The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-03
Miss Elizabeth Webb, An Amsfi- can, Tells of the Massa-
 CrGs in Adana
SURROUNDED IN SCHOOL
 BY BLOODTH|RSTY TURKS
Lives of the Missionaries Are Saved By the British Consul Who Ap- pears in Time To Prevent
 Turks From Murderng.

Adana, Asiatic Turkey, May 1, via Con stantinople, May Miss Elizabeth s. Webb, a missionary of the American board from Bunker Hill, H.. has written a narrative of her experiences for the mission board during the first day of the massacres in Adana, when the girls school, to which she was attached, was in the greatest danger, and the lives of the students were threatened from all sides. She says:
 Our friends came to school as usual on Wednesday (Aprll 2D. Although we heard that there was a good deal of un- rest in the city, we went on with our preparations for school entertainment, which was to be held the next day Soon firing began in the city, and before noon things were in such a disturbed eondi- ton that we were afraid to send the day scholars home. The girls were too ex- cited to study, as there was a constant sound of firing. We ourselves tried to go on with our annual meeting, but the reading of the reports was interrupted by the screaming in the streets and the shooting.
 MT. Chambers attempted to go to the government building for a guard. but he found 1t impossible to get through the mob. and was forced to return. Two of our Turkish children were present, and we thought it would be possible to send word of our danger by Turk, who had come to take them home. Accordingly, notes to their father and to the governor were written, but there were no re- sponses.
 Fires Flare Up.
 ''As night came on fires began to flare up in all directions, and we were fearful that the rioters would break into the school buildings Finally, about o'clock there came a knock at the gate and in walked the English consul. You can inn agine our relief at sight of him. He had heard of the disturbances and had come from Mersina to investigate. The consul is Major Daughty-Wylie. He could stay only moment, put he left three of his own guard of Turkish soldiers to take care of us
 All through the night we actually seemed to be in state of siege. The three soldiers kept firing their martinis and the fire was returned from the minar- ct houses nearby. In the morning our guard discovered, whether it was new | in the minaret houses, whose fire they had been returning, were Turkish sol diers. and that others who had been fir ing upon us were friends whom we knew by name.
 After good deal of parleying, the firing on our building stopped for the time being. Finally, in spite of the fact that the consul had said they must re- main until he returned, the guard insisted that they should leave. We urged them to stay, but they climbed the wall and ran away.
 Shots on All Sides.
 Tn the meantime, 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, but thought this one would be more useful than the other three Soon after the consul left us fires broke out in the adjacent street and unless something was done speedily our school building must be destroyed We had hung Turkish flags on all sides of the building, but this did not stop the thou sands engaged in the riots from firing their weapons. although apparently they were not directed against us.
 If our building burned, the Cham pers house must burn also. Then where rould we go for safety? Our only safe ty seemed to be to ch eek the flames. We women and girls carried water while the men cut down the fences and an old house in the corner of our yard A shed on the opposite side of the street was also torn down and we thought in this way the progress of the fire could be stayed. About this time we were mortified to learn that MT. Rogers and MT. Maurer had been shot. It seemed that they had been fighting the fire and were not with the other men cutting down the sheds. They were brought into our dining room. MT. Maurer already was dead and MT. Rogers only lived a few minutes. The Rev. stephen R. Trowbridge who was near them at the time, escaped although bullet took off his hat
 New Misfortune.
 "A new misfortune overlook us: our guard of one man disappeared: things looked pretty dark. I came to my room where the girls were seated silently waiting for me to tell them what had happened, but that would only cause a panic; so I said: We have done all we can, now let us pray.
 Before I had finished praying. the bugle of the consul's guard and the Turkish officials with whom he was patrolling, sounded in the street. Un- fortunately he could not sapre a guard for us but promised to send one i'm mediately It was terrible situation women and girls practically alone in the building; murderous. bloodthfrsty mob outside with knife and bullet for the Armenians and the torch for our homes. To add to the misery, there were the dead on the floor below and the widow of one of them, Mrs. Rogers with her infant 10 weeks old, to com fort.
 "The flames we had been fighting finally died out but fires could be seen in all parts of the city and the sound of the shooting was constant. The British const ,romised us guard but the afternoon h.--yevening passed and uona came We could not undornta nd