Armenia and its sorrows

94 ARMENIA AND ITS SORROWS
as it proved to be—to eighteen hundred souls, recording
the figure on one of the pillars of the church. These
remained in the cathedral over niglit, and were joined on
Sunday by several lumdrcds more, who souglit the
protection of a building which they considered safe
from mob- violence. It is computed that at least three
thousand individuals were congregated in the edifice
when the mob attacked it.
" They at lirst tired in through the windows, then
smashed in the iron door, and proceeded to massacre
all those, mostly men, Avho were on the ground floor.
Having thus disposed of the men, and having removed
some of the younger women, they rifled the church
treasure, shrines, and ornaments, to the extent of some
£T.4000 ; destroying the pictures and relics, mockingly
calling on Christ now to prove Himself a greater
prophet than Mohammed.
"A huge, partly stone, partly wooden gallery,
running round the upper portion of the cathedral,
was packed with a shrieking and terrified mass of
women, children, and some men. Some of the mob,
jumping on the raised altar platform, began picking
off the latter with revoh'cr shots, but as this process
seemed too tedious, they bethought themselves of a
more expeditious method. Having collected a quantity
of bedding and the church matting, they poured some
thirty cans of kerosene on it, as also on the dead
bodies lying about, and then set fire to the whole.
The gallery beams and wooden framework soon
caught tire, whereupon, blocking up the staireas(>s
leading to the gallery with similar imflannnable
materials, they left the mass of struggling human
beings to become the prey of the flames.
" l)uring several hours tlie sickening smell of roasting
flesh pcr\aded tlie town
;
and even to-da^^two months
and a half after tlie massacre, tlie smell oC putrescent
and charred remains in the ehureli is unbearable.