The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-28
SELLING THEIR CHILDREN
CHRISTIANS IN TURKEY ON THE
VERGE OF STARVATION.
Boys and Girls Sold to MOslems as
May Live-Harvests a Failure.
special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, Aug. IA tale of terrible
suffering comes to the Presbyterian Board
of Foreign Missions from Mosul, in Turkey.
1t is related by B. w. Labaree, mission
airy stationed at Oroomiah in Persia, who
has just returned from a three months tour
in the Sultan's country. For three success
sive years the grain crops of the Mosul
region have been a failure. Each year as
the wheat and barley headed out an insect
called the "sinnic' has appeared in vast
numbers and has sucked out the milk of the
soft kernels, leaving an empty hull. This
sinniS has rivaled the locust in it's destruc-
tiveness. This year, owing to the lack Of
rains and the ravages of the sinnic the
Mosul harvests are again failure. The
same grain that a few years ago could be
had for for 21a piasters cannot now be had
for 20 piasters, for the reason that no mat
ter how much may be offered the grain is
not to be had.
Owing to hardships many of the people
desert their villages and wander about the
country in search of something to eat.
Many Christians are SAID to be selling their
girls and boys to Moslems> in Mosul. that
they themselves may live In Mardin crowds
swarm about the flour shops unable to pro-
cure food and in Bohtan, where the peo-
pie were able to pull through last winter
on an unusual crop of acornS and juniper
berries, these are now exhausted, and the
weaker among them are starving to death
in great numbers.
Entering the mountains Missionary Lar
aree found that the sinnic had extended it's
ravages there and the people were living on
rice in very limited quantities, and millet,
which latter is little better than nothing.
Large numbers of the Bas and Jelu people
go down to the plains every fall and work
through the winter and spring as masons,
blacksmiths and basket weavers, but the
stagnation in trade throughout Turkey for
the past three years has prevented them
from earning anything, so that they return
this year, some of them on foot, not having
earned sufficient to pay their travelling ex-
penseS.
The valleys of these mountain people are
so narrow and rugged that fields are made
with the greatest difficulty. A wall of stone
is built but earth being too scarce to fill
all of the space thus made, stones are put
at the bottom, the earth forming but the
surface. The field is never a quarter Of an
acre in extent, and often not larger than
room. Wheat, corn and rye are planted.
but even here the sinnic has found it's way.
Corn cobS are mixed with the liLIle flour
the people have in order to help it out in
quantity. To make matters worse in some
villages the Koords have carried off the
sheep and the people have no milk.
At Gawer a sad state Of affairs exists.
There being no work, the men have come
back to their desolate homes. Nightly the
Koords come and carry off grain. Asked
why they permit these Koords to enter the
very room it may be in which they are,
their reply is that they dare not make
noise lest they be killed. And the govern
ment Is forcing these people at this time
to paw us all their back taxes at an unjust
rate. What the people have planted is not
enough for the wants of the country, and
that little is rapidly being eaten by locusts,
which are there in swarms-the ground ac-
tually black with them in places.
In thousands of so-caled homes there is
not blanket to sleep ON and when the cold
of the approaching winter comes there will
be none for warmth Many women are so
destitute of clothing that they cannot leave
their homes, and the children, unaccus-
toned to the condition, were burning to ter
rible sores through lack of clothing
families have for weeks had nothing but
herbs for food and these will not last long
on account for the drouth. Gawer is expect
ing grain from Oroomiah, but none can be
sent for on account of the scarcity in
Persia, the government had forbidden the
expectation of grain. AT Oroomiah harvests
this year are SO poor that grain is twice
it's usual price. Thousands of families are
living on what they can pick up each day
with no provision whatever for winter. In
many districts owners of fields are watch
ing them night and day to prevent stealing
before the wheat is thoroughly ripe, for
many are desperate from hunger now.
AS winter approaches" says the mission
airy matters will grow worse. The Gawer
people have been notified that under no cir
cumstances must they come to Oroomiah. If
we have any help for them we are to send
1t to them. If we do not send help they
must die there, for the people of Oroomiah
are utterly unable to help them in their
present condition. But we know that the
mountain people will not stay at home and
die. They will flock here in spite of our
warnings and when they do there will be
disease added to terrible privation and more
terrible hunger. May the Lord in some way
show mercy to these poor people,