Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-03
Uebb of Illinois.
ATTACK ON GIRLS SCHOOL
Missionaries Shot While Trying to
Put Out Fire.
IN SEEMING STATE OF SIEGE
Guard Furnished by British Consul
Soon Deserts.
ATTACK ON GIRLS SCHOOL
FIRING LASTS ALL NIGHT
Americans who Went to Chambers
Home Retura to SchoOI--NstiVe
shot While Mr.. Chambers
Tried TO Protect HIm,


ADANA. May =, via Constantiaople.---
Miss Elizabeth S. Webb a missionary Of
the American board from Bunker Hill
ILL.,, has written a narrative of her ca
periences for the mission board during
the first days of the massacres IN Addna
when the girls school TO which she VAS
attached was in the greatest danger anu
the lives of the students were threatened
from all sides. She SAYS:
"Our friends came to the school As
usual on Wednesday, April II. Although
we heard 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 condI-
tion that We were afraid to send the day
scholars home The girls were too ca
cited to study. 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.
"Mr. Chambers attempted to 20 TO the
government buildings for guard, but
he found it 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. AceordinRly
notes 20 their father and to the governor
were written, but there were no re-
sponses.
"As night came on fires began TO Hare
up in all directions and we were fearful
that the rioters would break into the
sch ool buildings. Finally about 0 O'Clock
there came a knock at the gate and in
walked the English consul. You can
imagine our relief at sight of him. lie
had heard of the disturbances and hau
come from Mersina to investigate. Tine
consul is Major Daughty- -Wylie. He could
stay only a moment, but he left three ot
his own guard of Turkish soldiers "
take care OF us.
In Seeming state Of siege.
"Al through the night VIC actually
seemed to be In a state of siege. The three
soldiers kept firing their martins and the
fire was returned from the mnaret houses
nearby In the morning our guard dis
covered-whether 1t was a new discovery
or not l don't know-that the men In the
minaret houses, whose fire they had been
returning, were Turkish soldiers and that
others who had been firing upon us were
friends whom we knew by name. After
good deal OF parleyng 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.
In the meantime the fires about the city
had increased and the sound OF shooting
could be heard from every point, Al last
the consul passed. He was able to spare
only one man, but thought this one would
be enough . Soon after the consul left us,
fires broke out in the adjacent streets, and
unless something was done speedily our
school building must he 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.
Two missionaries shot.
IF our building burned, the Chambers
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 east
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 1t
seemed that they had been fighting the
fire and were not with the other men cut
ting down the sheds. They were brought
into our dining room. Mr.. MRurer already
was dead and Mr. Rogers only lived few
minutes. The Rev. Stephen r. Trowbridgc,
who was near them at the time, escaped,
| although bullet took off his hat.
| rwhenHL::E. by now is the etao tao 40
"a new misfortune overlook us, our guard
Of one man disappeared; things looked
pretty dark. I came 10 my room, where
/ the girls were seated quietly waiting. For
me to tell them what had happaned wouli
/ only cause a panic, so | said: We have
done all we can; row let us pray.
/ Before l had finished praying the bugle
| of the consul's guard and the Turkish Of
ficials with whom he was pstroliny
sounded in the street Unfortunately he
could not spare guard for us, but prom
/ ised to send one immediately. TO add to
J the misery, there were the dead on the
! floor below and the widow Of one OF them,
1 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 shoot
| ing was constant The British consul had
promised us a guard, but the afternoon
and evening passed and none came. We
could not understand it. The following de >
We learned that Major Daughty-Wylie had
been shot I'm the arm.
The greatest danger, OF course. was for
the girls, and We decided TO take them
70 Mr. Chambers house. Seemingly with
out fear they marched out IN order two
and two across the street 70 the house OF
Miss Wallace, the English 1urse, then
through a hole in the wall which had been
orened for emergency and through The
yard out into the street again, where they
| reached the Chambers gate.
II cannot describe the crowd the noise
and confusion in this house and yard
Refugees covered everywhere. Both house