The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-01-30
DETAILS THE HORROR.
A Letter From Rev. L. o. Lee Tells of the
Turkish Outrages.

doings in this land. 1t remains for me
to narrate the late occurrences at this
place. For some time preceding our
visitation Of the 18th Of this month, we
had had disturbances in this city,
which in the end summed up about
fifty deaths. There we're ugly rumors
in the air for some days preceding the
final catastrophe, and christians had
for the most part remained closely at
home and none Of their shops were
open. On the morning of the final day
we noticed firing on distant hill IN
the city, but considered it as some local
outbreak, and [ went over to the sem
mary for morning prayers as usual.
Soon, however, soldiers began firing
into two houses, which form part OF
the wall of the grounds in which Mr..
McCallum and I reside. Their inmates
/ fed into our premises, and the soldiers
proceeded to loot the two houses OF
everything, and the mob followed,
smashing doors, windows and anything
else that would break, and carried
them off Meantime the firing broke
out almost simultaneously all over this
city, place Of 10000 population, OF
whom 10000 are christians. Soldiers
had been stationed in every place, and
proceeded to execute the terrible order
which had come from Constantlnople,
to kill all males among the christians.
Towards noon we saw a squad OF SOL
diers approach our grounds and con-
graduated ourselves that at last the
governor had sent us guard, since he
had repeatedly assured us that he
would protect us during the previous
weeks of disorder. Not long after these
soldiers arrived, we saw that they had
entered the grounds of our theological
seminary, Just across the street, and
discovering two students who had re-
manned and concealed themselvesthere
They fired upon them, Wounding one sc
that he died that night, while the 9th
er was shot clear through his body and
limbs in four different places, besides q
severe cut on his head. Strange to say
he is doing we'll. The soldiers then be-
gan to rob the academy boarding house
. in the seminary grounds, taking off the
clothing and the bedding of the stu
dents. and also the years provisions in
store there. We afterwards found the
dead body of neighbor who had hid
there, lying on his face and stripped Of
his clothing The next step was to
loot the seminary Of bedding, clothing
and anything else that could be OF any
use to them. "a company OF soldiers
had been stationed on hill behind our
houses, which l had supposed was fo1
our protection, but we observed that
they came in turn and shared in the
plundering. The local governor had
assured us that the barracks, not fa1
from us, we're our permanent guard,
when we saw relay after relay from
those very barracks, or the tents near
them, come and join in the plundering.
About 3 Fin the p. M, we noticed four
or five soldiers enter the seminary, and
. not long after that smoke began issuing
from the building, and We saw that the
same work which had started cOn1ag-
rations in three other christian quarters
was to be our experience. There now
seemed to be nothing left but to await
our fate, and I'VE momentarily expected
to hear the mob smashing in our gate.
There was a great noise in front OF Mr..
/, McCallum's gate and the knocking be-
TO- re of fvUn
lens were in our grounds and we un-
derst00d that our time had surely come
We betO0k ourselves to certain hid
; ing place, which, however, would have
availed nothing, unless we had in some
way been overlooked in the general eX-
9 citement. but in case the house had
been set on fire we must have gone
with it. or have come forth to death by
sword or rife. The Lord be praised
we had misinterpreted the providential
indications, and our prayers in thai
moment of suspense were answered ano
before they were offered. 1t appears
that the sight of the seminary in flames
had at last aroused some one to give us
little thought, and the knocking or
the gate was the arrival of a trustwor-
thy captain and thirty soldiers for oul
protection. The two Moslems who had
entered through the opened gateway
were not come for our harm. Two OF
three weeks previous Moslem had
brought us word that there
was a purpose to burn the
Girls college that day. We had
before that time sent our cipher to both
the American and English legations in
Constantinople, indicating that we were
in peril, and they had promptly tele-
graphed us that the highest Turkish
authorities in the Capital had sent or
ders to our governor that he would be
t held strictly responsible for our safety,
with this result. The criminal neglect
: of that day, after he had assured us
that the barracks would adequately
carn for ne very darklV SUGGESTS that