The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-08-16
The Wounded in the Eastern War AL.
lowed to Die--A Day Among Them
mt ErZerOum.

Twelve days ago the first real battle
since the fall of Arabian took place.
Six days ago there wa another. In these
two engagements probably not less than
two or three thousand men were woun-
ded. There were no ambulances on the
field, no surgeons, in fact no prepare
tions whatever for caring for the woun-
ded. The poor fellows, after lying for
hours, perhaps days, where they fell,
were finally loaded on to OK carts and
started of for Erzeroum, fifty miles
away. After lyingfor three or four days
on these carts, under the burning sun,
and covered with dust, they finally ar
rive in Erzeroum and are put into a
khan, where they spend the night lying
on the bare floor, with not so much as a
blanket to cover them. About eight
o'clock this morning Mr.. G. and myself,
with two native assistants, gained admit
lance to the khan, having the day
previous succeeded, after muchvexatious
delay, in obtaining a paper from the
government, without which we should
be unable to do anything. Immediately
on entering we saw a sight which can
never be forgotten. 1t was a man oun
ded in the face. The ball had entered
the left cheek, making a fearful hole,
and passed out just under the nose.
Seven days had passed and the wound
was still undressed. Such a sight Ihope
never to see again. The stencil was some
thing fearful, and the mans cheek,
tongue, mouth, and nose literally alive
with worms. For want of a better
instrument l took my pocket knife and
succeeded in dislodging a number of
white worms, half an inch long. After
a while l got a very small pair of
tweezers, with which, at least, n hun
bred were taken out. By the aid of a
surgeon, who happened in, the wound
was cleansed as much as possible, bound
up, a clean shirt put on the man and a
blanket procured, on which we left him.
The poor fellow was afterward taken to
the hospital, where he will probably die
for want of care. One other poor fellow,
whose leg was shattered by a rifle ball,
was in much the same condition, though
the worms were not quite so numerous
as in the other case. We remained in
the khan till one o'clock, during which
time we helped to dress at least sixty
wounds, providing II own bandages
lint, sponges, ETC., distributing a quantity
of shirts, and also bread, for the mer
were hungry. Thanks to the Red Cros'
Society, we have some twenty-five shirts
asmall number of bandages, a very little
lint, and also a few pairs of drawers
" But what are they among so manyP
The government actually has no prepare
ton for the few hundreds now here
What will become of the thousands we
to be brought in? Unless money ant
supplies are provided Immediately, no
only will there be most terrible suffering
but hundreds, and perhaps thousands
must die, and all for lack of prope
preparation.
kilograms have already been sent t
England and Constantinople asking fo
money and supplies, which it is hope
will be forthcoming. We, the American
missionaries at Erzeroum, have entere,
upon this work with the intention o
d%evoting our time and strength to il
and most cordially invite all friends o
humanity in Europe and America to ali
in this work of mercy, and we also mos
cordially undertake to distribute, a
faithfully and judiciously as possible, al
moneys and supplies, of whatever kind
which may come to our hands.
Money is also greatly needed to pre-
vide bread for the thousands of destitut
families in and about Erzeroum. If tn
war continues six months longer, tn
sufferings of the poor villagers must b
fearful. Crops are destroyed, animal
stolen, and in many cases the inhabitant
obliged to flee for their lives. War an
famine in Turkey are tenfold NOR
terrible than in most other countries
God have mercy on the people!