Seizure of the Ottoman Bank in Constantinople

In 1894 five-thousand Armenians were killed when a couple of Armenian fedayeens were caught in Sassoun. Following the slaying of 300,000 Armenians in 1895-96, twenty Armenians seized the Ottoman Bank in Constantinople to draw attention to the plight of Armenians. It became a signal to the soldiers and Turkish mobs for another massacre of Armenians in the city. Seven thousand Armenians were slain in four days. The Armenians who held the bank surrendered to the English director of the bank, in return for safe conduct out of the country aboard the banker’s yacht. But the diplomats of the whole civilized world had seen with their own eyes what was happening. Dragomans and attaches actually waded in blood on their way to lodge protests with the [Sublime] Porte, where they witnessed the Padishah’s elegant aides stamping with their heels on the bodies of dying Armenians.”  (“Anatolian Suite” by Kildare Dobbs).

In 1894 five-thousand Armenians were killed when a couple of Armenian fedayeens were caught in Sassoun. Following the slaying of 300,000 Armenians in 1895-96, twenty Armenians seized the Ottoman Bank in Constantinople to draw attention to the plight of Armenians. It became a signal to the soldiers and Turkish mobs for another massacre of Armenians in the city. Seven thousand Armenians were slain in four days. The Armenians who held the bank surrendered to the English director of the bank, in return for safe conduct out of the country aboard the banker’s yacht. But the diplomats of the whole civilized world had seen with their own eyes what was happening. Dragomans and attaches actually waded in blood on their way to lodge protests with the [Sublime] Porte, where they witnessed the Padishah’s elegant aides stamping with their heels on the bodies of dying Armenians.”  (“Anatolian Suite” by Kildare Dobbs).