The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-18

to the boat and shove off. Then he was
comparatively safe. There was no
other boat in which the Turks could
pursue him, and their craftsmanship
was bad, the bullets whizzing harm
lessly over the refugees head and
plunking into the water.
That night Zoriek rowed out for ten
miles on the Mediterranean, and was
then picked up by a steamer stationed
off shore by his confederates, and taken
to Cairo. Thence he reached New
York without further adventures.
1t was this flight to become an
American citizen that eventually made
Zoriek the last of his name What
the Turks We're fearful of doing while
he had his headquarters in the noun
tainS of Lebanon they lost no time
in doing when he was out of the coun-
try and in no position to take venge-
ance. They Immediately set about ex-
terminating the family of Zoriek.
The work was done systematically.
Did a Zoriek appear to look askance
at Turk? He was thrown into Jail
and subjected to tortures until life
gave way. Was an attack made on
Mazah, or any village where a Zoriek
lived? No person of that name was
allowed to escape, if possible.
The case of Zoriek's brother was
typical.
This brother came to America some
time after Eelies. Here he lived until
his health broke down, and then, on
the advice of the doctors, Eelies sent
the invalid to Cairo, Egypt. There
the brother set up a restaurant and did
fairly we'll catering to his refugee
countrymen, until the longing to re-
turn home seized him. By giving up
to this desire he sealed his own death
warrant.
town than he was thrown into prison
and exposed to all sorts of indignities
for six months. At the end of that
time he was taken into the prison
court and beaten by Turkish officials
and the Mohammedan prisoners until
he fell unconscious. Then his rela-
tives were permitted to take him
home, where he died some weeks
later from his injuries.
One of the last of the Zorieks to be
killed was Esprido, a cousin of Eelies.
Like Eelies, Esprido was an outlaw
"a patricia national hero. He be-
came such at the age of seventeen
years when he killed several Mo-
hammendans in running fight and
succeeded in escaping to the noun
tains. For the next twenty-five years
he spent the greater part of his time
in the mountains, occasionally Ventur-
ing forth to wreak vengeance in the
name of Christianity. following Mo-
hammedan outbreak.
He was particularly noted for his
sword play. Powerful as an OK, he
would drop into a Mohammedan viii
lage when the streets were crowded
and run amuck, his great sword flash
ing around him and Telling opponents
right and left. He also had p habit
of getting in the rear of ambuscades
set for him, and picking off one or
two of the men who were looking for
him to come walking into their trap
in the opposite direction. He was 50
daring that more than once he openly
walked into Beirut and shot down
some Turk who had gained his enmity,
and then went back to his lair, fight
ing off all pursuers.
Two years ago Esprido went to Bel
ruit to hold a conference with some
of the towns leading Christians AS
he was making his way through the
streets some Mohammedans uneX-
pectedly fell upon him and stabbed
him again and again. Then they left
him for dead, but such was his hold
on life that he fingered for six months.
In such fashion has the family of
Zoriek been killed off within the last
eight years I'm all that time" says
Eelies, "I never read in a Syrian pa
per of massacre or outbreak without
finding in the list of the dead my fam
ily name. 1t was Zoriek-Zoriek-
Zoriek until the whole family, with
the exception of my father, had been
killed by the Turks. And yes, they
killed him, too. He died of a broken
heart after he had seen Zoriek after
Zoriek fall beneath the sword and was
powerless to save them. And so all of
nv family-146 Zorieka-have been vic
TINS of the Turk, and l am the last of
the Zorieks."