Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-25
RED CROSS RECORD
American SoCiety'S Work in
Turkey Following Massacres.
MAKES PROMPT RESPONSE
Organization at Beirut Directed by
Consul General Ravndal.
ACTS OF HEROISM RECORDED
England the Only Other Country to
Extend Relief to Helpless
Armenians.
MAKES PROMPT RESPONSE
ACTS OF HERo1sM RECORDED
BY WILLIAM f.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS
special Correspondence OF The Star and the
chicago Record Hcraid.
CONSTANTINOPLE, September 81. 1910
In locating the great good which Amer
lean agencies have accomplished in Tur-
Key and the near east the American
Red Cross Society should have a prom
inent place. There is no Red Cross or
ganization in Turkey. There is a Red
crescent Society" at Constantinope
formed by. few benevolent. people
chiefly army surgeons, which will be
recognized as near relation of the
Red Cross i'm time of war Its members
naturally refused to adopt the cross as
their emblem. and it was scarcely rea-
sonable to ask them to do SO. But so
1ar as l have been able to ascertain, the
Hed crescent Society has never done
any benevolent work outside of the mill
tarX hospitals at Constantinople.
Inc American Red Cross, however has
chapter in Turkey This was organ
iHeo at beirut by Mr. Gabriel Bic Ravn-
oaI, American consul general as result
VI the rehef work following the Ar
men1an massacres of April. 1909. and is
composed principally of Americans re-
siding In Syria. This is the only chapter
of the American Red Cross in a foreicn
country
Another permanent result of the relief
Work That followed the n1assacres wa
tIte ESTABLISHMENT of two hospitals which
VIII pc sustained by the Beirut Chapter
n;o Tue cement OF both natives and for
eienciS VINO may hereafter need relief
Massacre of Armenians.
You remember that in April 1909. there
was an uprising of fanatical Moslems at
1'"aHa'- kessat and other towns in
eastern Turkey, in which more than
-oooo native Christians were massacred
ana 1our times as many lost all of their
pelohslnss by the burning of their
homes. At Tarsus several hundrad
1eaat Hia On houses We're destroyed, and at
massacre in the grounds and h,i,dinos
Vi the American college
AT antioch, forty miles south of Alex-
anaretta. an Armenian population Of 1903
OF -kurds, Arabs and Circassianss "" us
lacked the small Armenian villa pes nil
iaglng and burning the houses, and carrv-
.n ing .he women into captivity. Kessab. a
an.s armenian town Of 5000 inhabit-
large portion Of the population nut to
oeatn. Tine Roman Catholic and prot
estant churches. the residences of The
sn meaica an missions; an American high
fnv
boys were all destroyed. iva
~ Aoana, Tarsus and Mersina the
atlocItles were beyond description. and
the survivors of the massacres were re-
ouced to poverty and despair.
All the Armenian villages tbroushout
i'al section' were looted and burned. and
.ne crops OF the people were DESTROYED
so mat $1,000 helpless, innocent peasants
Hed TO the mountains, where only star
walton remained for them.
IL is estimated that not less than y. on
peopIe were massacred, and more than
IoU'VO were made homeless-the victims
III nehdish conspiracy for which Abdul
Hamid. the former Sultan of Turkey
was directly or indirectly responsible
Response to Appeals 1or Aid.
Appeals for help and protection came
ooWn to the cities on the coast from
scores OF interior towns and villages. but
TIE local 0nclalS, as rule, knowing the
reason and recognizing the significance
OF the outbreak. dared not interfere. even
had they desired to do so. The consuIs
vi foreign governments cabfed informa-
Ion as promptly as possible American
physicians and teachers organized relief
forces, and Mr.. Kennedy. an American
missionary at Alexandretta even per-
siaded battalion of $50 Turkish SOL
diers TO follow him to the relief of Deur-
tyul. an Armenian city of 1OOoo inhahit
ants. which was besieged nv horde of
kurds and Circassians
me ofnclaIs of the American Red Cross
at washington, learning of these horrors
IInrough the newspapers, appealed to the
Department of State for information and
got reports from all our consuls in this
part of the world. G. Bic RavndaI
american consul general at Beirut: +. g.
rreyer or the Presbyterian mission and
estant College had already organized a
relief committee. which was promptly
equipped with the authority as we'll as
the supplies of the American Red Cross
Inc sum or $4,000 was sent Immediate
1y through the Secretary of State and
the American ambassador at Constanti-
nople. and was literally expended in feed
ing the hungry, nursing the wounded and
providing foT the orphan children of the
heads OF families who had been put to
death. Temporary hospitals for the sick
and wounded and barracks and tents for
the homeless were erected; provisions and
clothing of all kinds were supplied. and
as soon as the actual suffering was re-
lieVed seeds and implements were pro-
vided for the farmers. that they might
be able to replant the crops. that had
been destroyed
Mr. Ravndal had entire charge of the
disbursements. and in his report he SAYS:
I'm every instance we awaited ourselves
of the services Of American, British and
German missionaries in the field. indiv:d-
ually known to and fully trusted by YOUR
committee. distributing agents Most
Of them went through the massacres of
1855. and thus acquired experience in re-
lief work. Among such field arents we
would especially mention Rev Mr. Cham
bers. at Adana; Rev. Mr.. Dodds, at Mer-
sinia: Rev. Mr.. Kennedy. at Alexandret-
ia; Dr. Balph. at Latakia: Rev Mr..
Maccallum. a: Marsh and Rev Mr.
Trowbridge. at large. having rendered
valuable assistance
Acts of Heroism.
Several heroes We're developed and in
every case the American missionaries,
both men and w0men,' showed GOODNESS
and capability. courage and influence.