Moslem Diabolism

Van, Armenia, May 24. - (From the special correspondent of the Associated Press.] - The Sasun massacre, it would appear, was one of the most carefully plannod outrages in history The evidence of this is circumstantial only, but it is alleged to be none the loss conclusivo. During the months of June, July, and August preceding the Sasun massacre the Kurdish chiefs in the country surrounding the Saaun región, and particularly the districts in the south and southweat, were spparently unusually busy in gathering up the acattered warriors of their tribes tor an invasión of che Sasun reglón. In July and August enormous quantities of petroleum was shipped from Erzeroum to Moush Thia petroleum carne origitnally from Russia to Erzeroum, and so great was the quantity brought over the mountain roads that It was a subject of remark to very raany perrons. How the ]'. trolfiini Was Used. For a time it looked as though nothing went over the roads between Erzeroum and Moush but petroleum. Now It Is a fact that Moush doe3 not use a great quantity of petroleum herseli, nor da her merchants sell much of it to the surrounding country. In the village3 eaudies of sheep fat oil are U3ed for Iighc3. What Moush wanted with these countle39 can of petroleum was a mystery. But the mystery was a mystery no longer after the Sasun massacre, for that patroleum was used to burn the houses of the Sasun villages and to cremate the bodies of the wretched villagers who feil victims to the awful butchery. In burn ing the houses the petroleum was thrown upon the wood work in gontrous quantities and set on flre, with the result that everything that eould burn went up in smoke. In cremnting the dead the bodies were, in many cases, placed betyeen layers of wood and built up into a sort oí funeral pile. Livii'g Men Treated the Smne Way. The entire mass was then saturated with petroleum and set on flre. It is charged that living men were cremated in the same way. But this was a merciful way. of putting the unfortunate creatures to death in comparison with the tortures inflicted upon many others. The massing of troops near the Sasun región, and particularly at Moush was carried on for some timo before the beginning of the massacre. in order that everything might be in readineas, according to the programme said to have been oarefully made out at Constantinopie. A similar butchery would have taken place at Modikan if Europe had not made a move for investí gation of the Sasun horrors. Look to England for Relief. In the city of Van at this moment there are 50ü young men sworn to give themaelves as a sacriflee to Turkish butchery In the hope that the attention of England may be more strongly called to the desperate situatiou of their people. Unles3 Europe controls the reforms there wül be a massacre of 20,000 Christians in the city of Van within tnree months. The Armeniaus themselves will bring this about rather than be cast adrift by their fellow Christians of the west. There is no language quite adequate to a descripción of the real condition of Armenia at present. Men are beaten, robbed, and murdered, and women are ravished by Kurds and Turkish soldiers. Woe and want and despair and death stalk abroad in this beautiful land that was once a part of the garden of EJen. The inhabitants of Van are living on the brink of a massacre from day to day.