ARMENIAN REFUGEES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10070, 10 August 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

ARMENIAN REFUGEES.

There recently arrived io London three moat interesting personages. They are Armenians who witnessed the massacre at Sassouo, and actually suffered persecution at tho handa of the Turkish soldiery. They were discovered wandering about In Ru.wau Armenia by a gentleman, himself an Armenian, but acquainted with Englnnd and English people. -With tho objeot of making tho mussacre a reality to the Euulish people, he brought them to England. Ona of tho party is a young mother of eighlaon years, whose three months old baby bo? w»b bntohertd before her oye3 ; tho other t<ro ore men, one of them tho young woman's husband. Tho gentleman, with whom tho party are staying, nays that Mrs Bedroa, by which name the young woman is now known, is a moat perfect lady, with on innate refinement whioh ia remarkable. The

district of Saiaonn, from whioh they oome, is in the neighbourhood of Monnt Ararat, whioh mountain divides Persian, Russian, and Turkish Armenia, as Mont Blano divides Frauce, Switzerland, and Italy. The inhabitants of thia district are simple, peaoQ-loving people, conteuted and religions, dwelling in patriarchal style. The religious faith of the Armenians is very simple, but very strong, and thoy would rather die than change it. Even the onarchea of the diatriot bear a silent but sari testimony to the chronic state of alorm in whioh the people live, being built with high windows, and amall low doors, bo that they might bo easily defended. The experiences of the escapees now in London are a fair Bftmple of the experiences of other villagers in the same district. The soldiera of the Snltan attaoked the village where the Bedros lived, and the inhabitants, finding them determined to kill, defended their homes as beat they could. Mrs Bodros helped her husband to tight, wilb her child alang on her back. When the villagers found that f» rl^ e J fightiug meant certain death, they fled to a forost of primeval denaeness. In their hiding, the husband and wife became separated, and she was discovered by the Turkish soldiers, who horribly murdored three other women and her child hcfore her eyes. The mother waa of good family, and having | on good clothing, the soldiera thought it would ba a pity to spoil it with blond, so thoy tore her olothes off her. In doing so, they found some money, over the distribution of whlch.they quarrelled and allowed their prisoner to esoape. Hungry, naked, and terrified, she covered heraelf with haves and remained in the forest for two days. Sho then olothed tierself in the garments of her murdered friends. After much privation, she croesed the boundary into Russian Armenia, where Bhe heard of her hnsband. He, to-. ! . ad had terrible and sickening experiences!, at onu time being aotnally under fire whilst lushing across the open ground, and being twice hit by the bullets. The other man underwent similar but leas prolonged privations. In Rassian Armenia, he says, everything is peaceful and prosperous— ;" It was like going from Hell to Paradise. CousWeriap; tho circumstances of their flight these people exhibit a remarkable degroß of hope and cheerfulness, which found expression iv some remarks by the young woman after she reached England :—" Of course," she said, " when I wan alone In the forest, persecuted like a wild beast, in danger of being caught and butchered, it seemed to me that we were the only Christians on tho earj,h, ani that the whole world was Mohammedan. But now that lam here, and see ao many nioe, strong, wealthy, noble people around mo, with immense &rmie3 and groat powera, I am delighted to see that the Christians are not few and weak as I thoaght they were. Bnt I cannot understand how this nation has allowed snob things to happen in Armenia. We trust England. It Is sincerely to be hoped that the siens already apparent of a determind effort on the" part of' England and the Powers to enforce reforms in Armenia will have the effect of enabling the refugees and their many companions in trouble to return to the native country in safety, und live there unmolested in the future.