Shahan Natalie
Encyclopedia
Shahan Natalie (nom de guerre Nemesis
) (1884–1983) was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
's Bureau and the principal organizer of Operation Nemesis
wherein the Turkish masterminds of the Armenian Genocide
were assassinated. He later became a writer on Armenian national philosophy, and notable for his essay, The Turks and Us.
) of the Ottoman Empire
in Anatolia
. He was the only son of a seven-member family, along with four sisters.
He received his primary education in the local Armenian school. At the beginning of the 1895 Hamidian massacres
, his father, maternal uncle, and numerous other relatives were killed. Separated from his family during the massacre, Hagop, then 11, was taken in by a neighboring Greek family, who hid him for three days, fearing that he too would be slaughtered. He was later reunited with the surviving members of his family.
He found his mother mourning over his father's lifeless corpse, which they dragged together and buried under a walnut tree. He would later write about this event, adding, "The living began to bury the dead." The scene of his mother, prostrate on her husband's body, left a deep and indelible impression on the young boy.
He studied for a year at the Euphrates College
in Kharberd. Along with other orphans, he was then sent to the St. James Orphanage in Constantinople
. There, a wealthy Armenian rug merchant living in New York
adopted him. The following year he was admitted to the famed Berberian Academy, where he studied until 1900.
In 1904, he joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Kharberd, and immigrated to the eastern United States, where he worked for three years as a laborer in a shoe factory in Watertown, Massachusetts.
In 1908, after the proclamation of the Young Turk Revolution
, he returned to his home in Husenik. His stay was short-lived, however, as the 1909 Adana massacre
drove him into exile in America once again.
, where he studied English literature
, philosophy
, and theateras a special student. In 1912, he decided to return to his home in the Ottoman Empire, but on his way there, he was sent back to the U.S., as Greek authorities would not let him through, considering him a citizen of an enemy nation.
Back in the U.S., Natalie became active within the ranks of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He was on the editorial staff of the party's Hairenik
newspaper from 1915 to 1917, and was elected to the party's United States Central Committee. Not happy with the way the ARF was evolving, he later resigned from the party. He became a United States citizen on March 23, 1915, and assumed "John Mahy", the Darling of Death, as his official name in 1923.
Nemesis (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Nemesis , also called Rhamnousia/Rhamnusia at her sanctuary at Rhamnous, north of Marathon, was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris . The Greeks personified vengeful fate as a remorseless goddess: the goddess of revenge...
) (1884–1983) was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
's Bureau and the principal organizer of Operation Nemesis
Operation Nemesis
Operation Nemesis is the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's code-name for a covert operation in early 1920s to assassinate the Turkish planners of the Armenian Genocide. Those involved with the planning and execution of the operation were survivors of the massacres...
wherein the Turkish masterminds of the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
were assassinated. He later became a writer on Armenian national philosophy, and notable for his essay, The Turks and Us.
Early life
Shahan Natalie was born Hagop der Hagopian on July 14, 1884, in the village of Husenik, in the Kharberd province (modern day Elazığ ProvinceElazig Province
Elâzığ Province is a province of Turkey with its seat in the city of Elâzığ. The source of the Euphrates river is located in this province.The province has a population of 552,646 as of 2010...
) of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. He was the only son of a seven-member family, along with four sisters.
He received his primary education in the local Armenian school. At the beginning of the 1895 Hamidian massacres
Hamidian massacres
The Hamidian massacres , also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896, refers to the massacring of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, with estimates of the dead ranging from anywhere between 80,000 to 300,000, and at least 50,000 orphans as a result...
, his father, maternal uncle, and numerous other relatives were killed. Separated from his family during the massacre, Hagop, then 11, was taken in by a neighboring Greek family, who hid him for three days, fearing that he too would be slaughtered. He was later reunited with the surviving members of his family.
He found his mother mourning over his father's lifeless corpse, which they dragged together and buried under a walnut tree. He would later write about this event, adding, "The living began to bury the dead." The scene of his mother, prostrate on her husband's body, left a deep and indelible impression on the young boy.
He studied for a year at the Euphrates College
Euphrates College
Euphrates College was a coeducational high school in Harput , a town in the eastern Turkey, founded and directed by American missionaries for mostly the Armenian community in the region....
in Kharberd. Along with other orphans, he was then sent to the St. James Orphanage in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. There, a wealthy Armenian rug merchant living in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
adopted him. The following year he was admitted to the famed Berberian Academy, where he studied until 1900.
Youth
In 1901, he returned to his native Husenik, where for three years he was a teacher at the Armenian parochial school of the St. Varvara Church. In the meantime, he studied the provincial dialect of Kharberd, earning him special honor in Patriarch Izmirlian's literary competition.In 1904, he joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Kharberd, and immigrated to the eastern United States, where he worked for three years as a laborer in a shoe factory in Watertown, Massachusetts.
In 1908, after the proclamation of the Young Turk Revolution
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
, he returned to his home in Husenik. His stay was short-lived, however, as the 1909 Adana massacre
Adana massacre
The Adana massacre occurred in Adana Province, in the Ottoman Empire, in April 1909. An massacre of Armenian Christians in the city of Adana amidst governmental upheaval resulted in a series of anti-Armenian pogroms throughout the district...
drove him into exile in America once again.
Education and political life
From 1910 to 1912, Shahan attended Boston UniversityBoston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, where he studied English literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, and theateras a special student. In 1912, he decided to return to his home in the Ottoman Empire, but on his way there, he was sent back to the U.S., as Greek authorities would not let him through, considering him a citizen of an enemy nation.
Back in the U.S., Natalie became active within the ranks of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He was on the editorial staff of the party's Hairenik
Hairenik
Hairenik is an Armenian language weekly newspaper published in Watertown, Massachusetts in the United States.The newspaper, serving the Armenian American community, was established as a weekly in on May 1, 1899, making it one of the longest-running Armenian publications...
newspaper from 1915 to 1917, and was elected to the party's United States Central Committee. Not happy with the way the ARF was evolving, he later resigned from the party. He became a United States citizen on March 23, 1915, and assumed "John Mahy", the Darling of Death, as his official name in 1923.
Short stories, verses, and plays
- Օրէնքի եւ Ընկերութեան Զոհերէն ("From the Martyrs of Law and Society"). Boston: Hairenik, 1909. 63 pages. Short stories.
- Ամպեր ("Clouds"). Boston: Hairenik, 1909. Verses
- Քաւութեան երգեր ("Songs of Expiation"). Boston: Hairenik, 1915. 31 pages. Verses
- Սերի եւ ատելութեան երգեր ("Songs of Love and Hate"). Boston: Hairenik, 1915. 165 pages. Verses
- Վրէժի աւետարան ("Gospel of Revenge"). New York: Armenia, 1918. 39 pages. Verses
- Ասլան Բեկ ("Aslan Bek"). Boston: Hairenik, 1918. 62 pages. Tragedy in three acts
- Քեզի ("To You"). Boston: 1920. 116 pages. Verses written beginning in 1904.
National-political works
- Թուրքիզմը Անգորայէն Բագու եւ Թրքական Օրիէնթասիոն ("Turkism from Angora to Baku and Turkish Orientation"). Athens: Nor Or, 1928. 172 pages.
- Թուրքերը եւ Մենք ("The Turks and Us"). Athens: Nor Or, 1928. 70 pages. Second printing, Boston, 1931. 93 pages.
- Ալեքսանդրապօլի Դաշնագրէն 1930-ի Կովկասեան Ապստամբութիւնները ("From the Treaty of Alexandrapol to the 1920 Caucasian Insurgencies"). Volumes 1 and 2. Marseilles: Arabian Publishing, 1934-35.
- Երեւանի Համաձայնագիրը ("The Yerevan Agreement"). Boston: 1941. 112 pages.
- Գիրք Մատուցման եւ Հատուցման ("Book of Dedication and Compensation"). Beirut: Onipar Publishing, 1949 (first printing). 160 pages. Beirut: Azdarar Publishing, 1954 (second printing). 134 pages. Contents:
- Այսպէս Սպաննեցինք ("How We Killed")
- Յաւելուած (Addendum), illustrated.
- Վերստին Յաւելուած—Ալեքսանդրապօլի Դաշնագրի «Ինչպէ՞սն ու ինչո՞ւն» ("Re-Addendum -- The How and Why of the Treaty of Alexandrapol"). Boston: Baikar, 1955. 144 pages.