File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎29r] (55/450)

T) . ^ saw a large number of bodies of Armenians floating on the
liiver Murad.
When I went to Erzinjian I was told that wholesale massacres were ■ perpetrated
at Erzinjian, Mamakhatoun and the whole country round. Besides those that the
Bniks had killed and burnt alive they threw thousands of them into the Euphrates,
"large number of Armenians seeing that their death was inevitable, and fear inn worse
atrocities preferred to throw themselves into the Euphrates.
Report hy an Rye-witness, Lieutenant Sayied Ahmed Moukhtar Baaj. *
In April 1915 I was quartered at Erzerum. An order came from Constantinople that
Ai menia;is inhabiting the frontier towns and villages should be deported to the interior.
It was said then that this was only a precautionary measure. Isaw at that time large
convoys of Armenians go through Erzerum. I hey were mostly old men, women, and
children. Borne or the able-bodied men had been recruited m the Turkish army, and
many had fled to Idussia. Ihe massacres had not begun yet. In May 1915 1 was
transferred to Trebizond. In July an order came to deport to the interior all the
Armenians in the vilayet of Trebizond. Being a member of the court martial I knew
that deportation meant massacre.
The Armenian Bishop of Trebizond was ordered to proceed under escort to
Erzerum to answer for charges trumped up against him. But instead of Erzerum he
was taken to Baipurt, and from there to Ouimush-Khana. The governor of the latter
place was then Colonel Abdul-Kader Aintabli, of the general staff. He is famous for
his atrocities against the Armenians. He had the bishop murdered at night. The
Bishop of Erzerourn was also murdered at Gumush-Khana.
Besides the deportation order referred to above, an imperial c< Iradeh ” was issued
ordering that all deserters, when caught, should be shot without trial. The secret order
read “Armenians” in lieu of “deserters.” The Sultan’s “Iradeh” was accompanied
by a “ fetua ” from the Sheikh-ul-Islam stating that the Armenians had shed Moslem
blood, and the killing of them was lawful. Then the deportations started. 1 he children
were kept back at first. The Government opened up a school for grown-up children,
and the American consul at Trebizond instituted an asylum for nfants. When the
first batches of deported Armenians arrived at Gumush-Khana all able-bodied menw ere
sorted out with the excuse that they were going to be given work. The women and
children were sent- ahead under escort with the assurance by the Turkish authorities
that their final destination was Mosul, and that no harm would befall them. The men
kept behind, were taken out of town in batches of fifteen or twenty, lined up on the
edge of ditches prepared beforehand, shot and thrown into the ditches. Hundreds of
men were shot every day in a similar manner. The women and children were attacked
on their way by the “Shotas,” the armed bands organised by the Turkish Government,
who attacked them and seized a certain number. After plundering and committing the
most dastardly outrages on the women and children they massacred them in cold bio d.
These attacks were a daily occurrence until every woman and child had been got rid
of. The military escorts had strict ordets not to interfere with the “ Shotas.”
The children that the Government had taken in charge were also deported and
massacred.
The infants in the care of the American consul at Trebizond were taken away with
the pretext that they were going to be sent to Sivas, where an asylum had been
prepared for them. They were taken out to sea in little boats. At some distance out
they were stabbed to death, put in sacks, and thrown into the sea. A few days later-
some of their little bodies were washed up on the shore at Trebizond.
In July 1915 I was ordered to accompany a convoy of deported Armenians. It
was the last batch from Trebizond. There were in the convoy 120 men, 700 children,
and about 400 women. From Trebizond I took them to Gumish-Khana. Here the
120 men were taken away and, as 1 was informed later, they were all killed. At
Gumish-Khana I was ordered to take the women and children to Erzinjian. On the
way I saw thousands of bodies of Armenians unburied. Several bands of “Shotas”
met us on the way and wanted me to hand over to them women and children. But I
persistently refused. I did leave on the way about 200 children with Moslem families,
who were willing to take care of them and educate them. The “ Mutessarrif ” of
Erzinjian ordered me to proceed with the convoy to Kamach. At the latter place the
authorities refused to take charge oi the women and children. I fell ill and wanted to
go back, but I was told that as long as the Armenians in my charge were alive I should
be sent from one place to the other. However, I managed to include my Patch with