One of them even sent out messengers, who returned with hopeful
letters which he himself had written. But this impostor and his
colleagues were not satisfied with the general disloyalty of
the inhabitants, and felt that some deed should be committed
which would absolutely debar the people from any hope of mercy
from the Government. Accordingly they assembled the refugees
driven in by Ali Pasha, and repaired with them to the Konak,
where the imprisoned garrison was quartered, _and proceeded
to murder them with bestial cruelty_. It must be remembered
that this piece of villainy can in no way be imputed to the
population of Zeitun, but to the disgraceful ruffianism of the
revolutionaries and the crazy fanaticism of the exasperated and
hopeless villagers. It must also be recorded to the credit of
the Zeitunlis themselves, that after this abominable butchery
several crept into the yard and rescued some seventy soldiers,
who survived beneath the corpses of their comrades: fifty-seven
of these were handed over at the end of the war. It is a relief
to find in all these bloody tales of Armenia such noble deeds
of kindness on the part of Christians to Moslems, and Moslems
to Christians, and that every massacre can bring similar cases
to light.
After that foolish slaughter the revolutionary agents may have
plumed themselves on a striking piece of policy. Zeitun was
compromised beyond recall, and the town prepared to withstand
the siege to the last; but here the chapter of Zeitun closes,
for within three weeks Edham Pasha, a noble example of what
a cultivated Turk can be, arrived on the scene, and with the
assistance of the European Consuls concluded an honourable
peace with the town; containing, alas! a clause by which the
miserable causes of all this unhappiness and bloodshed were
allowed to return unmolested to Europe, where they probably eke
out an existence as distinguished as their military adventures.
It would appear a grave fault on the part of the Powers to have
allowed the revolutionary agents to escape.
As to how far the Turks were in the wrong, who can judge? They
have a side which should be considered, as it is impossible
for them to allow a revolution to be impending in the heart
of their country, when threatening enemies appear on every
frontier. They have their own homes to consider, and if they
allowed the revolutionaries to continue their intrigues, there
is little doubt that a formidable insurrection would have
broken out whenever the moment was favourable. Also it must
be borne in mind, that in the event of an Armenian rebellion
it was the intention of the conspirators to have perpetrated
similar massacres.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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