MASSACRES AT NICAEA
ANCIENT CHURCH DESTROYED

The London Times.
October 19, 1920, p.12.

      (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT)
      CONSTANTINOPLE, Oct. 15 (delayed).
     The report on the massacre of the Greek popu-
lation  of  Isnik,   the  ancient  Nicaea,  which  took
place late  in  August,  shows  that  most  of  these
luckless  people  were  killed  then,  and  that the
remainder  were   butchered  before  the  Greek
troops took the  town  at  the end of September.
     Some 130 families, representing between 400
and 500 souls, were massacred,  and  the  British
officer who investigated the scene reports having
found about  100  bodies,  including  those  of
women and children, in a cave to the east of the
town. They  apparently  had  had  their feet and
hands  lopped  off, and  were  then  either burnt
alive, or  , in  some  cases,  hewn  in  pieces.  The
irregular troops who perpetrated these outrages
were  the  notoroous "Blue  Banner  Group"  led
by  one, Jemal  Bey, who  carried  off  one  Greek
girl after killing her family,  but  seems  to  have
murdered her a few days later.
     The church at Nicaea, which was probably the
oldest  in  the  Turkish  Empire  and  is  said   to
date from 332 and to  have  been  built  to com-
memorate  the  Council  of  Nicaea, held in 325,
was destroyed. Only the shell remains,  and  all
the carvings, icons, liturgical books  and  manu-
scripts were burnt.