Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President, Transmitted to Congress December 2, 1895, Part II

Mr. Terrell to Mr. Olney.

Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, January 10, 1896. (Received Feb. 1.)

No. 764.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose for your information the copy of a letter from Harpoot, written on the 18th ultimo by —— ——, and also a tabulated statement showing that in the vilayet of Harpoot alone there had been at that date 7,054 houses burned and 15,845 Armenians slain, which Mr. —— considers an underestimate.

There are six vilayets in which massacres have been general. * * * you will observe from its date that this table of the massacres was made before your report to the Senate in which you stated that my report of 30,000 slain was perhaps an overestimate. * * *

The inclosed statement is furnished by a reliable gentleman, and is almost identical with the information obtained by one of my colleagues through Catholic sources.

I have, etc.,

A. W. Terrell.

[Inclosure in No. 764.]

Mr.—— to Mr. Terrell.

Harpoot, Turkey, December 18, 1895.

Dear Sir: Yesterday we received the following telegram from you:

His Imperial Majesty has given repeated orders for protection of all Americans. Are you safe? Let me know what you need.

To-day we sent the following reply:

Protected on premises since riot. Venture out little. Boxes lost en route from Angora. Newspapers don’t come. Can supply necessities here. Letters from you and Peet by every mail.

As I have written you, we have a guard of soldiers, but the Turks continue to threaten that in case of any interference by the European powers they will cut off every remaining Christian. These threats are made both by officials and by citizens.

Dr. Barnum has not been out since the riot. I have been to the market several times, likewise to Mezreh. Yesterday I visited the village of Kesarik, near Mezreh, and bought some timber. This morning we sent an ox cart to bring the timber, but the Turks of the village beat the driver and took the timbers by force. To-morrow I shall address a communication to the vali in regard to it. This vali, Raouf Pasha, late governor of Dedegatch, arrived here a few days since. We know nothing of him yet and cannot tell what his disposition is toward us. We said in our telegram, “Boxes lost, etc.,” because nine boxes were sent from Angora nearly ten weeks ago and no news can be gained of them; hence it seems useless to order goods sent to us now. We have been able to buy clothing and the things most necessary for our comfort here. When the present stock of goods in the market is exhausted it will be difficult to get anything, for confidence is dead and trade paralyzed.

We said, “Letters for you and Peet by every mail,” because we have written you very full details week by week, judging that you would wish the fullest information. It will be a great relief to us when we learn that these letters are received.

By the last post we learned of the receipt of my letter of November 6 and a later one written immediately after the attack. By the following post I sent a very detailed account; since then I have written every week.

I inclose a continuation of the memoranda begun last week. The number of houses burned has now reached 6,628 and the killed 14,096. This is manifestly an understatement, for I have not counted the dead in villages from which I could get no reliable estimates, even though the population is said to be wholly exterminated, as is the case in some.

The official report for the Harpoot Kuzza is 600 Christians and 250 Koords and 30 Turks killed, and one or two houses in every 100 burned.

The work of obtaining the signatures of Christians to papers exculpating the Government and Turks still goes on. In the present state of things any number of signatures can be obtained for any paper presented, especially as a soldier accompanies the bearer of the paper. One such paper has been extensively circulated in Mezreh, and will doubtless soon be published in Constantinople.

The marrying of Christian women to Turks still continues, and cases of this kind come to our notice almost every day; also accounts of barbarities committed which I have no wish to write. Our schools are in session, save the lower grades for girls, for whom we have no place.

Sincerely, yours,

—— ——.

I inclose a table revised and corrected down to date.

[Subinclosure in No. 764.]

Memorandum No. 2.

In No. 1 we reported 5,064 houses burned and 12,708 persons killed. Later reports necessitate some changes, but they increase our figures rather than diminish them.

Place.	Number of houses	Houses burned.	Killed.	Place.	Number of houses	Houses burned.	Killed.
Brought forward	4,000	5,064	12,708	Bedretil	30	27
Arabkir		950	1,000	Garmuri	45
Ambergo	40		50	Palu
Shepik	85	65	37	Navad
Aghun	40		12	Apaood	70	30	6
Vakhshen	60	10	32	Baghun	130	110	80
Enetzik	35			Eski Malatia	20
Kushnee	40			Hoghi	250		40
Masbgird	90	25	3	Kope	250	230	32
Savmuga	32		66	Percheng	250	5	30
Ancburtee	90			Ichmeh	112	10
Hazaree	80
Genrigee	50	50		Total		6,628	14,076
Moornaco	40	40

1 Shops.

Exhibit of houses burned and persons killed.

Place.	Number of houses.		House burned.	Killed.
1. Adish		310	310	{	13
					244
2. Aivosa					70
3. Aghansi	{	47	1		12
		4,000 Ym.	3,700
4. Arabkir	{	5,000 Y.			4,000
		1530	500
5. Bizmishen		270	190		23
6. Chemishgesek			40
7. Momsa					16
8. Kutturbul		100	50
9. Karabash	{	200
		480 Y.
10. Choonkoosh	{	1,000 Ym.	103		680
		700 Y.
11. Chermook		400 Ym.	300
12. Diarbekir			(1)		2,000
13. Egin	{	1,000 Y.
		1,000 Ym.
14. Gamirgab		90	32		7
15. Garmuri	{	45
		150 Y.
16. Hokhn	{	125 Yn.	30		62
		15 Y.
17. Hoocloo		300 Yn.	263		30
18. Haboosi		180	90		75
19. Hulakegh		150	11		16
20. Havao	{	280	260		110
		120 Y.
21. Husenik	{	650 Yn.	9		260
		60 Y.	112
22. Ichmeh		200 Yn.	10		60
23. Komk		300
24. Malatia		1,500			5,000
25. Ozoonoba		100			65
26–89. Peri and 63 villages	{	90 Is.			8
		400 Yn.
90. Palu		400			1,580
91. Kapon Achmaz		90	75
92. Khoshmat		160	80
93. Nurkhi		100	90
94. Shenaz		80	45
134. Forty villages
135. Severek		350 Yn.			750
136. Sara Karmish		80			6
137. Sheikhaji
138. Iadem	{	300 Yn.	250		270
		4 I.
139. Upper Mezreh		20	11
140.Amberga		40			50
141. Shepik		85	65		37
142. Aghun		40			12
143. Vakshen		60	10		32
144. Enetzik		35
145. Kushna		40
146. Mashgira		90	25		3
147. Savmuga		32			66
148. Anchurtee		90
153. Five villages plundered
154–170. Sixteen villages near Chemishgesek; 3 wholly destroyed					100
Gemijei		50	50
Moornao		40	40
Bedretil		30	27
171. Apaood		70	30		6
172. Baghum		130	110		80
173. Eski Malatia		20
174. Hoghi		250			40
175. Korpi		250	230		32
176. Percheng		250	5		30
Total		22,978	7,054		15,845
Less Turkish		7,619
		15,359

1 Shops.