The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-01-09
AS TOLD BY A CHILD.
A Letter From Hattie Lee Describes the
Awful Conditions Existing in
Armenia

| [The following letter direct from the
scene of the terrible outrages IN Arme-
MIA, must certainly prove interesting to
all of our readers, and doubly so to
those who are acquaintances and.
| friends of the family of Rev. Lucius
Lee, an old kenosha boy, a son Of
Leonard Lee, and who for twelve years
has been a faithful missionary in Tur-
| key. The letter is written by Hattie
Lee, twelve year old girl, TO her
sister Mary, here iii kenosha, and in
her own way tells of the terrible suffer
ings to which Christians are being sub
iected at the hands Of the Turks. Ed. |
MARAsH, Dec. 2, 1895.
NV Dear Mary What lot of things
have happened since last wrote to
youI Thousands of lives have been
given up and we came very near giving
up ours, too. | am afraid | can't tell
all want to, but / presume Aunt
Sarah has read good deal in the
papers All Of the trouble began just
two weeks ago. A little quarrel began
then as soon as we had finished break
fast about eight, all our neighbors
came in here white with fear asking for
protection, and down in the city first
one house was being burned then
another and all the time guns were
fired and we could easily tell why.
Then plundering the Seminary and
Academy began, and the wounding of
two Seminary students, one fatally
The other is down in our house, he has
at least ten gashes and two places
where bullet went in. But first a
mob came and plundered our two
neighbours houses. They took every
single thing, even the boards from the
work bench. That was q time OF
dreadful anxiety for lis. you can mag
inc, but not as great us was that to
come The neighbors had left some of
their things in our yard, these the SOL
ders came in to get, but it was only to
get them, and they went out again.
Finally they left the two houses and
then began the plundering Of the Semi
nary. They took everything that
could be of any use to them, and it
seemed as though nothing could pacify
them. Every little while an officer
came and drove them off, but he evil
IDENTITY didn't make them go off. We
saw three separate troops of soldiers
come near us, one Of which was on the
| hill back of our house where they could
see everything going on in our yard.
Papa thought they were to guard US,
but now don't think so. After noon
things went worse; about three the
Seminary was set on fire, everywhere
destruction going on, and as it seemed
probable that they would next come
and plunder this house and perhaps
burn it, we fed to a place where no.
body could easily find us, but if they
set the house on fire then We would be
| in their mercy. So we stayed there
The din outside was simply dreadful.
The mob Yelling and Seminary burning
| it was dreadful So We waited, for
only God could save us, and He did.
1t seemed then as though We had no
hope left, and somebody came and
pounded on our gate. We thought 1t
was to break it in. In little while Mrs.
McCallum came over, and after making
little !" hem" went out again. Pa
pa then called out and she said that
the +" head of q thousand men" or Bing
Pasha had come with assurances of SAT-
ETY.. So papa went down and he prom
ised a guard. Then Miss Hess came
over wanting medicine for the two
wounded men and went down to help
nurse them. 1t is a wonder they did
not bleed to death then. One was in
horrible pain, and passed away that
evening Carrie and were mean
while in hiding, but we knew things
were better She had been so good all
day and didn't show any fear, but had
faith in Jesus After little papa told
us to come out, and after a little had
supper and went to bed. Both our
house and the McCallum's was full to
the brim with fugitives, and was SO for
week. That night we all slept in our
clothes, but all was safe. Now We
have a guard of 20 soldiers and a head
of hundred men-Use Basha over them.
He seems like a real good man and
takes good care of US. Today an at
tempt was made to burn our stable
about one o'clock and it is all a perfect
mystery. Some officials came up and
| held a conference of three hours oyer
it, but nothing was gained. The room
is filed with tobacco, now. Nothing
was gained and we are in perfect mys-
terry as to how it happened, in three
minutes we couldn't have done much to
save it. Such horrible, blood curdling
things have been done! Oh, it makes
my heart just burn when | hear them.
One of our Academy teachers was
fayed alive. A woman who chung to a
Snldiar asking for the life of her huS-