The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-05-27
TELL
 PITIFUL TALE
 OF MASSACRE
Survivors of Tnrish Horrors Write Graph. ic Descriptiol of Sufferings to
 Bridgeplft Relatives.

Ukl0k6Rb hShAsAISSs
 One Writer Says SThat 5000 Armenians
 We're Burned, Shot or Stabbed to
 Death-Littles Brother Jacob Wound.
 ed in Arm and Brother.in.Law Killed
 -MeymariansIias Laid Case Before
 Congressman niII.
 D. H. Meymarfan, the well known native of Armenia, who has made a general appeal to the people of Bridge port for relief for the Adana sufferers, has received several letters sent to Armenians in this city by their rela- tives in Adana,k which he has trans lated. The letters tell a tale of hor- TOTS perhaps uneQualled in modern times. One writer estimates that 30.O00 Armenians perished in the two mas sacres. Another tells a graphic tale of his own escape. of the wounding Of his three years son and of the killing of his son-in-law. The following is a translation of the letter received by MT. Kalalians. Maple street:
 "When the first massacre ended, we believed that there would be no repeti- tion of these barbarities again; but the second massacre was worse We have envied those who died during the first outbreak, the survivors are now dying starvation. During the first massacre people took refuge in Jesuit ana Protestant schools and churches, MT. Chambers house, the two Armenian churches schools and two Greek fac tories. (These buildings are in the cen tral portion of Adana~l
 s'Thus, the Armenians were gathered in a small section of the city. After five days killing. the Turks pretended reconciliation and the railroad between Adana and Mersina began to operate, so as to allow the foreigners to leave the city.
 ''soon after the barbarous Turks set fire round this small circle and 4,Oo0 soldiers beseiged them, while the fa- natic mob entered in and began to shoot any Armenians who would at tempt to come out. In Apkarian (Ar- menian schooD there were 1000 women and children shelter ed mot one of whom is saved They have burned the Am- erican school for girls and the Protest ant church. The Armenians hoisted white flags. thlh the survivors were ta- ken to the government house court yard to be shot down. However, per mission was refused from Constanti- nople. (This corresponds to the victor ious entry of Young Turk party to
 ssThe survivors were camped outside of the city. 4k@oHe place alone there are over 5000 sick and wounded. Fac tories and houses are turned into hos pitals Everybody is poor now. All we own is what we have on our backs. They throw at us a piece of bread as though we were dogs. Ohi such pit tiless kil1ingi No mercy shown. If you had seen these demons of destruc- tion, you would never have thought them to be human beings
 "Our beautiful Adana is nothing but a mass of smou1dering ruins. From
 
 bridge Ca distance of 2 miles). All is level to the ground. No homes left; no beds, no clothes, no food; all is burned. Some are wounded and dy- ing, others starving; and fear and dis ease are doing the rest. Fortunately summer is coming and people can sleep out doors.
 "While conditions, bad as they are. the government of the deposed Sultan is arresting the prominent Armenians and court martialing and shooting them. They are doing the same thing with Armenians in Tarsus and Mer- sina. There are over 30,000 Armen- ians killed"
 A second letter is from a father whose son was wounded and son-in- law was killed. Writing to his two sons in this city, says:
 'I had gone to our vineyard to work April IA, the day of massacres, and had not heard anything until about noon, when I hurried back to the city. When I was near the city gate, they seized me and took my donkey from me. I was in hiding for three days. I do not know how my life was spared. When I reached home, at least to the place where it used to be. everything was burned, also my daughters home and they shot your brother-in-law; lit tie Jacob is shot on the arm Ga little boy of three) and it is an awful look ing wound.
 "Adana and its surrounding villages areNa mass of ruins. I cannot tell you the exact number of lives lost, but they are numberless, also those who were burned alive. They killed and burned both women and children as we'll We are just outside of the city in fields. Think, my boys, we are living on charity, they are giving us some bread every day, but we have neither clothing nor cover"
 Another letter says:
 Adana, May 2, 1909.
 Dear brother:-Since I wrote to you this time they have burned every Ar menian home, pillaged every store, our churches and schools are turned into ashes, everything is gone. We were sheltering in some factories, but two days ago they took out into the fields. We are almost naked, and without any covering, however they give us a piece of bread every day. No Armenian IS allowed 10 enter the clCy- Oh! what misery! Some of our rich have not even a piece of burlap to lie upon. After the first massacre there were some stores left, there were our schools and people who had their homes burned were given shelter by their more fortunate friends. But now nobody has anything and the loss of lives was twice as heavy"
 The writer of this letter says that not having any money to pay for the postage, he had sent the letter to Mer- sina to a friend, begging him to mail it for him. He also says that he