen our officer gave Hie oidor, 'about turn halt' lhen he sud 'Now boys dont let me sec j our faces saddened I had planned Mernie, but never mind Non, though jou will be denied the pleasure of killing afiléis jon will enjov the sight of it, never tbcless \\ itch now ' .he rest ia too hor hole to describe
When lie ernie to this point in his story ¡te man broke dow n and could not foi a
lune B° on Vftennrds he continued -
\\ hat I sin 11 is about 100 human w olv es [lunge among about ten times as minv de Itncelessbeings also humm, tearing thom to teces with haioncts The Armenians were mabie to run unj as they were tied to Kther four bv foui and wore utterly ex tasted The is« issins simply nailed them 0 negro ind There w as no shooting pre- tence was gncn to the bayonet as tho quietest method ,
THE MARKET OF WOMEN.
IVo dajs after this, for a whole day and It bali, some "0 carriages nere kept busy
«nicjmg women and children to the rail *») Elation Tliey were placed, like so nany cattle, In -.,. enclosure, with guards
I round Great crowds gathered about I« place An olhcer made a speech to the
lied that these women and girls were now P»l>c propcrtv Jhlf i dozen policemen »tot uwde the enclosure separated the «B« and carried them to the public garden
-ne younger girls were list brought back « me cit) while the marriageable ones TO placed for exhibition in the great M Ming I mentioned before Married \Im wîriî*mi 1° i pnion house What n (r,e0f hcnl "'t'matelj I cannot tell, as 7j a town, 'oon "it(-r bllt I Presume rL, Í1?1, farc aI,y better lú"u their
|Ciicrs of ¿nth i
THE WOMEN OF ZILCH. ' [Tbit h the story of the ïurkish method
from the inside bj a man who actually
P'tt in it ibe lust sentence refers to
apened to the women of anothet
ïugh which the two biothen
is mrrtlive of these incidents l8 » While mj brother and I were «- a friend brought the news of «_, î.JCCUr,lnK m the city lins news t£ " .try,dmS Hi- t-a'd that most me men had already been miBsacred th, n,, ïcre tt "lmS lor their 'urn "f.?" , U t0 ""- "wn, these to ?raíl«,j ren J '"Wren weie placed m u FT i !,"nlcd out ot their homes with '« ,L fr l"",1 ''"lo bedding, and Io afifr to \nhln Uvo llours distant Sicl t"V n'bht aftor n,Sht- they »ere fi i,,11,1*' "id cold until It was
B"1,"1! terms -hey naTip Hrath»rTsoncd with bj their cap ¿It lio tí-e '' bcen klll<-d' ,f JOH Will >8 hoLt?r,1nl,t'lon >°" "»' be allowed ftioutl, Pf hu,u children, but if you Al,?'101' 'our '»'»bunds I he
.Wer fate ri "", «'-eption, «-hose the
__Í*o to Benara ""ii ",e U"cf °,,hcor Kavc I ___ "«s fi1,,1'0 501,n8 nnd nut thom ' ?Urs \u"°''"-se were torn irom their ___W ii Lb,?'"!"1 of e<-ndariiies, who ?% da- "y,1*- "".e out °f 'heir » leei_nnM,baj,°,"Pt0<1 th0 mother«
"'enant$ f °"-_. ,l«<- <"'«:« 'ibe boj« _^eRi^-T .tl,e 8,rla and tnkT t» .to iK l°.bc bl0"Bht up as Mobarn T^ung tint , ,S 1rler went forth, an P toldo L _ Vllnl' ha« been so good I*«urti!» L ,0" ,tuese B'ao«T_ >t 'S
__F<' Hu. .,.B l!l n?d P"-k for your
___rWlw"_\'i,or umîc!t **Tt Md ___Sdai the íní, thcm for '»s sons Day ___-¿ sí"DfnrW pr ? w<-"- there like H< 'o d that Z S ° ' ? l ,0 m'irk'?t We _B» out tmi f_ ncn,lmd Previously been ^^» >b y to eoÍ!'riabrcnft', "_ d mirched
*W-iïn_ tUirt '".".tml, but really to f« marT' where they were ¿as
leight Itched by the Crown.]