The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-03
EXPERIENCES TOLD
BY A MISSIONARY
Miss Elizabeth Webb Writes of
Conditions at Adana,
Turkey.
COVERS FIRST DAYS
OF THE MASSACRES
Guards Are Left at School, but
Later They Run
Away.

ADANS SSla1lc turkey, May j, VIA |
Constantinoplc, May Miss Elizabeth |
III. Webb, missionary of the American
board from Bunker Hill, H., has writ
ten a narrative of her experiences for
the mission board during the first days
of the massacrcs i'll Adana, when the
girls school to which she was attached
was in the greatest danger and the
lives of the students were threatened
from ali sides. She says:
"Our friends came to school as usual
on Wednesday april 2D. although we
heard that there was a great deal Of
unrest in the city. Soon firing began
and before noon things were i'll such
4 disturbed condition that we Were
afraid 10 send the day scholars home.
The girls were too excited to study
We ourselves tried to 90 on with our
annual meeting, but the reading Of the
reports was interrupted by the scream
ing in the streets and the shooting. Two
Of our Turkish children were present
and we thought il would be possible to
send word Of our danger by Turk
who had come to take them home. Ae
cordingly, notes TO their father and to
the governor were written, but there
were no responses,
Fires Break Out.
AS night came on fires began to
fare up in all directions and we were
carful that the rioters would break
into the school. Finally, about 9 clock
TO our relief, the English consul arrived
| He had heard of the disturbances and
! had come from Mersina TO investigate.
I The consul is Major Daughty Wylie. He
| could stay only moment, but he left
three of his own guard Of Turkish SOL
| dierS 10 take care of us.
'sAll through the night we actually
| seemed TO be in state Of siege. The
| three soldiers kept firing their martins
| and the fire was returned from the
| minaret houses nearby. In the morning
| our guard discovered that the men IN
| the minaret houses, whose fire they had
been returning were Turkish soldiers,
and that others who had been firing
upon us were friends whom we knew by
name. Finally, in spite of the fact that
! the consul had said they must remain
until he returned, the guards climbed
| the wall and ran away
''ln the meanwhile, the fires about
| the city had increased and the sound
| of shooting could be heard from every
point At last the consul passed. He
| was able to spare only one man. Soon
after the consul left MS, fires broke out
! in the adjacent streets. We had hung
/ nays on All SlOSS Oh Tue DullulnSr Dut
| this did not stop the thousands engaged
in the riots from firing their weapons,
although apparently they were not di-
rected against us
"Our only safety seemed TO be to
check the flames. We women and girls
carried water, while the men cut down
| the fences. \ shed on tho east side OF
| The street was also torn down. About
this time VIC were horrifed 10 learn
] y Nv, hpf
been shot while fighting the fire, They
were brought into our dining room. Mr.,
| Manner already was dead and Mr.. Rog-
ers only lived few minutes.
1.-The Rev. Stephen r, Cambridge,
who was near them at the time. escaped,
although bullet took OFF his hat
Things Look Dark.
''Our guard of one man next disap,
peared; things looked pretty dark. /
| came to my room, where the girls were
seated For me 10 tell them what had
happened would only cause n panic. so
[ said: we have done all we can, now
let us pray
"Beforc l had finished praying the
bucIe of the consul S guard and the
| Turkish officials whom be was patrol,
! ling. sounded in the street.
TCnfortunatcly. he could not spare
a guard for us. but promised 10 send
one Immediately. Ii was a terrible sit
uation; women and girls PARTIALLY alone
in the building; murderous, blood
thirsty mob outside: with knife and bull
Let for the Armcniaus, To add to the
misery there were the dead on the floor
below aud the widow or one of them,
| Mrs. Rogers with an infant ten weeks
old. TO comfort Tho flames we had
been fighting finally died out, but fires
could be seen in all parts of the city,
and thc sound of shooting was constant.
The British consul had promised Us a
| guard, but none came. The following
| dav we learned that Major Daughty
! Wyhe had been shot in the arm.
f'That night young men from the
| Grerorian and protestant conference
patrolled the streets around our build
ing, The situation was grave. a great
| crowd composed of soldiers and others
bent on plnndering had gathered at the
rear Of our house for an attack. Our
| only defendant was self appointed
guard of young Armenians. steady
I fire was kept up on both sides, but that
| of our Young men was Intended only
10 frightcn the crowd and if possible
Co drive them away
Arms Demanded.
"Orr Armeniaus called 10 those be
! low: 'Wc arc brothers, don { fire, and
asked them 80 send one man TO confer
with a representative of our side.
| "This was agreed 10, but in place
| Of one man, hundreds started TO come
| They demanded that We give up our
! arms, but with that angry mob this
meant certain death, Finally, Mr.. Trow-
bridge talked with them from window.
| This, TOO, failed, The greatest danger.
| of course. was for the girls, and we de.
| cided To take them 10 Mr., Chambers
| house Seemingly without fear they
marched out in order two and two across
| the street 10 the house of Miss Wallace.
| thc English nurse, where they arrived
in safety.
| 81 cannot describe the crowd, the
f,,..i..I, In flis lnusn and