The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-04-28
CONDITIONS IN ASiATlC TURKEY
CONTINUE TO BE Ex.
TReMELY CRITICAL.
THOUSANDS ARE STARVING
Dispatch From Adana Says Fires in
That City Have Been Estinauished
but Fears Are Entertained Tina.
There May Be Renewal Of the
Massacres and Incendiarism.

Beirut, April 27-Latest advices re-
ceived here show little improvement
in conditions throughout the dis
turbed regions of Asiatic Turkey.
Every day adds to the suffering OF
the refugees and to the death list. A
dispatch from Adana says that the
fires have been extinguished. but there
is fear Of further incendiarism. The
American mission buildings, the
Cathohc sisters school and one Gre
gorian church has been saved.
The Jesuit and Armenian Catholic
and Protestant churches and schools
have been burned. Twenty thousand
persons are destitute, and there are
few supplies of any kind
Hadjn is still beseged. 1t has with
stood several attacks made upon il
from the mountain tops. All of the
American missionaries in that town
were safe up to last night. No direct
word has been received from there to-
day.
Refugees Arrive.
Thousands of refugees have arrived
at Latakia and the governor with the
few soldiers at his command is do
ing his utmost to prevent disorders.
But the Moslem community is strong.
and he is meeting with much opposi-
ton. The British warship Diana will
arrive at Latakia tomorrow, as the
presence of a ship at that place is
absolutely necessary.
Beirut is quiet and announcement of
the succession of Mehemmed Rechad
Effendi to Abdul Hamid as sultan
was well received tonight. Aintab is
apprehensive and unsettled. Unless
the disturbances are Immediately
checked they will extend into the in
terror of Mesopotamia, which section
is bitterly reactionary.
Witnesses Massacre.
Adana, Asiatic Turkey, April 27.--
(via Constantinople)-T Rev. Her
bert Adams Gibbons of Hartford,
Conn, a missionary of the American
board of foreign missions stationed
here and at Tarsus, was an eye wit
ness of the scenes of terror and de-
struction at the center of The Moslem
uprising. He gives as follows the
first graphic story of the series of
and incendiarism:
The vilayet of Adana has been
visited during the past five days by
a terrible massacre of Armenians,
the worst ever known in the history
of the district The terror has been
universal and the government is
poWerless to check the disorders.
Adana, the capital of the province
has been the storm center.
Conditions have been unsettled for
some time and there has been ami
mostly between Turks and Armenians
owing to the political activity of the
latter and their open purchasing of
arms.
EARLY last Wednesday morning,
while l was in the market, / noticed
that the Armenians were closing
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 the crowds at once began to
gather in the streets armed with
sticks axes and knives. A few young
assembled in the center
Of the covered market and began
firing revolvers into the air. BY IL
o'clock in the morning the crow had
begun the looting of shops.
Had No Courage.
The military commander of Adana
was by my side in the market when
the firing commenced. He had not
the courage to endeavor to disperse
the mob; he returned to his residence
and did not venture out for two days.
William Chambers, field secretary
Of the Young Mems Christian asso-
citation and myself proceeded to the
konak and found a bowling mob de-
arms with which to kill the
Giaours. We then went TO the tele-
graph office to summon the British
consul
"On the steps of the building we
saw three Armenians who had been
Their bodies had been
nutilated. While we were in the
office a mob burst into the
room where we were and killed two
before our eyes. The un-
'ortunates were supplcating the pro-
lection of the vail when they were
struck down. We managed to make
our way into the next room, where
we made representations to the vail.
This official said he could do nothing
He was afraid of his own life and he
made no attempt 10 protect us. Some
now we maneged to get into the in
terror of the konak, where we re-
NAMED at the side OF the government
officials for the next As hours
Situation Worse.
That afternoon the situation grew
distinctly worse. The Armenians
withdrew TO their quarters at Adana.
which is situated on a hill, and con-
'erted their houses that held advan-
ageouS positions into fortresses.