The Penn's Grove record., 1909-06-18
Persia Getting Peaceful.
An Interesting Letter From
DR.. Vanneman.

An Interesting Letter From
DIR. Vanneman.
DR.. William s.. Vanneman, a native OF
PENIS Grove, who is a medical mission
airy to Persia, under the Presbyterian
Board of Missions has written the follow
ing to his aunt, Miss Mary G. Vanne
man.
Tabriz, Persia, April 80, 1909.
MY DEAR AUNT
/ think / have not heard from you for
over two months as for that length OF
time there has been no mail coming in or
going out OF Tabriz. About a month ago
l sent a letter out to you by the Russian
specia! mail sent out by the Russian con-
suls guard. lit has not been received
To-day the Russian troops, four thous-
and in number, with canno and ma
chine guns and ammunition reached Tab
riz. Their coming has opened the road
to Europe and we expect the mail to be-
gin tomorrow and the European and
American mail to come in also. One of
the Shah's Generals held the road to
Europe and kept all the mail for nearly
three months and it is feared that he has
destroyed much of it. The city became
so bad and many people were starving,
that the Consuls representing the foreign
powers had to ask Russia to interfere and
have the roads opened SO that food could
come into the city. The Kings troops
have surrounded the city for several
months but were unable to come in and
the Nationalist forces in the city could
not drive the Kings forces away. Many
poor people have died Of starvation. We
ourselves have had enough food to live on
but of course everything was expensive
and many of the poor people were eating
| clover, the green clover as it grows in the
field or garden. Horse meat was also
eaten. Now the roads are open, food is
coming In and the prices are declining.
The Russian troops will remain until
the King and the people have come to
terms with each other and a stable gov
eminent is formed.
A sad incident of the war, was the
death of Mr.. Baskerville. He was an
American teacher in our Boys School.
He wal a graduate of Princeton College
and came put here nearly two years ago
and would have returned to America
this summer. The condition of the city
became so bad that he thought it his
duty to join the Nationalist forces and
drill them and drive away the Kings
forces who were outside the city. There
was great fear that if these forces entered
the city they would loot everything, and
also carry away women and children, as
it was reported they had done in some OF
the villages. = We tried to persuade Mr..
Baskerville that he should not do this
but he felt that the mission ladies and
children were in great danger and that
he could by drilling the Nationalist forces
drive awayythe Royalist forces. So he re-
signed from the school and went and liv-
ed with the Nationalist commander. He
drilled the troops two or three weeks. In
this he was helped by an English news
paper reported, who joined him. Then
they made an attack on the Royalists.
Mr.. Baskerville was shot thru the heart
in the first hours OF the battle. In lead
ing the troops he went in advance and of
course ran great risk of being shot. His
funeral was attended by several thousand
people and the Nationalist buried him
with military honors. He was about "a
years old and has a father and mother
and four brothers and a sister, in America.
We all felt very sad, especially SO as that
was the last battle fought at Tabriz and
that one might have been avoided. We
hope we will have no more. During the
last weeks of siege the prices of most
things rose to -four times the usual price.
Bread the staple food of the common peo-
pie rose to six times the usual price. The
people were eating wheat, barley, bran,
raw onions and beets as there was nc
fuel. The people could be seen eating
all kinds of grasses. The Nationalist sol
ldiers had bread because they had stored
up wheat for themselves. Therefore
they would not have surrendered. The
poor people were the>ones who were suf'
fering most. and many of them died in
the streets. The Mission has spent $150(
in feeding the poor and is still helping
them. We think Tabriz has past the
worst and that we will have quiet. We
are all well and send love.