Massacre at Baku.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7842, 7 June 1905, Page 3

Massacre at Baku.

A FIGHT TO THE DEATH. •KEEPING A PACK OF HUMAN WOLVES AT BAY,. A BRAVE ARMENIAN. Baku is the most prolific oil-pro-ducing city in the world. It has also the less enviable reputation of being a city of blood. Over a period of 400 years more lilood has been shed in Baku than in any other part of the Caucasus. The horrors perpetrated there six weeks ago will do a great deal to keep up its reputation for inter-racial savagery, a sheer love of butchery, and an almost expert knowledge of the awful art of mutilation with that most terrible weapon, the " ICinjal." Its population is a-bout (250,000, and it is without doubt the most cosmopolitan city in Russia. The two races who are responsible for the present reign of terror are the Mussulmans and the Armenian* Two months ago, says Mr J. D. Henry, writing to the Daily News, the Mussulmans believed that the Armenians were organising) a rising whioh had for itsi object the capture of the town of Baku and the annihilation of the Mohammedans. As a matter of fact, lam informed that the Armenians did jinake an attempt to bribe th<j officers in charge of the arsenal in order to get control of the guns and ammunition stored there for the defence of the city. This started a strong feeling of unrest. Believing that the movement had a political chprfacter, so far as the Armtaiiaha were/ concerned, the authorities at once took sides with the Tartars, telling theni that the Atmenians were preparing to attarck. The Ar- | menians deny that they started the trouble, and the allegation is made I that the authorities provoked them by preventing an ordinary trade demonstrate, which Utey intended to I hold in the city. Ul®pbtedly the | Untemjnedans betamij scared, an<> thiytold their fear to the Governor who, it is not denied, supplied them with' arms and ammunition. HOW THE MASSACRE STARTED. 'Hie story of tlx; death of a rich and popular Tartar named BajbiaeEt' must be told before British readers will be able to understand how tho mass Sere really started. This man was walking at mid-day through Molohansky Scfuare when he came face to face with a bitter Armenian enemy with whom he had a domestic dispute. -Me shot the man dead. Many Armenians were in the Squares these., rushing up, assumed a threatening attitude, while Babaed gave himself into the custody of a gendarme, saying, " I have Killed that inan." A phaeton was hailed and BabacfT and the gendatme stepped into it, but before ; they could leave the spot BabaefF was wounded in thy chefft by a revolver shot. Springing out, he stumbled along in the direction oi the Grand Hotel. Many Armenians fired at him, and he fell, riddled with bMiiets. The story oil •lie murder was carried by the police .to a Tartar Quarter. Rushing on to the scene a number of Tartars took possession of the body, and, fanning a procession, moved ofl with it, not mournfully, b»t with the wildest shouts of vengeance and cries of " The Armenians have risen." When the body of Babaeff was being borne through tho Shemakha some of tho Tartars blew, out the bn&jis of a young Armenian student. In a mome»t Armenians began to stream out of their houses, and before the body of Babaeff had passed out of sight some 30 Armenians had jbCen shot in the streets.

A DEADLY SHOT. Tn this way began one of the most frightful massacres remembered in the anna,3 of OautyuEfan race warfare,,Respecting .it, the Mayor of Baku said, " They themselves do not know why they are killing each other," and there is not a shadow of a 1 doubt that there are hundreds of innocent people, many of them women: and'chiLdron, have been done to death! in the streets of Baku. More tragic than any other incident in the massacre was the death of Mr Adamoff. Ho was one of the wealthiest Armenians engaged' in the oil business, and his residence in Church street was one o{ the palaces of the city so far as the magnificence of the Oriental deoonatfons. were concerned. .Hq stood a three days' siege, anfl shot ns less than 40 Tartars, who on, the last Hay formed a great heap of deaii at the coroer of the street. On the third flay,, when yelling crowds rushed up to the building occupied by his nife. family, and some 40 dependents, he took up his position oi#i the baJcony, and immediately the first shot was fired his weapery 11 a powerful repeating Winchest'flL started to do deadly work among the Tartars. His son kept him supplied with loaded weapons. It is a, remarkable fact that many of bis victims were struck between the eyes; directly a Tartar showed himself the iever-jvatchful Armenian took deadly jaim.

■X LIFE FOR 4 LIFE. While one man after another was being shot down by the brave Al'menian several Tartars stormed au old shop, whilst others scaled tho street lamps and secured large quantities of oil. Returning to the house with large quantities of oil and straw they smashed in the front door, filled the hall with straw saturated with kerosen*, and started a conflagration. It was at this point that AdamofT was shot in the head. He retired, hut returned at the end of live minutes with Ms head swathcd in linen, but his aim was none ifce less deadly Several Tartars who did not expect him to rc-appear were shot dead in the streets. Slowly tho flames crept up t 0 the front of tha house, but his- failhful weapons wero never silent. His 17-year-old son | look up his position alongside his father ; he was instantly shol by the Tartars, and fell over the Jjjalco»v into the street. Receiving a shot in the shoulder, the deadly marksman: dropped his rifle on to. the railing of the balcony and continued shooting- His movements becoming slow, the Tartars became more lauid he finfcJUy received a fatal wound, which laid him low on the balcony. This was the signal for the Tartars to storm the Ijawei; left p.antjof thi} hpuse, was nok in flames. In the cellars they fuiaii nine men and eleven womeift _ men were dragged into the iffirojTtind slaughtered, while the women taken away, and at the

time of writing it is not knowni where they are conceft'led. — '1 he last scene of this terrible* tragedy was; when , an old woman, one of Adamoff's favourite depen L denta, fell on her knees before the rulliuns arid implored them to save the life of her son, who was still in the house. While .she was doiijg this the son, who heard the ucorting renUairks of jthe Tartars, and evidently feeling ashamed that his mother, IShouid bug for his life, bravely strode Ittto their niiidst :;nd CaeKur-liki', covered his Jiehd with sis small roj&e, awaiting .his death. The mother, on recpgjvitJinE Ju>r son, fclli with her head agninst the wa.ll -of the burning building while the mob, shrieking with delight at the prospect of a new vic.fcimr, immodiaiely dismemhjered the Jioy. This wffi> done while the mother was 1/iing l)iirm>d lo d«ath. The police record <J the deid bodies taken from tife house !fh >ws that there were '4O. victims ; in other words, every metnl>er of the household was either shot ot burned to dearth. Adamolt took tbc lift) of a Tartar for the life of ,everyj iiiein|ber of his household—a brilliant, if bloody, performance, and one which is being greatly extolled by the Uritish Clergy and the l|ussians in the citju