THE ORIENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1915, Page 5

THE ORIENT.

FATE OF THE ARMENIANS. "AFTER ALL, IT'S WAR." HORRIBLE DETAILS OF TURKISH 'BUTCHERY. Received Sept. 10, 5.5 p.m, London, Sept. 9. The Daily Telegraph's Mitylene correspondent reports, horrible details of the Turkish fixed policy of exterminating the Armenian population. A village of two thousand homes, exclusively Armenian, was exterminated with diabolical cruelty. A squad of gendarmes first sent an order to the inhabitants to evacuate the town, but the Armenians remained. Two hundred soldiers followed to compel obedience, but the Armenians resisted, and fought and defeated the soldiers, who fled. Five battalions next arrived with machineguns, established, a cordon round the village, and sent in incendiaries with torches. The buildings were soon afire, in a brisk breeze, and the miserable inhabitants, men, women, and children, were 'burnt alive. Those endeavoring to escape were shot, and only four escaped. The Turkish method throughout the villages is oric of separating the men, compelling the young ones to fight, selling the young women to harems, and sending the old men, women, and children to the uninhabited interior, where they are left to a slow death from hunger and exposure. When an appeal was made to the German officials at Constantinople the answer was that tliey could not interfere, adding: "After all, it's war." AT CONSTANTINOPLE. DISCONTENT INCREASING. ENVER PASHA'S MAILED FIST. Received Sept. 11, 1.25 a.m. 1 Paris, Sept. 10. There is Increasing discontent amongst the officials in Constantinople. The sheiks of Alislam have resigned. The prefect of Stamboul, under threat of death, was compelled to withdraw his resignation, which he tendered because he unapproved of the corrupt use of £300,000, proceeds of a forced sale of goods commandeered from Greek merchants. A Corfu telegram says that after thirty-five insurgents had been executed at Durazzo, Enver iPasha, yielding to the prayers of his wife, spared the lives ot fifty other rebels. After hanging the rebel leader Hazukiamil, the executioner dragged the body through the street. REINFORCING BULAIR. A CRITICAL POINT. Received Sept, 10, 10 p.m, Amsterdam, Sept. 10. Turkish troops from the Caucasus have arrived at Bulair, which the German and Turkish commanders regard as the critical point. They fear that the Allies will sooner or later capture it, cutting off the armies in Gallipoli.