Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1909-05-06
AWFUL SCENES
Butchsrlss That Shock cIvIIIza-
tlon Described
AUTHENTIC DETAILS

Given by Eye Witnesses of the Mas
sacreing of Christians by Howling
Mobs of Fanatics-Men, Women
and Children Dragged From Their
Homes and Hacked to Death.
The following account Of the dis
orders at Adana Is given by Rev.
Herbert Adams Gibson, a mission
ary:
THE entire vilayet of Adana has
been the scene during the last Ave
days, of a terrible massacre of Arme-
mans, the worst ever known in the
history OF the district. The terror
has been universal and the govern
ment is powerless to check the dis
orders. Adana, the capital of the
province, has been the storm GEN.
ter.
Conditions have been unsettled
for some time and there has been
animosity between Turks and Arme-
mans owing to the political activi-
ty of the latter and their open pur-
chasing of arms
EARLY last Wednesday morning
while I was in the market, / no.
ticed that the Armenians were clos
ing their shops and hurrying to their
homes. An Armenian and a Turk
had been killed during the night and
the corpses were paraded through
their respective quarters. The sight
of the dead inflamed the inhabitants,
and crowds at once began to gather
in the streets armed with sticks,
axes and knives. A few young Ar
menians assembled in the center of
the covered market and began firing
revolvers into the air. BY IL o'clock
in the morning the crowd had begun
the looting of shops.
"The military commander Of Ada
ma was by my side in the market
when the firing commenced. He had
not the courage to endeavor to dis
-perse the mob: he returned to his
residence and did not venture out
for two days.
of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation, proceeded to the Koenik and
found a bowling mob demanding
arms with which to kill the Giaours.
We then went to the telegraph office
to summon the British consul. On
the steps OF the building we saw
three Armenians who had been mas
sacred Their bodies had been mu-
tilated. While we were in the tele-
graph office a mob burst into the
room where we were and killed two
Armenians before our eyes. The un-
fortunates were supplicating the vail
when they were struck down.
1--WE managed to make our way
into the ;next room, where we made
representations to the vail. This Of
ficial said he could do nothing. He
was afraid for his own life and made
no attempt to protect us. Somehow
we managed to go to the interior of
the Konak, where we remained at
the side of the government officials
for the next forty-eight hours.
THAT afternoon the situation grew
distinctly worse. The Armenians
withdrew to their quarter of Adana.
which is situated on a hill. and con-
yerted their houses that held adj
vantageous positions into fortresses.
Here the fighting went on for two
days, during which the Armenians
succeeded In beating off their Turk
ish assailents.
"Wednesday evening Major
Daughty-Wylie, the British vice con-
sui at Mersina, arrived at Adana and
established headquarters in the house
of a dragoman of wealthy resident,
where many refugees had been re-
cefved. The wife of the British con-
sui. who was brought into Adana
under fire on Thursday. tended per
sonaIly many wounded women and
children.
"Adana was a hell. The bazars
were looted and set on fire. There
was continuous and unceasing shoot
ing and killing In every part of the
town, and fires ragged In many quar-.
ters.
"Moslems from the neighborhood
began pouring into the city ant
notwithstanding our vehement pro
tests, the vail distributed arms tC
these men, alleged they were Turkish
reserves.
Major Daughty-Wylie. at the heat
of troops which he compelled The
vail to supply, went to the railroad
end OF the town, and was successful
in preventing the villagers from com
ing into Adana. Later, while tn,
major was attempting to pacify th'
town, he was shot and disabled.
Missionaries OF the Central Turk
ish mission had assembled for dis
trict conference in the center of Ada
ma on the day of the outbreak. The.
received and protected hundreds o
refugees in the American seminar,
TOR girls, and courageously endeav
ored to pacify the warning elements
Thursday Daniel Miner Robert
and usprv Maurer Amerfcan mis-