The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-09
LONELY MISS SHAT7UCK
Experiences Of a Lady Mission
ary in the Looted Village
of Ainteb.

Correspondence of The United Press.
CONSTANTINOPLE. Dec. a. 1S95.-At
Corfa, separated from Aintab by the
Euphrates and three days journey, and
where Miss Chattuck has been all alone
during two months of the most trying ex-
periences. the pillaged shops are still un-
opened, and even unvisited by the own
ers, and every Christian family is prac-
tically imprisoned at home.
Great anxiety was felt on account of
Miss Shattuck, because for a long time
the Governor refused to let kilograms or
letters be sent out. and none of the let
ters ever sent by secret messengers ever
reached their destination.
From the evening of Sunday, October
27, till Tuesday afternoon the American
house was without any guard or protection
when after repeated requests three SOL
diers were sent. These. however, went
out to join in the pillaging. after being
treated to a hot supper, and the next
guard came only about ten p. M. Wednes-
day. By this time the assaults of the
mob had been quelled. though quiet rob-
bling continued for many weeks. By
Wednesday the zabtiehs had taken in
hand wholesale conversions to Islamism
Prominent Armenians were arrested, taken
before a governmental official and re-
quired. on pain of death, to declare them
selves Mohammedans. A few, among
them a druggist, refused, and were killed
Most accepted Mohammedanism, and as
a sign of theirconverson were obliged
to put on white turbans. raise white flags
on their houses. and furnish Mohammedan
bondsmen. Before dark Wednesday more
than twenty white flags We're flying from
houses of prominent Christians, and by
Thursday night there We're innumerable
white flags stuck up on Christian houses
on all sides.
The experience of one Armenian fam
lily perfectly authenticated may be given
as an example of many similar expe-
riences. The family of M was at
tackled and robbed by Arabs. With his
family he took refuge in Kurdish vii
lage, and by promises of money induced
fifteen Kurds to escort him to the city
of Corfa On the way party of forty
Kurds attacked them and demanded that
they become Moslems at once. Three
of them refused, and were instantly
shot, and then hacked to pieces, where
upon M, two women and five chill
dren, accepted Mohammedanism and
were brought into the Governor. The
Governor required nothing of them and
sent them to their homes under protec-
ton.
Until after November II. the soldiers
were continually breaking into houses
by night and in broad daylight stopped
men in the streets, taking away watches,
money and even outer clothes.
1t seems improbable that the order to
force Christians to become Moslems was
given without the full knowledge of the
Governor. Some have renewed the white
flags. while others have left the poles
standing bare, stripped by the wind The
condition of affairs at Corfa seems quiet
at present, with most of the Armenian
notables in prison, and a large portion of
the others in immediate danger of starv-
ing. 1t is impossible to make any state
ment in regard to the killed. Over fifty
were killed from the Protestant commun-
ity alone.