Day after day, people started delivering their arms to the government, especially believing in the assurances and the promises of Kaymakam Kamil Efendi and of Ahmed Bey. After they deceived the Armenians, Kamil Efendi and Ahmed Bey started imprisoning elected individuals among the people; others were deported or annihilated. Several revolutionary and non-revolutionary young men refused to hand over their weapons and went up into the mountains. Upon hearing this, Kamil Efendi sent troops after them to try to arrest and exterminate them, but their brave resistance made him give up all hope and they were unable to pursue them any further.
It was during this period that indescribable brutalities were taking place in prisons. The political leaders were vexed and tortured, in particular Vartan Djeghelian, Zgon Chouljian, Hambardzoum Znnoghian, Gegham Azatian, Terjan Chouljian, Hambardzoum Boyajian, and others who were arrested very late for not having handed over their guns. This group was joined by the "bedeijis," as well (the persons who were exempted from military service by monetary payments). These people honored their parties by being perfectly secretive. Only one of their friends, B.S Khashkhashian, performed an act of betrayal. Mr Toros Chokkarian and Mr. Aragel Kochounian, having perfect revolutionary spirit, wanted very much to fight. They struggled against handing over their guns, and continued to advise but, unfortunately, with the majority voting of the aghas and the outstanding rich, were forced to take the side of the winners and deliver their guns. Many houses burned down to ruins and many places were searched under the pretext of looking for fugitives and party writings. Subsequently, the guns were collected by the community leaders (Mukhtars). In that period, the community leaders were Sargis Agha Shahbazian, Vartivar Aghabeylian, and others.
The first imprisonments took place during April 18 to 20, all 74 persons consisting of party members and notables that were beaten and tortured perpetually every day for two months without exception; their clothes sent home to be washed because they were covered in blood. From the beatings, the flesh of many of these men were rotten.
On June 8, it was decided to deport (Sevk) all these prisoners. That day there was a dreadful rain, the flood of which gushed into the prisons; the prisoners were about to drown and several people fled. As a consequence, the government released all of the prisoners. Two days later, they were arrested and imprisoned again, one by one. The 74 persons were enchained and deported on June 10. According to confirmed information, after Oulash, before reaching the Khardashlar valley, all of them were either shot or murdered ferociously.
Afterwards, the rest of the men, after methodical imprisonment, were deported separately. They, too, were deported and did not return. Every day there were three deportations, each consisting of 30 to 40 persons, always enchained by their neck and hands. Eight to ten gendarmes were sent with each group of deportees. Some of those men were killed, with the same inhumane methods, on the way to Sepastia, in the region of "Chalekh Oghlu" village.
On June 27-28, the prisons were full of teenagers 13-15 years old, 70 year olds, sick people, blind people, and the insane. Under these conditions, it was proposed to all of them by the government to convert to Islam. A few persons gave in, but the rest stayed firm towards their nationality and religion and preferred to die rather than convert.
On July 5, the deportation of the women and children took place. They were forced to leave their possessions and were not permitted to sell their belongings or to carry them. They began their journey with a bag of food, enough for only a few days.
On July 31, another caravan took to the road. These people were all robbed at a distance of three hours from the village of Bazarjek. Within 24 hours they were searched and robbed in unspeakable ways and with animal-like behavior.
After the prisoners, with the special order from the Kaymakam (the representative of the governement), Archbishop Khoren Dimaqsian and the Protestant Reverend Petros Mughalian, together with other renowned clergymen and people, were deported. According to the news, at a distance of three hours from the city, all the clergymen were accused of conspiracy against the state and murdered.
In July, another deportation of women and children took place. They started to deport them from the side of Tsakhtsor and Shoughoul. We were about 200 families, put on the road eight days after the Vartavar festive day. With us were the famous Kara Tepe families: Shahbazian, Altounian, Vartabedian, Bouldoukian, and others. It was Friday afternoon, we locked the doors, delivered the keys to the policemen, and left.
There were no special guard gendarmes to accompany us. The kiradjis (leaders) from the village of Berkli (Sheikh Hamid and Gebek Ernou Mahmoud), and from Garmirterts (Ali Efendi Bahriye, Mohammed Beg, and Kamil Efendi) advised us and put us on the road very late. We spent the first night in the grazing field of Choukhour. There, we lamented until morning for our deplorable condition. We had lost young brothers, old fathers, our family homes were destroyed, terminated. Besides that, we were thinking about the matter of honor. In the morning we started going towards the village of Ghavakh, but they did not let us in. We walked another six hours to a distant place where they let us sit behind a kiosk. On the road, Hagop Agha Shahbazian and Hagop Agha Bouldoukian joined us. As I said, there were no other adult males with us. The time was past 12, darkness and a profound silence prevailed. Suddenly, we heard gunshots and were dreadfully frightened. We had with us consecrated bread, which we swallowed, praying, instead of taking communion. We considered ourselves dead, and passed through the night believing so. At dawn, before sunrise, a fake letter was brought to the two Hagop Aghas, saying that Kamil Efendi was at the kiosk and wanted to see them. Binding their arms, they took both of them to the Ghavakh region and killed them. Hungry and thirsty, we were again on the road to Deve-Deresi, walking through grass as tall as a man. They stopped us near a water well, advising not to eat bread until the work was completed. They started separating the girls from the women, taking off the clothing of the mothers and taking their money under the threat of their swords, telling us: "You did not appreciate the government. You wanted greatness, take it now," etc. They started to remove the garment-sewn money by cutting, one always quicker than the other, hurrying in order to rob one more than the other. The poor children were trembling in terror and yelling, seeing the swinging of the knife on their mothers. While we were praying on one side, they started unpacking the back of the donkeys and robbing; there were excellent material, carpets, sewing machines, handmade shawls, suits, ornamental material, and embroideries. They piled them up, one on top of the other, and afterwards the "kirajis" and the gendarmes, driven by the lust of each robbing more than the other, split the pillaged possessions and the gold, often by arguing with each other. They did not take the donkeys and the mattresses. After the robbery, they told us that we would go to the Arab desert, the government would supply us bread, from now on life would no longer be easy.
In the evening they finished their work, loaded the horses, and took the loot away; they filled their purses with gold and calmly started doing their 'namaz' (prayer), with blood still on their hands.
We spent the night there and in the morning we were on the road again. They made us walk six to nine hours daily by beating and dealing blows. We went forward one more day, and this time villagers from various regions came upon us to rob and kidnap again. They stopped us in a plain, near a mill, where they were to start their disgusting deeds again. Fortunately, a gendarme, who was returning after having lead a group of deportees to Albisdan, stopped there. We begged him to take us to Albisdan, we did not let him go and told him everything that had happened to us. At midnight, the kirajis and the villagers fled, but Sheikh Hamid and Mahmoud were still with us. In the morning, we started going to Albisdan with the gendarme leading us. We arrived in Yapaltoun. From there, Sheikh Hamid and Mahmoud fled. After two hours, we entered Albisdan and explained our situation to the government, but no-one heard us. One day later, another caravan came and joined us. After spending a few days in Albisdan, they again put us on the road, but this time without a special gendarme. We wanted to oppose, telling them that without a gendarme leading us we would not go. Who cared about us? By beating and dealing blows they made us move.
Using distant roads, and after three days, they took us to Tel, a place in a forest near Airan Ponar. We stayed two days in that forest, and the sevkiatjis wanted money from us. They informed all the villages around, for they got ready to rob us. Two days later, at about midnight, gunshots were heard, after which men and women -- armed villagers -- attacked us. The attacks were so fierce that the deportees lost each other. The villagers and the sevkiatjis were choosing the women and the girls. They raped and tortured them. They tore one's head, cut another's arm, some pretended to be sick and lay down in a bed, some lay continually. At another scene, the mothers of little Souren, Khoren, Siranoush, and Vartanoush, having lost their children, were running here and there searching and lamenting their sorrow. The mob of pillagers showed great ardor in outdoing each other in the amount of loot collected. The next day, until midday, they robbed the remaining belongings and money. The sevkiatjis took for themselves many beautiful women and precious belongings in Ghoulloukh. After enduring these tortures and staying hungry for two days, we were again returned to Albisdan. Henceforth, we wished a quick death. So many brides on the road were suffering from birth pains; so many youngsters were abandoned in the mountains; and children rolled down the valley.
Many mothers abandoned their children and fled to the mountaintops. Those of us who were left continued to walk. After three days they turned us in another direction, where a group of bandits again took several women and girls with them and left.
We walked, but it was a rocky road. Many succeeded in crossing over the rocks to the other side. Those of us who stayed behind were again attacked by the bandits; gunshots and outcries mingled together, bringing about a terrible chaos. With mothers and sons abandoning each other, we escaped towards Albisdan again. Some stayed on the road from night to dawn, and those of us who were at the front entered Albisdan with the help of a gendarme, who was taking away a girl he had kidnapped. It was the night of the feast of Ramadan. Like the others, I also lost my mother, my brother's children, and my bride. Here again, those wicked people with lamps in their hands entered amongst us, chose the good ones, and left. Only a quarter of our caravan of deportees was left. The remainder of those of us who had succeeded in running away started arriving in the morning. One called for his mother, another for his son. Part of the caravan was sent back to Gurun, some people stayed in Ghoulloukh, others were taken by the bandits, and some were seized in Albisdan.
After remaining one week in Albisdan, they sent us again on the same road. After advancing for three days, they turned us back again to Albisdan, from the region of Ghoulloukh Airan Ponari. After three weeks, we were on the same road again. Thus three times, every time for three days, we walked the same road and were brought back to Albisdan. We were naked, miserable, barefoot, hungry, and thirsty. We started begging. We were in this condition for one month, after which a group of deportees from Cesaria was united with our group. We were once again put on the road, but this time half of the group went towards Ourfa, and the rest was deported towards Zeitoun. After walking more than ten days, we entered Zeitoun. During those ten days we did not see a single town. But Zeitoun was burnt down, destroyed. It was in ruins. Smoke was still rising from the church. After spending the night in Zeitoun, in the morning we were again on the road, and three days later we reached Marash. We stayed there one day. The local Armenians helped us, treated us with love. They gave us food and clothing. Whatever they gave us from clothing and mattresses, the merciless gendarmes took them from us on the road and burned them. The people of Marash put their burden donkeys under our disposal, and thus we arrived in Aintab.
What should have been a journey of ten days from Gurun to Aintab lasted three to four months for us. We stayed five days in Aintab and saw many kindnesses from Doctor Merly. After five days, those who had male children were separated and sent to Bab. The rest of us were sent to the village of Areh, at a distance of five hours from Aintab, and from there they dispersed them to the villages of the region by sending 30-40 families to each village. Within those people were the Shahbazians, the Bahadourians, the Kalayjians, and the Fermanians. Of all those of us mentioned who were initially 47 persons, only 19 had remained until then. The daughter of Sarkis Agha, Gurun's mukhtar (community leader), Trouanda Shahbazian, who was kidnapped by a villager and forcibly married, was still with him. We were again robbed in the village of whatever was given to us by the people of Marash. The dread of death was inseparable from us. The name of the village where we stayed was Battal. They had filled us, 47 persons, in a cave where it was permanently cold and rainy. Every day the miserable mothers used to go to Marash. Many of them were hung in water wells while being told to convert. Others were taken out of the village and taken care of. Almost none of us were virgins anymore. We stayed in that village for one and a half years, and when the orphanage-asylum (imaretkhaneh) was opened, we fled and went there.
For many days we cried, but we no longer endured the terror and the exhaustive tortures.
Paris. From Nubarian Library Manuscripts.
Satenik Kalaidjian