The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1909-05-07
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT
ADANA MASSACRE
BY Miss Elizabeth Webb, of This City,
Missionary in Asiatic
Turkey.
TWO AMERICANS OF MISSION
KILLED BY FANATICAL MOS
LENS.
Turkish Officials Take No Action But
Let Moe Have Sway-Thors-
ands Killed.

The following interesting account of
her experiences during the recent mas
sacre of Armenians at Adana, Asia
tic Turkey by Miss Elizabeth Webb,
of this city a Missionary from the
American Board of Bunker Hill, III.
will be read with a great del of
interest by her many friends here:
Our friends came to school as u.s.
ual on Wednesday, April 81. Although
We heard that there was a good deal
of unrest in the city, we went on with
our preparations cor school enter
tainment, which was to be held the
next day. Soon firing began in the city
and things were in such a disturbed
condition that we were afraid to send
the scholars home. The girls were
too excited to study as there was a
constant sound of firins We ourselves
tried to 20 on with our annual meet
ing, but the reading of the report was
interrupted by the screaming in the
streets and the shooting.
"Mr. Chambers attempted to go to
the government building for a guard,
but he found it was 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. Accordingly notes to their
father and the governor were written
but there were no responses.
Fires illuminate City.
"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 immagine our relief
at the sight of him. He had heard of
the disturbances and had come from
Messina to investigate. The consul is
Major Daughty-Wylie, he 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 stage of siege. The
soldiers kept firing their Martini's
and the fire was returned from the
minaret houses near by. In the morn
ing our guard discovered (whether it
was a new discor cry or not l do not
know that the men in the minaret
houses whose fire they had been re-
turning were Turkish soldiers and that
others who had been firing upon us
were friends whom we had known by
name.
after good deal of parleying the
fire on our building stopped for the
time being. Finally in spite of the
fact that the consul had said that they
must remain until he returned, the
guards insisted that they should leave.
We urged, them to stay, but they climb
ed 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. At last the consul passed. He
was able to spare only one man, but
said this one would be more useful
than the other three. Soon after 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 Tur-
kish flags on all sides of the building,
but this did not stop the thousands en-
gagged in the riots from firing their
weapons, although apparently they
were not directed against us.
Fighting the Flames.
"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 carried
water, while the men cut down the fen
ces 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 progress Of
the fire could also 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 fight
ing 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 few min
utes. The Rev. Stephen r. Towbridge,
escaped although bullet took off his
hat.
"A new misfortune overlook us; our
guard of one man disappeared; things
looked pretty dark. came to my
room where the girls were seated
silently awaiting for me to tell them
what had happened, but that would
only cause panic, so said: we have
done all we can; now let us pray
Before I had finished praying the
bugle of the consul's guard and the
Turkish officials with whom he had
been patrolling sounded in the streets.
Unfortunately he could not spare a
guard for us, but promised to send one
Immediately. 1t was a terrible situ-
alton; women and girls practically
alone in the building; murderous,
bloodthirsty mob outside with knife
and bullet for the Armenians and the
torch for our homes. To add to the
misery there were the dead on the