Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-03-03
A .PITIFUL APPEAL
ARMENIAN LADY DESCRIBES
THE MASSACRES.
Christian America Asked to Aid the
Helpless Victims of Moslem Fanat-
icism - Starving and Frozen, They
e Wait Only for Death.

boston, rep. Zo.-FOllOWlng is the
translation of letter from the wife
of an Armenian pastor in Marash, Cen
trail Turkey. 1t is addressed by her to
Christians in America" and is most
pathetic appeal for help in the present
emergency:
Dear Brethren in the Lord: You will
receive letter that you could not have
expected. But l write in order to in
vite your sympathy. You will see
nothing in this to make you glad, but
much to sadden you. You will join
your iearts to these hearts of ours that
are full of woe, and your minds will be
one with ours.
Our merciless assailants on the
morning of that fatal day came upon us
like wild beasts. In the place of the
good morning" Of friendly lips We
heard the shots Of guns and revoivers.
Their "'how do you do this morning."
was the dread sound Of axes breaking
in the doors! Breaking open our boxes
and closets, they rayaged took away
or destroyed everything we had in the
world; fire could not have made
cleaner sweep. We saved our lives by
fleeing to the house of a Moslem neigh
Dor, t at evening he drove US out in
to the street
'Oh, my dear friends away off there
in America, is it not possible for you to
open your doors and take us into shell
ter for at least few days? There was
no one to help us. Deliver up the pas
tor to u.s." Again and again the shout
of the murderers was heard at the door
of the house where we took shelter
How can describe the dreadful sounds
Of that day? The shots, the breaking
in of doors with axes, the despairing
cries of dying neighbors! The Chris
tian quarters of the city were all on
fire. Those who escaped from their
houses were slain in the street by bull
let or knife or AK. Many of our friends
were stabbed to death or cut to pieces;
some were slain with one blow Of the
ak upon the head; some had their
threats cut, as if they had been sheep
in the butchers hands. Our friends
and neighbors were slain by hundreds;
their houses, after being plundered,
were burned.
The places now look like the dcns
Of wild beasts, for the fragments of
bodies lie everywhere. Our churches
were stripped of everything and the
pastors of the second and third were
taken to prison. Five Armenian priests
were slain and thcee of their churches
burned.
my husband had to fee away and
leave me and the children. For seven
days we saw nothing of him and the
children nearly died of hunger and
cold. There were no friends left to
whose doors l could go and beg my
bread. Not a neighbor remained to
whom | could appeal. The deacons of
the church and the church committee
were all gone-to whom l could have
given in my petition. My little ones!
Where could l get food for them?
Where bed to keep them from the
cold?
The men of our congregation are
nearly all slain. Our women are wild
ows, our children orphans. Our thir-
teen schools are all closed. Do you
wonder at my grief? Imagine me as
coming to your door, clad in beggar's
rags, my hand upon my mouth, and
bowling to the ground as l ask for
morsel of bread.
For weeks we lay in the chopped
straw of stable, with neither bed nor
bedding. Just at present we are cover
ing our little ones at night with some
rags of old carpet. Oh, is it only a
dream Of my crazy brain that you will
receive us as your guests for few
days? l can write you no more. 1
lift up the hands of my little ones
to you so far away. My Christian
friends: Il was hungry and We gave
me bread; was naked and we clothed
me- If these are not the days when
this should be said what other days
could there be? Pardon the trouble
and grief | have given you. For / am
a woman who has almost lost her mind
through grief and despair May God
bless you and send us here the speedy
deliverance that alone can keep us from
perishing utterly"