Melikians in Prapert During Genocide

Many of the Melikians escaped to caves in the hills and lived as guerrilla fighters

What Happened in Prapert During the Genocide?

1914

BEFORE THE GENOCIDE

Mgrdich Melikian returns to Prapert from Russia with contraband guns and word that the Turkish army is planning a mass extermination.

Sahag Melikian, a decorated soldier in the Turkish army, also begins to hide guns outside the village.

Mgrdich returns to Constantinople, but writes to son Onnik and other relatives to urge them to flee.

A policeman comes to the family farm to search for guns and finds 2 on Onnik. He handcuffs him, but Onnik promises him a newborn calf and they become friends.

1915

GENOCIDE BEGINS

All of the guns are collected from Armenian citizens. Communication stops between the villages.

April 1915 - Mgrdich continues to write from Russian to warn the family in Prapert of the coming massacres. Onnik returns from school in Sepastia at his father's warning. The rest of the family are not convinced of immediate danger.

June 9, 1915: Kochisar is surrounded by 70 - 80 Turkish soldiers, and all non-Islamic males between 15 and 95 are assembled in a small building for a "census" or a "work project," then systematically interrogated by Turkish officials. By this method the Turks can determine how many men have gone into hiding. The men present are then accused of evading service in the Turkish army and immediately found guilty. Groups of 100 men are tied together and led to mass grave sites 2 hours outside Kochisar, in Gavar village. They are asked to kneel beside the graves and accept Islam as the "true religion," then bayoneted and let fall into the graves.

Prapert is saved this treatment because the Turks assigned one group of police to carry out the actions for two neighboring villages (Prapert and Chiquid). The officials began the job in Chiquid (Çığlıdık), giving the residents of Prapert time to hide or escape to their farms outside the village.

EARLY DEATHS

Young Armenian men are "drafted" into the Turkish army, then executed. Kevork Melikian (Ohan's son) is among them.

Sahag Melikian, a soldier in the cannon corps, returned to the village from the Erzerum front at some point in 1915. He tries hiding out at a farm, doing military drills in secret, but after a month, he is caught and ends up in front of the interrogation committee. He protests that he has already served his country, but they bayonet him in the back, wounding him. He is transferred, while wounded, to Chakmagh for further questioning, along with Onnik, Vartan, Kevork, Takvor, Krikor, Babess, Piaell, and Zadeeg. Young Onnik sees them as they are being taken away, and Sahag shouts to him “Onnik, words will not kill me. I’ve had lots of wounds like this. If I die, do not leave my eyes open. My bequest to you is to avenge my death.” He does die, and Onnik, Krikor and Takvor are given his body to take back to the village. These three are too young for military duty. (“Do not leave my eyes open” is a common saying, meaning don’t let my death be in vain)

GOING INTO HIDING

1915 / summer - Warning to leave After Ottoman officials sweep Prapert for guns, the village leader, Hagop Zoornajyan, advises Onnik to flee to the Caucasus. Onnik asks who would take care of the children left in the village if people like himself and his cousins fled, since the men were all gone, and Hagop replies that they would all die. Hagop later flees himself.

1915 / summer - Partial hiding Onnik is staying outside the village on the family farm, but goes into town when he needs something. One day, as he walks into town, two children meet him to warn him that the police are waiting to arrest anyone who enters the village. The children are carrying axes as a decoy to explain their presence.

1915 / summer - Fleeing to the caves A group decides to flee to the caverns in the mountains, including Hampar and Mgrdich Melikian (Elmas’s brother, who will now be known as Mgrdich 2), Calouste and Takvor Melikian, Hampar Panotsyan, Hounan Aykanyan, Boghos Yilian (Yayalian?), and Manoog Oometzyan.

1915/ fall - Plot to sneak into Nazareth Agha’s house Some of the men give up quickly and return to the village, leaving just Onnik, Takvor and Mgrdich. They need to get more food and winter clothing before it gets too cold, so Mgrdich 2 decides to sneak into Nazareth Agha’s house (Elmas’ grandfather), a large home with secret doors and passages that he could use to get in. He finds it surrounded by policemen, and is forced to flee in another direction, not back toward Onnik and Takvor. Meanwhile, O & T see the police presence and assume the officials will start searching the hills for them, so they take the guns and clothes they have and escape to Khulkhulbash, a neighboring village.

1915 / fall - Melikians are separated Once Onnik and Takvor arrive in Khulkhulbash, they hear that Mgrdich 2 had fled to different hills and met up with Calouste, Piell, Onnik’s uncle Babeeg (Babess? Toros?) and Krikor. The group sends Crippled Mahmoud, a “sweet-tongued, double-talking Turk” to intercept the police and swear that no one was in the woods/mountains. In this village, Onnik and Takvor hear eyewitness accounts of hundreds of corpses lining the road from Sepastia to Prapert. Takvor is particularly upset, and both boys feel isolated and want to get back together with their family members.

1915 / fall - Searching for the Tavitians Onnik and Takvor decide to look for their cousin Sarkis Tavitian, who they know is working as a shepherd for a Turkish man, so he can lead them to his brother Antranig Tavitian, a soldier who was living as a fugitive in the mountains (thinking they could join up with him and he’d take the lead). They are able to make contact with Sarkis by hiding in trees by the roadside and throwing pebbles at him as he walks by with his Turkish master. Sarkis sadly tells them that Antranig had been searching for them in the mountains, but eventually gave up and turned himself in. Onnik and Takvor return to the caves near Prapert, and occasionally sneak onto the family farm to get food from Krikor.

MORE DEATHS

Women and children are deported and sent on death marches through the desert. Sima Yaylaian Melikian (Ohan's wife) and her two youngest daughters die while marching, as do Hamiag Melikian and his mother, Manoog Melikian and his mother, Stepan Melikian and his mother, and others.

Zadeeg Agha Melikian - fall 1915. Age 79, he is one of the few people remaining to look after the farm. When Onnik visits the farm to get food, Zadeeg tells him that he will not convert to Islam, but will kill himself before that happens. Sometime later, he is walking to the pasture to bring in the cows and is killed by a Turkish deserter who wants his clothes. Onnik and Takvor notice that the cows are out late in the pasture and whistle to try to find someone around. They run into Khacheeg Melikan, whose mother is dead and brothers deported. The three find Zadeeg’s body and bury it in a pear orchard. They search for clues to his murderer without success. Somehow, this body was also seen by Nishan Merigian.

Levon, a teacher from Haght, and his brother Nishan, report that 11,000 Armenians have been deported from Sepastia from the 19 Armenian villages

90% of Armenians who were deported from Sivas died

NAZARETH AGHA TRIES TO HELP

1915 / fall - Last families deported Twelve Armenian families, totaling 350 people, are deported en masse from Prapert. They are the last remaining skilled craftsmen, and some of the few remaining families. Eventually, no one is left in Prapert but Nazareth Agha, Elmas’ grandfather, who is a village official and the richest and most important man in town. The Turks torture him to find out where Onnik is, then force him to convert to Islam.

1915 / fall - Nazareth Agha helps Takvor leave by arranging new ID papers for him. Onnik sees this as the desertion of his friend. He is very lonely and worries how he’ll manage alone in the caves with winter coming on.

1915 / fall - Nazareth Agha helps Onnik evade arrest Now called Mahmud Agha, he throws a big party and promises a local Turkish politician (the “chief clerk”) all of his gold possessions, including a solid gold cigarette case and cutlery set that Mgrdich 1 (Onnik’s father) had brought from Constantinople. Present at these negotiations was the same policeman who declined to arrest Onnik on gun charges the year prior because he gave him a cow, who advocates on Onnik’s behalf. The chief clerk is elated at the promise of the gold, and arranges for Onnik to be smuggled in a hay wagon to the village of Eenshot, where Onnik poses as his employee. The chief clerk bribes his superior to look the other way, and other Turks in town shake Onnik’s hand and congratulate him on evading capture.

1916

NAZARETH AGHA IS KILLED

1916 / winter - Orders are given to kill even those Armenians who have converted Onnik learns of this order from his position in the chief clerk’s office, and asks the chief clerk how he can save Nazareth Agha from this fate. The man replies that a bribe of 150 gold pieces would suffice.

1916 / spring - Onnik tries to broker a solution to save Nazareth Agha Onnik cannot be seen entering Nazareth Agha’s house, so rounds up NA’s oxen to have a reason to be in the area, then goes to Moorad Melikan’s house nearby and sends a message to NA to meet him there. Onnik proposes the bribe, but NA refuses. That night, the police presence in Eenshot increases exponentially, and when Onnik walks outside the next morning, police escort him to the city limits, amid shouts of “robbers are in the neighborhood.”

1916 / spring - Nazareth Agha is killed. Nazareth believes that his conversion would protect him and his family. He takes his family to their farm to relax and doesn’t realize that the town was emptied while he was away. The day after the last families of skilled craftsmen were forced to leave Prapert on a deportation march (12 families totaling 350 people), NA returns to the village on an errand. Seeing it empty, he decides not to flee but to stay at the home of a Turkish neighbor. An old enemy of his, a man who has nursed a grudge for many years over a property dispute, hears that NA is in town and kidnaps him in the middle of the night, eventually torturing him to death.

Nazareth's sons, Arshag and Dikran Melikian, are killed, along with Arshag's wife and two children, and two of Dikran's three children.

KRIKOR, TAKVOR & MGRDICH ARE CAUGHT

1916 / spring - Krikor, Takvor and Mgrdich 2 are caught They hadn’t heard that Nazareth Agha, their grandfather, was dead, so they leave the mountains and come to the family farm to get food, but are met by Turkish police and arrested.

K, T and M promise the policemen money Five policemen take them to a ravine, tie their hands behind them and tell them to kneel, raise their rifles and prepare to shoot. But some nearby youths start to scream, and the policemen have a twinge of conscience. This gives K, T & M the chance to promise the policemen large sums of money to let them go.

K, T and M trick the policemen The policemen are excited about the prospect of money, knowing that most Armenian families are well off. Unfamiliar with the hills, they follow K, T and M, who say they are leading the group back to the farm to get the money, but instead they lead them toward the nearby village of Chiquid (Çığlıdık). Partway there, as darkness falls, the police tire and decide to split up at the hamlet of Meadunaer. One decides to go stay with a friend, two decide to hold Takvor and Mgrdich 2 hostage, and two decide they’ll continue on with Krikor to the “hidden cache” of money he promised.

Krikor leads the policemen to a cache of cheese, not money. There is no money, but Krikor remembers that he and Onnik had buried a cache of cheese nearby. The men hike a long and rugged trail that exhausts the policemen, and when they must cross a turbulent stream, Krikor is forced to carry the men on his back. He has to remove his leggings to do so, which gives him a chance to remove the knife he has hidden there and re-hide it in his sleeve. When they reach the place to start digging, the police use Krikor’s sash to tie one of his wrists to one of their wrists. They dig with their bayonets, uncover the tops of the storage jars, and are so elated and distracted by their good fortune that it is several minutes before they realize Krikor has cut his end of the sash and fled.

Meanwhile, Takvor and Mgrdich 2 escape their captors The two officers who had been watching them fell asleep, giving T & M the opportunity to shuffle closer to each other and untie each other’s ropes. They worry that their former cave hideout will be searched, so they go to the home of the Vali, the local provincial governor, who is friendly to the Armenians.

Takvor and Krikor receive amnesty A few weeks later, the governor of the area hears of their exploits, and is so impressed with their ingenuity, instead of punishing them he offers to permit them to return to Eenshot to work. The chief clerk tells Onnik to relay the message to T, K & M, if he knows where they are hiding. Fearing a trap, Onnik discusses the offer with Ohan Melikian, his future father in law. They decide that only Krikor should come out of hiding, which makes all those who are hiding in the mountains anxious, as they worry that Krikor will be forced to admit to their whereabouts. Krikor does return to Eenshot, and meets a warm welcome from the chief clerk, so Takvor comes out of hiding as well.

Mgrdich 2 is killed When Takvor and Mgrdich escaped, they were separated as they ran through the hills toward home. Mgrdich ran into some police and had to detour, and was never able to find a safe way to return. He ends up becoming a servant to a Turk called Abdullah. Later, Another Turk comes to Abdullah’s home and axes Mgrdich Melikian to death as he eats a meal. In his memoir, Onnik states, “We did not fail to avenge his death many years later. I am sure Mgrdich would have been pleased with our work.”

EARTHQUAKE CAUSES PRAPERT TO BURN DOWN

2016 / June 4 - 7.0 magnitude earthquake centered in Erzincun causes the village of Prapert to catch fire. The billowing smoke could be seen for miles, and many houses collapsed, trapping the remaining Turks inside.

Takvor, Krikor, Moorad and Onnik capitalize on the chaos to steal money On the pretense of wanting to attend Nazareth Agha’s funeral, T, K and O are given permission to go into Prapert. Orders had also been given to all the workers in Eenshot to come to Prapert to dig out the bodies under the rubble. Amidst the chaos of the hundreds of workers, the three join Moorad Melikian, and slip away to break into the deserted house of a Turkish army captain Moorad knew. Moorad knew where 275 gold pieces were hidden, so he grabbed those, but just outside the house, he runs into the army captain. To throw suspicion off himself, he offers to help the man rescue his valuables. Back in the house, he sees the captain check another hiding place where there are 500 gold pieces.

Krikor, Moorad and Onnik steal more money and guns After befriending an Armenian servant girl in the army captain’s household, K, M and O convince her to tell them where the gold is hidden. While Onnik distracts her with a long conversation, Krikor sneaks into the house and makes off with the 500 gold pieces. They also want to steal the Turk’s gun, but he sleeps with it under his bed. As the man snores, Moorad slithers on his belly across the room, grabs the gun and runs away with it. The boys couldn’t use it for weeks, as they did not know how it worked, until they finally convinced some Turks to show them.

1917

PREPARING FOR ESCAPE

Feeling the net closing around them News kept coming about further orders to kill Armenians, and the remaining teenage Melikians know that the chances of being caught are rising. 5,000 soldiers pass through Kocheesar (Hafik) daily on the route to the Caucasus / Caucasian front, which makes it even riskier to be outside

Buying weapons and supplies With the gold pieces they had stolen, Onnik, Krikor and Moorad buy two Mowzer rifles, food and clothes

Arranging for early warning The boys give the chief clerk a sum of money in return for his assurance that he will notify them of any news of new orders to kill Armenians in their region

TALAAT PASHA ORDERS THE REST OF THE ARMENIANS IN KOCHISAR KILLED

All of Onnik’s 84 colleagues run off the job Onnik hears the news first, as per his arrangement with the chief clerk. He tells his colleagues (who all work for the chief clerk?) to flee, every man for himself, and they all run.

Onnik and Krikor meet at the cave After stopping at their ammunition pit for bombs and bullets, Onnik and Krikor spend the night hiding in a cave, but they are seen by witnesses in the mountains across from the village.

All remaining Armenians are locked in the church Just after Onnik and Krikor leave the village, the order comes to lock all remaining Armenians in Kocheesar in the church in Gameese (Kamış).

SHOOTOUT IN THE MOUNTAINS

The cave is surrounded Within hours, the cave is surrounded by 25 people and 2 mounted police. The group of pursuers is on top of the cave, shooting off their guns, but not hitting Onnik and Krikor because they are deep inside the cave. O & K can feel the vibration of the guns, but wait to respond.

Onnik and Krikor scare off the crowd After 3 hours of this, it is dark. O & K finally decide to return fire with their superior guns, German made Mowzers (No. 5). Compared to the odds and ends that the Turks have, the noise and firepower are impressive. The two Melikians are also wearing German army uniforms, which Krikor stole when he had been a supervisor in a German orphanage. The Turks started to exclaim and run away, encouraged by Crippled Mahmud who admonishes them, “These are only poor orphans!”

Onnik and Krikor become fedayee (guerilla fighter) heroes The Turkish crowd returns to the village and spreads the word of Onnik & Krikor’s “military prowess.” Taking advantage of the opening, Onnik & Krikor leave the cave, and go to another to find more ammunition that they had hidden, but find it empty. On the way, they meet a friend, Tarpeen Muger, who reports that their actions have made them famous.

1918

WINTER ARRIVES

Takvor, Moorad D, Moorad M and Sahag Kertikian rejoin Onnik and Krikor. After the Armenians held in the church in Gameese are released by order of the Veheb, a group of 20 men escape into the mountains. Of these, Takvor, 2 Moorads, and Sahag go straight to all the places that they know the Melikians have weapons and provisions hidden, then join Onnik and Krikor.

The group finds a Roman fort to stay in for the winter The group spends a few nights here and there, often in the rocks and caves opposite Chiquid, but after the chief clerk urges them to flee from Eenshot, they bury a huge cache of bullets for the Mowser in a cellar in Eenshot (Ençot), then search for a good cave to spend the winter. 20 refugees join the group, bringing more food and firearms. They settle on a Roman fort near Prapert called Haigh. There are waterfalls on the east end of the fort. Several stonemasons in their group work day and night, with the few tools they still have, to bring the fort into livable condition. They also stumble upon a large man-made cave, which leads them to build a second cave - one to live in and one for their provisions.

Discovery forces them to move to a second fort This one is called Ainachazeh, a fort near Bardezag (Bahçecik). Because they can only travel 10 - 15 miles away from the fort safely, they are forced to bribe Turks to help them gather provisions.

The group now numbers 26 - Ohan Melikian, Takvor Melikian, Krikor Melikian, Moorad Melikian, Onnik Melikian, Sahag Kertikian, Manoog Tavitian and his 2 sons, Hairegh Karnig, Boghos Tavitian, Haroutun Tavitian, Garabed Panosian, Stepan Panosian, Hampartzoom Panosian, Aharon Margosian, Yeprem Aykanian, Kacheeg Iakhanyan, Garo & Baghdasar from Deveereg, Noonig Yalian, Karron Melikian, Sarkis Kahvegyan, Mugrdich Michaelian (?)

Their weapon stash grows - 14 very good rifles (German Mowzers and Russian Moseen), 8 Greek and Turkish Martin, 9 bullet Mowzers

THE OUTLAWS OF EENSHOT (Ençot)

Word of the Battle for the Boulders spreads. Once the 20 escapees from the Gameese church join the group, the story of the motley band of men (all from Prapert) spreads, and they became known as the Outlaws of Enshot. The government offers a huge reward for news of their location, and responsibility for every crime committed in the region is assigned to them.

Other bands of outlaws help each other The Prapert group hears that 33 men have escaped the massacre of Ghagadebee, and have settled in the mountains facing them called Depelee. Representatives from each group travel to meet up with the other and share food, supplies and news. At one point, Onnik estimates there were 200 bands of guerilla fighters in the mountains around Sivas, each with 20 - 25 men.

THE INCIDENT OF THE TURKISH POLICEMAN

Some of the men join a construction crew To make money for provisions, some of the Outlaw group join a building crew working on a palace in Bardezag.

Turkish police hassle them every day on their way to and from work, and Krikor in particular has a hard time not responding in kind (because if he did, he’d immediately be arrested). One police sergeant, Hageen, is more obnoxious than the others.

One night, there is a fight On their way home from work one night, Krikor, Moorad, Harasar and a few others run into a group of Turkish sentries on the outskirts of Kocheesar, who begin shooting at them. Krikor realizes that his tormentor, Hageen, is part of this group of sentries. With relish, Krikor knocks Hageen to the ground with one punch, cuts his gun from its holster and starts beating him with it. Moorad pulls him off and forces him to flee.

THE BOUNTY ON THEIR HEADS INCREASES

Now 150 mounted soldiers are searching for the Outlaws and a reward of 300 gold pieces is offered to anyone who turns them in. But by the time the soldiers reach Prapert, the band has abandoned their hideout and found a new one in Tozanloo.

THE GROUP SENDS ILL AND INFIRM MEMBERS AWAY

After a long discussion, the group decides to separate the sick from the able-bodied. Although they are all united in wanting to defend themselves and avenge the deaths of their countrymen, they know that it will be difficult to treat sick members, and also difficult to save them if there is another battle.

Mgrdich Michaelian (3) has an incurable illness The group cared for him for six months, even trying to get yogurt and honey to nourish him, but he has lost much of his strength and wants to leave the mountains. However, it is hard to find someone to take care of him in the village. He must walk through the snow to find a place to stay, loses his way, and is caught and tortured by Turkish hunters, but escapes.

A WELL-ORGANIZED EXISTENCE

The cave is large, with many exits. One exit faces Prapert, Oghnovodee and Bardezag, while another exit goes through the Ghouree River. A third exit exists, but its location isn’t documented. These exits are several miles from each other.

The group enlarges the cave by hand. After much study, the stone masons uncover a secret passage in the fort where they hide their provisions. Then, by following a stream flowing from the fort they force an opening using only crude hand tools, and they make a hole large enough for one man to crawl through. He finds another cave, with another stream flowing in the opposite direction. The caves are situated under a farmer’s field, and he reports hearing banging, but he thinks the noise is cannon fire. Part of the field also collapses where are were digging, but the farmer also attributes this to a cannonball.

The men steal from Turks at night when they need money or provisions but never injure any Turks who have Armenians in their homes, even if they are there as slaves. They send the boys into town to hunt and to rob, and they bring back 4 sheep, or one cow at a time. They can’t keep much meat until winter arrives, when they can freeze it.

Sometimes they fight over how much they’re stealing, and from whom. One night Krikor and Onnik go into town to try to rustle a whole herd of cattle. The cattle won’t budge, because two people can’t possibly rustle an entire herd. They then decide to steal a whole fold of 40 sheep from the richest villager (in another town, not Prapert). When the shepherd leaves to have his meal, the two boys use their lock picking tools to open the pen and take the animals. The villagers hear the commotion of all the sheep moving and come out shooting. It is dark, and they shoot in the wrong direction. Onnik and Krikor fire back and escape with the sheep. When Ohan (Onnik’s father in law) sees all the sheep, he yells “Don’t you boys have a God? Take those sheep back where you got them!” Onnik yells back, “What God? There is no God, no religion and no rules nor pity. Those who destroyed our ancestral home, didn’t they have a God too? Are we 25 people to starve on this mountain top, or are we to eat stones?” The group decides to keep the sheep.

The men are constantly preparing According to Onnik, they never waste a minute, constantly trying to anticipate every eventuality and prepare themselves for it. They are organized and disciplined, have an outhouse set up, and even have their own entertainment with song and dance. The government officials who eventually find their location are reportedly surprised that a group who is leading such a “peaceful and joyful existence” could be responsible for all the crimes attributed to them.

1919

A TRAITOR GIVES THEM AWAY

Mgrdich 3 Michaelian trusts the wrong person Desperate to find somewhere to stay, Mgrdich 3 turns to his relative Yervant who is married to a woman whose first husband was a well-known traitor. Under the guise of sympathy for his plight, she says things like, “Oh my dear, how did you fall into this situation? Who was with you? What are the rest of your buddies doing? Where are they sleeping?”

Yervant’s wife tells the government where to find the men and receives the 300 gold pieces

It takes 3 tries to confirm the location. Turkish shepherds hired to look for the outlaws can’t find them. Then the Mughtar of the village reports he saw smoke in the hills. Then some government officials come out themselves and determine the location of the cave and its exits

NEGOTIATIONS ARE ATTEMPTED

The men are having trouble breathing in the cave, but do not want to surrender because they don’t trust the Turks.

It would be hard to escape and find a better place in winter. The current cave system is well protected and the men believe they are well situated to defend it. They decide to relocate their cache of flour and wheat so that if they do need to make a quick escape, they will have provisions through the end of the winter. Takvor Melikian and Moorad Derderian move the food on foot on stormy days so no one can track their footprints in the snow.

An agreement is made but no one trusts it. A Turkish representative, Rizza Bey, brokers an agreement that would allow the men to go free, but it doesn’t stick.

THE CAVE IS SURROUNDED FOR 18 DAYS

Onnik hears the sounds of soldiers assembling outside as he visits the outhouse one night, when he can’t sleep. Takvor and Moorad D. have left on another trip to move supplies. Onnik hears rumbling sounds, puts his ear to the ground and thinks the noise is getting closer. 200 yards away, he can see the valley is surrounded by soldiers, and he can see men with binoculars observing him. The enemy approaches, digs a trench in the snow and hunkers down with their guns in position.

14 men take up firing positions and shooting begins. The men in the cave are protected by sandbags. The two sides exchange fire all night without a clear winner.

The men divide into three groups to defend the three exits

Krikor is elected their leader and representative in dealing with the Turks. Onnik is elected the interpreter for the negotiations. Krikor is hot headed and insults the Turks immediately, causing Onnik distress as he wanted to be more measured.

The Turks again claim they’ll let the men out without hurting them. No one believes them.

THE OUTLAWS PLAN AN ESCAPE

5 men begin to dig an underground escape route to freedom on the Prapert side

Two entrances are blocked The latest digging causes an avalanche, blocking off the main entrance to the cave, and local villagers bring gunpowder to blast the second entrance, sealing it as well

The men feel safe because they are so far underground no ammunition can reach them. The Ghorooee River exit is still open. The square shaped room where they live is pitch black, and they don’t talk to each other at all

"NEGOTIATIONS" CONTINUE

Moorad is shot. Moorad shouts back and forth with the Turks through the cave exit. He decides to peek outside. To do so, he must raise his arms through the hole, then hoist himself out. The second the Turks see his hands, hundreds of bullets rain onto him, and he is injured. They later apologize and claim it was an accident.

One man’s children are brought to the cave to encourage him to come out. These are Boghos Tavitian’s children, aged 5 and 6. They cling to his neck and say, “Father, what are you doing in this dark place? Why don’t you come out?” Half the men want to keep the children with them in the cave, but the rest think it too dangerous, and they are sent back home.

Another man’s sister is sent in to plead with the men to surrender. She tells them the cave is surrounded by 1,000 soldiers. The men ask her to get a message to the other band of guerilla fighters in Depelee, and tell them that the Outlaws of Enoshat are planning to fight their way out of the cave as soon as the snow melts, and would appreciate their aid. The next day she returns with the news that there are too many soldiers around the fort, and the other band will not be able to even move into position without being seen.

HOPES FOR ESCAPE FADE

The third exit is surrounded by heavy smog and the men are having more trouble breathing

The Turks have found the third exit, and seem to have one sentry guarding this exit, plus about 50 soldiers nearby. It takes 2 hours of crawling to get from the main cave to this exit.

The cave is now completely surrounded

ONNIK AND KRIKOR DISAGREE OVER STRATEGY

Krikor thinks they can shoot their way out, because the sentries would flee from fright and break the ring surrounding the exit, giving everyone a chance to escape

Onnik is sure that the soldiers will fight and die at their posts before they would flee from duty

They accidentally test the strategy As they’re arguing, Moorad gets too close to the exit, the soldiers hear him and start to shoot. Hearing the shots, Onnik and Krikor start to shoot back. As Krikor predicted, the soldiers leave their posts and flee into the night.

Krikor is livid that his plan would have worked, had they deliberately enacted it with all the men there. He shouts at Onnik, “What has tied you to this hole? You could have done something! At least give your gun to Garo!”

As a result, the Turks increase the troops around the third exit

THE GROUP DECIDES TO SURRENDER

Rizza Bey promises they will be unharmed, only jailed

The older men and injured men come out first, to test the claim

Eventually, only Onnik, Krikor, Garo and Stepan are left in the cave, unwilling to surrender. Moorad tells Rizza Bey that the only son of one of his closest friends is in the cave (meaning Onnik), and if he persuades him to come out, the others will follow.

The rest agree to surrender on three conditions: 1) all soldiers surrounding the hideout must stand down, 2) the group must be allowed to stay in Enchohat 3) the group must be allowed to spend their first night in Prapert. These conditions are met, and the men all leave the cave.

IMPRISONMENT IN KOCHEESAR (Hafik) - 2 DAYS

The men are taken to headquarters and allowed to keep their guns, but must point them downward as a sign of surrender as they walk

The men are transferred to Kocheesar after a night in Prapert, and jailed for two days. They are given food and cigars – this treatment being used as bait to encourage other resisters to give themselves up.

IMPRISONMENT IN SEPASTIA - 4 DAYS

The men are transferred to Sepastia in 5 horse-drawn carts, along with all their guns and possessions. A band plays military tunes when they reach the center of town, and accompanies them through the streets. The men are lined up against a wall and photographed

FORCED MARCH TO GEYSERIA (Kayseri)

The group’s possessions are sold at auction in the town square, and Allah Bey makes a show of announcing that the government will give the men the money from the sale, despite the fact that the possessions had been stolen.

The local leader gives orders to transfer the men to Geysaria, because the local villagers know of all the crimes the men had committed, and will want to take revenge. This transfer is framed as a kindness, for their safety.

The men are afraid for their lives because they are lined up against a wall, and a long rope is placed in front of them, making them think they are to be tied up and led somewhere to be killed. Onnik and Krikor decide to get rid of their heavy military uniforms in case they need to run.

The men leave with great ceremony The government invites the men’s friends and relatives to “see them off” as if they are going on a vacation. These people bring food to give to the men for their journey. Onnik and Krikor give their uniforms to some of these women.

8 mounted police and 16 foot police accompany the men as they walk to Geysaria

An aborted escape As the men walk, Turkish residents line the streets cursing at them and yelling, “No Armenian leaves this place alive!” Several times the residents attempt to rob them. When the police decide to leave the main road and take a “short cut,” the men assume their time is up and start to plot an escape. Krikor and Onnik plan to take the guns from some of the mounted police, and as the group stops for a drink at a stream, the men begin to split up into groups of two, with the intention of attacking their captors. At the last minute, Rizza Bey rides up and announces that he has been assigned to ensure the men reach Adana without harm. He is a known ally, so the men abort their escape plan.

BODIES AT GEMEREG

The entire valley of Gemereg, where the caravan stops for a night, is covered with corpses in varying stages of decomposure. The policemen laugh and said, “We know you killed a lot of Islams, but look what we did to you.”

IMPRISONMENT IN GEYSARIA - 4 DAYS

Instead of being freed, as promised, the men are held in jail for 4 days, then on the 5th day, taken to the town square and surrounded by 100 soldiers and policemen while someone reads out an official order to take them immediately to Adana to face a military tribunal.

Fake kindness - the reason the men hadn’t been mistreated was because the Turks are hoping that word would get around and trick other resisters into giving up

A SECOND ESCAPE ATTEMPT

Garabed Panosian escapes while the group is on the road, at Ergease. He makes an excuse and stays behind, jokingly saying goodbye to the police guards. After his successful escape, the police are much stricter with the rest.

At another stream, the group tries their plan again, pairing up in twos and trying to overpower the guards and get their guns, but they fail

A THIRD ESCAPE ATTEMPT

At Vorloo Keshla army post, the group is put on a train, each in a separate car so they can’t plot another escape attempt.

In Bozanti (Pozantı), a railroad center and German/Turkish arsenal, the men cut holes through the screen doors at night, but an old man in their group, Noneeg Khatoum, wakes up and tells everyone that the few younger men are trying to escape. They are forced to abandon their plan and quickly patch up the screens, telling the police that the screens made them uncomfortable (too warm/cold?)

Some of the men try to discourage an escape. Nonoog Tavityan claimed that the Armenian Revolutionaries are in Syria and will soon attack Adana, so they should wait. His son says, “why are you trying to stop them? We are going to our deaths.”

Some encourage Onnik to escape alone. He knows he can’t do it without a gun or a companion. He replies, “You would think I’m bad luck!” (joking about why they’re trying to get rid of him)

MARCH TO CHEMEL KHAN

From Bozantin, the group is taken to Deuvleg Bogaz (Gülek Boğazı), a well known place where many Armenians were killed. The walls of this place are filled with writing – prayers, pleadings, a few thoughts of revenge. Onnik says “it was enough to explode your mind and shake your soul.”

The Taras Mountain Pass - 80,000 soldiers are using this narrow pass to cross to the Syrian front and join Jemal Pasha. This makes the roads impassable.

IMPRISONMENT IN JEMEL KHAN (Cemel Han)

In this prison, the men find 2 bodies in the dark. They assume they are Turks who were placed there so the men can be blamed for killing them. The Prapert outlaws make a ruckus for someone to remove the corpses. In the morning, the guards pull out the bodies and it turns out one was not dead. They are Persians who had not been fed for 15 days.

ESCAPE FROM CHEMEL KHAN

In the commotion over the two bodies, Onnik escapes through an open door. Stepan Panosian and his father follow him, as well as Krikor, Sahag and Khatchig. Onnik silently points the Panosians toward one escape route to the mountains, and is about to return to the prison to get the rest out, when a policeman sees him and starts to shoot. Onnik hears the bullet whiz by him, but is not hit. Three policemen climb on the roof and shoot at them, and another group is fast approaching on foot.

Onnik, Krikor, Sahag and Khatchig flee to the mountains. The police send bloodhounds after them, but the dogs can’t find them. They run for three hours, only stopping when they reach the top of a slope where they lie under rocky crevices to rest.

Yeprem bumps into them in the dark, and Sahag almost kills him with a rock to the head, but is restrained just in time. Four other men from the group also escape, but go in another direction because they had “not only lost their sense of direction, but lost their brains as well.”

MORE ESCAPES ALONG THE ROAD

The police stop pursuing the escapees, return to the Khan and boast that the escapees have been killed. The police then chain the rest of the men together and continue to walk to Adana. These men aren’t sure whether to believe that their comrades are dead, and make a plan to try to escape themselves.

Ohan Melikian breaks loose from his chains - he comes from a family with a reputation for great strength in the hands and fingers. He attacks the police, wrenches rifles away from two of them, and the police run off.

The group is unguarded for two days. During this time, they run to the hills. Stepan, Garo and Baghdon escape - by wrapping their heads in white turbans, putting on long robes and finding their way back to Sepastia.

MORE DEATHS

Aharon Markosian, Boghos Tavitian, Manoog Tavitian and one of his sons are surrounded and killed.

The remaining son saved himself by hiding in the bushes. When the police leave, he comes out, sees that his father is still breathing, and brings him some water, but Manoog dies. This son then dons a turban and walks for 14 days all the way back to Sepastia.

WALKING BACK TO FREEDOM

The five men walk the hills for five days, eventually arriving in Chookooer.

Their food is gone and they are starving, but suspiciously, Yeprem never complains. It turns out that he has hidden food in his clothes and is eating it.

TROUBLE IN POSTLOO (Postlu)

Reaching Postloo, they pretend to be Turkish soldiers and go into an old woman’s house to ask for food. She feeds them bread and yogurt.

The villagers notice their arrival and sound the alarm. Onnik steps out into the street to hear the women telling the girls to run and tell the men that some Armenian refugees have arrived. When he returns to the house, he finds Sahag trying to take all the bread in the house. Onnik grabs his arm and throws him out of the house, because that was “a stupid thing to do” and will bring even more suspicion onto them.

The men are forced to run back to the mountains, with the villagers following close behind and shooting at them. They shoot off Krikor’s hat but can’t hit any of them before it gets dark. The men spread out and hide in various bushes.

Close combat - The villagers reload their guns and sneak up on them, and some hand-to-hand combat ensues. Krikor is hit in the head with a rock.

It’s a draw - The outlaws don’t have any more bullets for their guns, but yell threats claiming that they do. The villagers get tired of the fight and decide to call a truce. The villagers give back the outlaws’ backpacks, and the outlaws give back some guns they stole, plus two wounded villagers.

Yeprem is captured - There are other outlaw men in the bushes, who see the villagers walking back down the mountain with their wounded comrades. The outlaws wrongly assume they are seeing their own men and call out. The Turks run back and catch Yeprem, then prepare to hang him. At the last minute, a rich villager passes by and said, “Don’t kill him. Give him to me for a slave.” Yeprem worked for that man until Armistice was declared and that area was freed, then he went back to Sepastia.

WALKING TO GEEHANEE (Yahni)

The men walk for 13 days without stopping or resting. They have trouble finding the right direction, because they are unfamiliar with the area, and even when they ask for directions, the locals don't have any knowledge of geography, maps, or even the location of their capital city of Gesaerya.

No Armenians left in Tomarzah (Tomarza). Finally they reach the edge of the Armenian village of Tomarzah. They fall among the rocks, exhausted, and sleep. When they open their eyes, they see two boys standing over them. The boys tell them that 40 horsemen are searching the area for Armenian refugees. No Armenians are left in the village to ask for help.

Turkish hospitality in Everege (Everek). The men come across a 16 year old boy caring for his sheep, and tell him they’re Turkish soldiers. He says that his father is a gendarme, but Onnik resembles one of his uncles, so he’s happy to bring them home and give them food. The boy’s mother agrees that Onnik looks like her relative, and not only gives them food but tells them about a Turkish farm on their route where they can find an Armenian slave who can give them more supplies.

Supplies from an Armenian slave. At night, the men reach the farm of a rich Turk and shout the message that the woman told them to use to prove they are trustworthy (“We are the people of Mardonlee Mustapha”) The Armenian sees that they also look Armenian and is overcome with emotion because he thought all the Armenians had been killed and he would never see another Armenian face again. He gives them food, a knife, matches and many other provisions, and sends them on their way with directions that would help them avoid the worst areas.

A STROKE OF LUCK NEAR EERGEASE (Erciyes)

After a few days, the food is gone. The area is dangerous because there is a group of road-building slave soldiers speaking Turkish and Greek

The men decide to rob a traveler. They grab a man walking on foot, who turns out to be a corporal in the Turkish army. He pleads with them to take anything he has but not his shoes. It turns out that all his money is in his shoes, which they take, along with his uniform, rifle and ammunition.

A CLOSE CALL IN KEELEEDICK

The men stop in Keeleedick to replenish their food. They run into a young man, Ali Peylivan, and convince him that they are Turkish soldiers. He says he can tell by their accents that they are local. He is from a prominent family, and directs them to go to his house. They go and convince the man’s parents that they are his army buddies, and they feed them royally and give them more provisions.

Krikor wants more. After leaving the Peylivan house, Krikor decides they should also stop at the next house and try the charade again, to get more food and supplies. Onnik has a premonition of danger, but they go in anyway.

They are caught stealing bread. Inside the house, it seems empty, but the floor is covered with fresh baked bread. As they stuff as much as they can into their bags, two young brides enter and start to scream. The girls lock the door to trap them, but Onnik points his gun at them and scares them into unlocking it. The villagers, hearing the commotion, surround the house, and the mayor comes inside to interrogate them. The men stick to their story and claim that they are Turkish commandos who have walked for months and need food to continue their journey. “Is this the way to treat loyal Islam soldiers?” Their play-acting works, and the mayor scolds the villagers, then gives the outlaws permission to take as much bread as they want.

BACK IN SEPASTIA, THE VILLAGES ARE DECIMATED

In Khtev Yneejeh, not a building is left standing. The men climb to the hills and end up desperately sick with stomach cramps because they ate too much of the stolen bread. They are forced to stick their fingers down their throats to throw up to relieve their discomfort.

In Khorsanna (Dikmencik), the village is overflowing with refugees. The men had hoped to contact an Armenian woman who was married to a government official, but though they case the village for a long time, there is too much activity for them to sneak in unseen.

Kocheesar is filled with refugees as well, and many of them know the outlaws personally, so it isn’t safe to go there.

IN HKAT, THEY FIND AN ALLY AND SHELTER

A close call with the Turkish guards - Onnik knocks on the door of a bakery, just as the military guards are changing. He asks in Turkish, “For the love of Allah” I am a soldier and I need help, but the man just directs him to the barracks. Onnik runs to an Armenian home, as the guards are getting closer, waving at a man through the window who doesn’t recognize him and won’t open the door. Onnik flattens himself against a wall and the guards don’t see him.

Agha Jan comes to the rescue - Onnik tries again at the house, and his ally Agha Jan comes to the window, recognizes him and opens the door. Krikor and Stepan join them, and the three rest hidden in an underground storage room for 10 days.

WITHOUT RESOURCES, THEY DON'T HAVE MANY OPTIONS

Kirkor find Turks living in the Melikian homestead when they return to Prapert

Onnik, Krikor, Sahag, Khatchig and Yeprem want to reconnect with Takvor and the others and reorganize a resistance, but their best men are gone, their provisions are depleted, and they no longer have any guns.

Takvor had been sent to transfer the provisions to another fort, but was surrounded and unable to return. He eventually reunited with some of the group in Tozonlouee.

The Chief Clerk’s advice. Onnik visits the Chief Clerk at his house, who tells him he must meet with Rizza Bey.

Rizza Bey gets Onnik and Krikor jobs Onnik is sent to Hkat to a Nktah Mevedeekheree (?). Krikor is put to work on a government farm as a laborer

THE GROUP BREAKS UP

Krikor becomes the leader of the group and wants to flee to Russia, but Onnik has had enough (after all the suffering he witnessed and endured, he no longer wants to be a refugee). Krikor leaves Kocheesar to never return.

Ohan had escaped the march to Jemel Khan, but was eventually recaptured, arrested, and poisoned while in prison.

Takvor, Krikor and several others engage in a 4-hour gun battle. At first, they fought against 15 policemen and 3 Kurds, but by the end of the battle, there were 100 policemen and 35 Kurds. Takvor and Krikor die.

Shoot to kill order convinces Onnik to stop fighting While Onnik is in Haght, the Mudire tells him that the order has been given to kill all of the remaining outlaws while they sleep. The boys are all fugitives, and their names are posted everywhere. There is an intense search for them.

ONNIK IS SMUGGLED OUT OF SEPASTIA

Stepan tells Onnik that a building in Haght has been surrounded with boys searching for Onnik to arrest him.

Onnik is staying with missionaries who have cars and smuggle boys into Constantinople.

Margaret Tavityan (his cousin) bribes a driver with 5 gold pieces, and he takes Onnik to Constantinople. Onnik leaves Sepastia on May 11, 1919.

1920

ONNIK SPENDS 2 YEARS IN CONSTANTINOPLE

Onnik joins the British Foreign Legion the moment he arrives, and serves for 6 (or 9) months.

Using his father’s connections, he gets a job at the Bank of Italy in Constantinople as a guard, but has little peace because the villagers of Golan-Gegelbash had tracked him down and were formally protesting to the government that he be captured and killed.

The protesters appear daily on the sidewalk outside the bank. They try to enter the bank but are unsuccessful. This becomes an ordeal for Onnik.

1922

ONNIK IS SMUGGLED TO ITALY

The bank director and Italian consular were friends. The consular acquires an Italian passport for Onnik (it may be forged), and sends two Italian guards to take Onnik by car from the bank to the seaport, where he boards an Italian ship.

1923

After a year in Italy, Onnik leaves for the United States, and arrives July 1, 2023

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHERE THE SURVIVING MELIKIANS ENDED UP