ned from its
evil ways, but on the first opportunity will kill the Moslems, rise in
revolt, and invoke the help of Russia, the enemy of Turkey, against its
rulers. That is what the Turkish Government would say. I have followed
the matter from its source. I have enquired from inhabitants and
officials of Van, who were in Diarbekir, whether any Moslem had been
killed by Armenians in the town of Van, or in the districts of the
Vilayet. They answered in the negative, saying that the Government had
ordered the population to quit the town before the arrival of the
Russians and before anyone was killed; but that the Armenians had been
summoned to give up their arms and had not done so, dreading an attack
by the Kurds, and dreading the Government also; the Government had
further demanded that the principal Notables and leading men should be
given up to them as hostages, but the Armenians had not complied.

All this took place during the approach of the Russians towards the city
of Van. As to the adjacent districts, the authorities collected the
Armenians and drove them into the interior, where they were all
slaughtered, no Government official or private man, Turk or Kurd, having
been killed.

As regards Diarbekir, you have read the whole story in this book, and no
insignificant event took place there, let alone murders or breaches of
the peace, which could lead the Turkish Government to deal with the
Armenians in this atrocious manner.

At Constantinople, we hear of no murder or other unlawful act committed
by the Armenians, except the unauthenticated story about the twenty
bravoes, to which I have already referred.

They have not done the least wrong in the Vilayets of Kharpout,
Trebizond, Sivas, Adana, or Bitlis, nor in the province of Moush.

I have related the episode at Zeitoun, which was unimportant, and that
at Urfa, where they acted in self-defence, seeing what had befallen
their people, and preferring death to surrender.

As to their preparations, the flags, bombs and the like, even assuming
there to be some truth in the statement, it does not justify the
annihilation of the whole people, men and women, old men and children,
in a way which revolts all humanity and more especially Islam and the
whole body of Moslems, as those unacquainted with the true facts might
impute these deeds to Mohammedan fanaticism.

To such as assert this it will suffice to point out the murders and
oppressive acts committed by the You