The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-07-22
Appalling Account Of the Famine in
Turkey.

In q private letter Mr.. Tristom Ellis
gives an appalling account of the scenes
Of famine which he has just witnessed
in the course Of a journey from Diar-
bekir to Bagdad. Writing from the
latter city, he said:
From Diarbekir foated down on q
raft, called kelek, made of frame
work of wood, supported on inflated
goatskins, and covered with twigs of
trees. had little hut built on it for
protection against the weather "a very
necessary precaution, as it froze every
night, and rained, and hailed, and
showed often for the first week, where
the river passes through clefts in the
mountains of the Botan. My kelek
caused a great excitement, from its
being the first that had come down the
river for some weeks, and the poor
people were starving for want OF grain
that generally comes down the
river from the great corn-produc-
ing country around Diarbekir. No
kefek had come down, for those that
had been sent before had all been inter-
cepted and robbed, and several of the
people killed, by band of Koords that
infested the river in its most rugged
and dangerous part. At Mo-
sui I found the famine worse than ever.
People were continually dying in the
streets, and mothers selling their chill
dren for slaves or even worse purposes.
1t was very common to see men and
children, a mere heap of bones, lying
naked in the street, covered with the
flies they were too weak to brush away.
And, worst of all, little dying children
were hired by professional beggars for
the purpose of exciting charity, and
were exhibited naked in the bazars.
1 found one poor little baby about four
years old quite dead, and the woman
who was begging for something to
give it was not aware that it was so!
Bread, upon which the people gener-
ally live, and which is generally
about one-half pence per pound, was
selling for more than a shilling. The
people would have died wholesale had
it not been for the root of thistle that
the spring weather had caused to come
up, and that is very edible, and of course
can be got for the trouble of collec-
ton. The ground for miles around
the town was all dug up by the people
for this root, and while they dug one
saw them eating the grass and weeds
round about as well. l don't think
that ever saw so many thin people at
once in my life before. A contrast to
them were the rich multi and kadi of
the town. who were as fat and round
about as usual, and did nothing to re-
lieve the distress around. In fact, most
of them had large stores of grain them
selves that they were keeping back till
the price should become still higher. The
Government had ordered the stores
of private individuals to be opened, and
the grain sold by auction; but as the
principal stores were all held by Gov
eminent officials, only some small
stores, belonging to people who had put
by enough to get themselves and family
through the famine, were opened; these
people were therefore reduced to beg
gary, and the famine scarcely relieved.
The show of crops was very good, but
no rain had fallen for some time in that
district (rather contrast to what had
just been passing through, and great
fears were entertained OF another fail
ure of crops this year, so prices were
still going up and up. One day even
bread was quoted at a price equal to
two shillings pound, but two days
with rain just at the right time caused
the price to fall six pence in one day,
showing that the shareholders had got
frightened, and put lot into the mar
k0t at OnCe-LOn1O,l PGDer