The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-03
WOMAN TELLS
OF MASSACRE
Mob Fires on American Mis-.
sion at Adana.
TURKISH GUARD DESERTS

aries Tore Down Fences and Sheds
to Prevent Spread Of Flames to
School 5uildings-Death Of Rogers.
Adana, Asiatic Turkey, via Constan-
tinople May 3.-Miss Elizabeth S.
Webb. missionary of the American
board from Bunker Hill, ILL.,, has writ
ten narrative of her experiences for
the mission board during the first
days of the massacres in Adana, when
the girls school, to which she was at
tached, was in the greatest danger
and the lives of the students we're
threatened from all sides. She says:
Our friends came to school as
usual on Wednesday, April 1. Al
though we feared that there was a
good deal of unrest 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 condition
that we were afraid to send the day
scholars home. The girls were too
excited to study as there was a con.
stant sound of firing We ourselves
tried to go on with our annual meet
ing but the reading of the reports
was interrupted by the screaming in
the streets and the shooting.
"Mr. Chambers attempted to go to
the government buildings 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 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 responses.
"As night came on fires began to
fare up in all directions, and we were
fearful that the rioters would break
into the school buildings. Finally
about O'Clock, there came knock
at the gate and in walked the English
consul. You can imagine our relief
at sight of him. He had heard Of the
disturbances and had come from Mer-
sina to investigate. The consul is
Major Daughty-Wylie. lie could stay
only a moment, but 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 a state of siege. The
three soldiers kept firing their Mar.
tinis and the fire was returned from
the minaret houses near by. In the
morning our guard discovered, wheth-
er it was a new discovery or not
don't know, that the men In the min
aret houses whose fire they had been
returning were Turkish soldiers, and
that others who had been firing upon
us were friends whom they 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 remain until he returned, the
guard insisted that they should leave.
We urged them to stay, but they
climbed the wall and ran away.
IF our buildings burned, the Cham
bcrs 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 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 that the
progress OF the fire could be stayed.
About this time we were Mortified to
learn that Mr.. Rogers and Mr. Maurer
had been shot. II 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. Mr.. Maurer already
was dead and Mr.. Rogers only lived
a few minutes. The Rev. Stephen r.
Trowbridge, who was near them at
the time, escaped, although a bullet
took OF his hat.
"A new misfortune overlook us;
our guard OF one man disappeared,
and things looked pretty dark. / came
to my room, where the girls were
seated, quietly waiting. For me to
tell them what had happened would
only cause panic, so ! said: I'VE
have done all we can, now let us
pray
Before ! had finished praying, the
bugle OF the consult guard and the
Turkish officials with whom he was
patroling sounded in the street. I'm
fortunately he could not spare a
guard for us, but promised to send
one Immediately. It was a terrible
situation; women and girls practically
alone in the building a murderous,
bloodthirsty mob outside, with knife
and bullet for the Armenlans and the
torch for their 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 comfort.
"The flames we had been fighting
finally died out. but fires could be
seen in all parts of the city, and the
sound OF shooting was constant. The
British consul had promised us
guard, but the afternoon and evening
passed and none came. We could not
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