Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-04-10
SHIP ATIOY !,
|SAILORB BOY
Howard Bronson, Watertown
Boy Writes Another Inter
ing Letter to His Parents.
ON BOARD THE TENNESSEE
The Big American Battleship is
Now Cruising in Turkish
Waters and Territory.

Through the courtesy OF Fred M. i
Bronson the Saturday News is per
mitted to publish a letter from his
son Howard Bronson, who is now on
board United States battleship In
the harbor of Smyrna, Turkey.
The letter is as follows and is very
interesting:
The harbor presents quite picture
today. This is Washington's birthday
and all the ships of war are in full
dress. Besides ourselves there are
two Austrian warshipson each of |
British, French, Dutch, German and |
Italian Yesterday thirteen Greek
spies were shot in Smyra. This is
the first serious action of war wei
nave experienced. Every day thei
steamer brings refugees in, as thei
Greeks advance the Turkish govern
ment forces al! able men to bear
arms. Their families are put on the
first steamer, the captain get orders
10 drop them any place convenient. |
These poor people are on the verge
of starvation and are herded together
like sheep. We are going to give al
relief entertainment in Smyrna some
time next week to buy food for these
poor people i. .se ~ 81. ~ esd their
husbands and fathers again is a mys-
terry. The Turkish peasant cannot
read or write and if they were asked
where they came from they would
not know. The authorities keep mol
track of where they belong 1t would
be almost impossible to return them
to their home. Turkey is badly whip
ped and the common people are anx-
ious to declare peace. But when the
prime minister did sign a treaty he
was shot. They are almost at the end
of their finances, but the people in
charge refuse to give in. Although
the Turks are Mohammedans they
are more humane in many ways than
their Christian enemies. We gave al
concert at the American consulate
and We are to give a concert for the
Pasha of Turkish Asia Minor. He is
a cousin of the present ruler
Your letter, the picture and the
clipping of my letter arrived in the
last mail / certainly was greatly sur
prised to see my letter in print Had
II known it was to find its way into
the paper / could easily have been
more clear in my description, but, as
| have pictures of most of the places,
I / thought could tell you all about
them when / come home. SO did not
go into detail about them
Well, never dreamed that any of
my experiences would find their way
into the papers. Although, if i had
the talent I could describe many won
derful things which have seen in
my two and a half years of travel up
on the ocean
have been trying to get permission
I to take a trip to Sardis, another ruins
ed city of great Importance in history,
but SO far | have been unable to do
SO. Still if you find it interesting /.
viii attempt to give YOU more de-
tailed account of what i have seen up.
Ito date
After one becomes better acquaint-
led with this country and has the op-
iportunity of studying the various OBJ
jects of interest one f:sdsy that every.
age; since far before the beginning
of our authentic history commences
has left something to prove its pre-
lvious existence
met a gentleman who has made
| a very thorough study of this vicinity
for several years he has explain
led a great many Of the most interest
ling subjects
Smyrna was originally the name oil
the greater part OF what is known as,
!, Asia Minor, and was given its name
from that Of an ancient Amazon queen
There were ten citses known as Smyrs
I'm. One of them was situated ctosn
lto the present size of Epherno, and
the ctner about I We mi les dist ant from.
1.-the present location OF this city. of
4 the two, this city is Of course the