The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-27

and there were several captains near
by. This shooting was a signal for
the Turkish rabble to rise against the
Armenians as they were coming from
their work. 1t seemed very definite
that we'll worked out plan was put
in execution and that this shooting
gave the signal for this slaughter to
begin. During that day and the fol-
lowing two, over fifty Armenians
were killed. for the most part with
swords, stones and sticks, and their
bodies were all disposed of by the
Turks.
Again a semblance of order was re-
stored and soon numbers of troops be-
gan to arrive from other cities. Soon
a regular search began of the Armen-
ian qparters, and the first day one of
the chief leaders and a band of from
ten to fifteen revolutionists were cap
tured in a cavern and they gave them
selves up without resistance. The
search continued fairly regularly for
four days when on the fourth day
about three o'clock in the afternoon
we suddenly heard a great firing and
it was soon evident that the soldiers
they were having a fight. We had
locked our gates, as the Consuls had
all said that the only thing for the
people to do was to remain in their
houses.
1t seems that the revolutionists had
come to a house very near our prem
ises and happened to be surrounded
unknowingly by the soldiers. Several
officers and soldiers came in to search
and kicking a door open We're very
much surprised to be received by a
volley of bullets from the revolvers of
the six or seven men inside. 1t is
said that there was a large number of
soldiers all around the house, but
that they decamped and the six or
seven men escaped scot free. The rev.
olutionists ran toward the city and it
seems almost certain that the soldiers
must have known the direction they
went, nevertheless they Immediately
ran the opposite way, coming toward
us which was just opposite to the way
the revolutionists had taken. In a few
minutes our premises became pretty
hot I can assure you. A number of
men had taken refuge in a. house next
to our dispensary, and the soldiers en-
tered here and pushed them all out in
the street. 1t is said that four of
them ran and one was shot and killed
and one of the others was wounded
and died later. In the house two
young men coming down the stairs
later than the rest were Immediately
shot DR.. r. and 1 went there a few
minutes after the affair occurred and
found one of them dead and the other
died before we could do anything for
him. One of the killed was especially
known to us as an earnest Christian
young man. While the action of the
soldiers was unwarrantable, still we
cannot help feeling that it would not
have happened if each man had re-
manned in his own house.
The soldiers took positions all around
our neighborhood on roofs and in the
streets and no one dare show his head
out of the house or door or window.
Whether purposely or not several bull
lets came into our premises and I dug
them out of the walls of our house.
Toward evening the English consul
came with the soldiers and searched
our premises, being suspicious, but
they did not find any of the revolu-
tionists. The Turkish law is that
they can search our premises. but
must have a consul with them The
officers were courteous, however, and
not very exacting.
Do you fear for us, dear; we are all
right and not in danger but the nervous
strain is sometimes extremely hard and
for those few hours and days, it seemed
as though, ones flesh would part from
his bones, not knowing what to do for
the people and trying to decide whether
the time had come to open our premises
to the people or not and give them
the little protection we could We de-
cided, however, after careful delibera-
ton not to allow people to come and
that decision proved the best. but if it
had not, it would always have been
sad and hard to think of. For DAYS
We kept pretty close but we finally
heard quite definitely that the revolu-
tionists had left the city and so we
began school again. Nothing more seri-
Gus has happened for a short period
and we hope for quietness.
I expect to start for Harpoot a week
from today if things are quiet, to the
annual meeting. It is hard journey
from ten TO fourteen days trip from
here on horseback, and I shall probably
be gone five or six weeks. Do not
worry about us at all. dear, God has
put us here and we have only gratitude
to Him. Pray that God may give us
nerve and good judgment.
Mr.. Yarrow's second letter tells of