The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-12-04
Missionary. Who Talk
ed in Market Square
Church. Marooned in
Constantinople
MRS. LABAREE
WRITES OF KURDS
Daughter of Mr.. and MRS. Samuel w.
Fleming Tells of Horrors Enacted
by Them-Some Amusing Incl
dents, Too

A largely attended meeting of the
Foreign Missionary Society of Market
Square Presbyterian church was held
in the church this afternoon, at which
number of matters pertaining TO the
work were taken up. During the after
noon Mns. Mabel Cronise Jones read
an extract from letter received by
Mr.. and Mrs. Samuel w. Fleming, of
this city, from their daughter, Mrs.
Mary Fleming Labaree, who, with her
husband, is in the missionary field at
Tabriz, Persia, showing that the war
in Europe is even affecting faraway
Persia, by reason of the Turks taking
part. Mrs. Labaree's letter is as fol
lows:
Another week has brought home
Mr.. and Mrs. Pittman, Miss Uamme
and Miss Beaber, safely from UrJmia.
1t has also brought a cessation of hos
tilities in Urumia. Week before last
was an anxious time for the Christians
there. The Kurds swept down to the
hihs of Charbach, only ten minutes
from the city. They fought their way
down to Urumia last Monday and the
next day would have been in the city.
That very night Russian reinforce
ments came in such numbers that the
Kurds saw that they could do nothing
and retired ON Tuesday morning, the
very day that our delegates returned
from the annual meeting in Tabriz.
Kurd's Attack Well Organized
1.-The attack was so open, so organ
lied, so different in its plan from the
usual Kurdish attack that thoughtful
ones are confident that Turkish or
| German brains directed it. Of course,
the mission yards in Urumia were fill
ed with refugees and their goods.
There were many sad sights-wound-
ed i'm the hospital, separated families
and hundreds destitute. There were
also some bits of food for laughter.
The Russian commander gave arms
to the mountain Syriams, ordering them
to give up their head dress 50 like the
Kurds, for he feared that in the COM
ing fight his soldiers might mistake
the Syrians for Kurds. So these Syr-
lans went around Urunia begging
European straws, fedoras, and derbvs.
One strapping mountaineer had his gun
over his boulder and on his head a
woman s leghorn hat Last Sunday
Miss Lewis was preaching to a group
of these mountaineers who had gather
ed in the mission yard. The ALIENS
goat rushed up behind and gave her a
furious butt THAT nearly sent her pros
trate.
"The Kurds, before the arrival of
the Russians, had burned Seir, Mar
Sargis, Manaji, Allwateh and Anbar.
The wife and the son of our preacher
were wounded. A Kurd threw one
woman to the ground and held down
her head, meaning to blow out her
brains. just as he fired she jerked her
head away and the bullets struck her
hand causing her to lose four fingers.
just then help arrived and she was
taken to our hospital
Our delegates to the annual relig-
| 1ous conference at Urumia almost lost
their lives on the lake there. No one
on board thought for a moment that
tney would be able to make land.
waves rushed over the deck of the
tug and the keel showed.
Coan Family Marooned
When last we heard of the Coan
family they were marooned in Con
stantinoPlc. We have to pay 2S krons
for paar of very inferior shoes for
Robert He has plenty in our trunk at
Constantinople which the Coans were
to bring us-but when we shall be able
to get it now no one can say. The
stores stock of many foreign articles
is very, very low now and prices are
extremely high. OF course we are af.
fecfed as Is every one around us bv
this horrible war;
DIR. Coan, to whose family reference
was made in this letter, was in Harris.
burg Last winter and preached in Mar
ket Square Presbyterian church and at
several other places. Many of the peo.
pie in Harrisburg will remember his
brilliant sermons. He is now endeavor.
ing to return to his mission field bu+
there seems at present no prospect of
his being able to get there at an early
date.
WHERE RAIN rs A NOVELTY