Kill Thousands of Christians

Slaughter of Armenians in Wide Territory – Kurds Held Responsible

Petrograd, April 27 – Seven thousand Christian Armenians killed, 3,000 wounded, more than 15,000 fugitives or prisoners, twelve towns destroyed, more than 5,000 square miles of territory laid wasted.

This briefly summarizes another bloody page of Turkish history as revealed in reports transmitted to Petrograd from Tiflis, Tabriz, and Tehran.

The reports as received in Petrograd were necessarily fragmented in character, but they have been checked over carefully.  As furnished by an official of the government they cover a period from early in January to late in March and atrocities committed in Turkish, Russian, and Persian territory.  

Kurd tribesmen now fighting with the Turkish army were responsible for the massacres in large part, but the Turkish regulars permitted the slaughter of men, women, and children and in some instances took active part in the butchery.

Horrible tortures were inflicted upon thousands of the Kurds’ victims.  Mothers begging for the lives of their children were crucified before the eyes of the little ones.  Oil was poured over men and women and then set afire.  Some of the methods used by the Kurds cannot be described.  

Turkish troops and Turkish officials are declared.