The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-03
Miss Webb Relates Her
Experiences.
FEARFUL SCENES ENACTED
DURING ADANA DISORDERS
Girls And Teachers In School Had
Narrow Escapes.
Ths Guards Prnced Around the
American Building by the Eng
.Iish Consul Become Psnic
stricken and Deserted
Their POSTS.

Adana. Asiatic Turkey May /. via
constantinopie. May s.--Miss Eliza
beth. S. Webb. missionary OF the
American board from Bunker Hill.
H., has written a narrative of her ex-
periences for the mission board dur
ing the first day Of the niassacres
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:
sour friends came TO school as usu-
al on Wednesday tApril 2l) AL
though we heard that there was a
good deak~of unrest in the city, we
went on with ohr preparations for a
school entertainment, which was to
be held the next day. Soon firing be-
gan In the city and before noon things
were In such q disturbed condition
that we were-afraid to send the dav
scholars home. The girls were too
excited to study, as there-was a con-
slant sound OF firing. We, ourselves,
tried to go on with our. annual meet
Ing. bat the feading of the reports
were interrupted by the screaming In
the streets and the shooting.
Mr.. Chambers attempted to go to
the government bulldogs for q 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
pc possible to send word of our dan
ger 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.
Gas nichs came on. ures began to
dare up In ali directions and we were
fearful that the rioters would break
Into the school buildings. Finally,
about Q o'clock there came q knock
at the gate and in walked the Eng
lish consul. You can imagine our re-
lief at sight Of him. He had heard
OF the Disturbances and had come
consul Is Major Daughty-W ylie He
could stay only a moment, bat he left
three VI his own guard of Turkish
soldiers to take care of us.
"All through the night, we actual
" 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.
whether It was a new discovery or not
] don't know, that the men in the
mlndECk AO1DOSs " AtesO 49, t--SS
been returning. were Turkish soldiers
and that others who had been firing
upon us were friends whom we knew
by name.
Guards Ran Away.
After a good deal of parleylng, the
firing on our building stopped for the
time being. Finally. in spite OF the
fact that the consul had said they
must remain until he returned, the
we urged them to stay. but they
climbed the wall and ran away.
ain the meantime, the fires about
the CITY had increased and tse sound
of shooting could be heard from ev-
cry 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 az
ter the consul left us, fires broke out
in the adjacent streets 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 thousands engaged in the riots
from firing their weapons, although,
apparently, they were not directed
against us.
IF our building burned. the Cham
bers House must burn also. Then,
where could we go for safety? Our
only safety seemed to be to check the
flames. we women and girls ~earried
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 pro-
gress of the fire could be STAYED. About
this time we were horrihed 90 learn
that Mr.. Rogers and Mr.. Maurer had
been shot. 1t seemed that they lad
been fighting the fire and were not with
the other men cutting down the sheds.
They were brought into our dining
room. Mr.. Maurer already was dead
and Mr.. Rogers only lived a few min
utes. The Rev stephen r. Trowbriase,
who was near them at the time es-
capped, although bullet took off his
hat.
"A new misfortune overlook us: our
guard of one man disappeared: things
looked pretty dark. / came 10 my
room where the girls were seated sill
emily waiting for me to tell them what
had happened, but that would only
cause a panic, so ! said, We have Gone
all we can. now let us pray
Before / had finished praying the
bugle of the consurs guard and the
turkish officials with whom he was pa
trolling, sounded in the street. I'm
fortunately he could not spare a guard
FOR US, DuL PROMISED TO SSnQ one I'M
mediately. 1t was terrible situation.
women and girls practically alone in
the building; a murderous bloodthlrs-
tv mob outside with knife and bull
let for the Armenians and the torch
FOR our homes. To add to the misery
there were the dead on the floor be-
low and the widow of onOrof- them. Mrs.
Rogers. with her infant. ten weeks old,
TO comfort.
"The flames we had been fighting,
finally died out. but fires could be seen
IN ali parts of the city and the sound
of the shooting was constant. The
British Consul had promised us a guard,
hut the afternoon and evening passed
and none came We could not UNDER
stand it. The following day we learn
ed that Major Daughty- Wylie mad been
shot in the arm.
THAT night young men from the
GreRorian and Protestant communities
patrolied the streets around our build
ing. The situation was grave A
great crowd composed of soldiers. Zab-
ties. Bashi Bazooks and rabble Sent
on plunderlng, had gathered at the rear.
OF our house for an attack.
"Our only dependence was a self-ap-