Page:Islam, Turkey, and Armenia, and How They Happened.djvu/134

128 earth." These fiends, known as collectors, live on the people for one, two or more weeks, demanding the best of provisions, dictating the bill of fare themselves. Their horses also must be taken good care of by the town, even if it takes the tender gardens or the fields. Among the means employed by these collectors are beating men with many stripes, smearing the face with cow's manure, tying men to the tree or the wall, head fixed and the eyelids stretched up and down so as to expose the eyes to the burning sun for hours at a time, have the body bent forward, place a heavy rock or log on the back until the muscles and joints give way and sometimes the blood gushes from the nose, and many other such things. The violation of personal honor and unspeakable deeds imposed upon men and women must pass silently. These deeds continue day after day with increased intensity until the community is compelled to sell everything at any price to get rid of such brave and faithful officers of "His Imperial Majesty, whose goodness spreads all over the world."

These atrocities are imposed not upon the Christians alone, but upon the Moslems also. Still the injustice practiced upon the former is immeasurably severe. In a village known to the writer the total amount demanded for the year was 39,000 piasters, of this 33,465 piasters were paid by 180 Christian families, while twice as many Turkish families paid only 5,535 piasters.

2. Taxes on Agricultural Products. The vineyards, orchards, gardens and grain fields compose