Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-10-21
Europe are engaged at the present

Europe are engaged at the present
time.
Following are the extracts from
the letter Mrs. Smith wrote to her
brother, Clyde Heath, of Waterloo,
under date Of September 9th: ,
"Mezereh. Turkey, Sept. 6, 1914.
I"Dear Clyde:-
Letters to and from America are
not very frequent just now but l will
write this, hoping that it will reach
you sooner or later. We don't
have much reliable news about the
war and 1 might, not write it if we
did because we have heard that all
letters are censord. Suffice it to
say that there is very little ready
money in the station, and not much
hope of getting more. We have about
a dollar. Our drafts are worthless
at present, and Mr.. Peet, our treas
urer, in Constantinople, is in the
same position as ourselves. He has
been able to get very little money
but is afraid to send it through the
post Diarbekir is part of Harpoot
station and as we had no money with
which to keep house they decided
that we should stay up here this
winter. We are very much disap-
pointed for this will be the third year
that we have had to live with some
one else. For the annual meeting we
were at the garden OF the other side
Of Harpoot mountains, but yesterday
we came down to the plains. We
have two very pleasant rooms in the
hospital with the use Of a big. porch.
We board with the Atkinsons. Their
house is just a rod or two from the
hospital and the two buildings are
surrounded by a wall.
"Floyd will have to make a trip to
Diarbekir before cold weather. We
expected to spend the summer at
the lake and because we had such a
load anyway we only brought our
thinnest clothes, not even including
sweaters. Near the beginning Of the
war there was a disastrous fire in
which destroyed over l.
200 shops in the market. Most OF
these belonged to Christians, which is
a significant fact. Badvel]i Hagop,
the man who owned our house, him.
self lost four shops and had over one
thousand dollars worth of other DAM
age. Our house is right at the edge
Of the mountains. The government
aske DR.. Atkinson to give up his
hospital to the soldiers and he said
he would admit them for treatment,
but would himself retain full charge
OF affairs. I believe there r a
few patients in now, but the regular
opening VIII be next week. ],
Fathers last letter was dated
June oath, the same as yours. I wish.
you would send this on to him as
postage is a big item for US and we
are unusually hard up just now on &C.
count of this war. Prices are soar
ing sky-high, and the people are
afraid to bring any decent fruit into
market for the officers seize every
thing they can lay their hands on.
suppose you know as much about the
war as we do, for we have very few
letters or papers.
Tuesday morning, September sth.
y 1--WE are just beginning to get
newspapers with the first
news of the war. Seems to me Ger
many will have a good deal to ans
wer for. Floyd had planned to go
to the lake today for a short stay,
together with DR.. Atkinson and Mr..
Young, the young man who has been
substituting here for the American
Consul. However, they gave up the
trip because things are in such an
unsettled condition. Consul Davis
had started for America at the end
of July to bring his wife out here but
was able to get only as far as Alex
andria. He has just returned to Har-
poot, SO 0 We have two American
Consuls here. - &c.,
There will be one good thing
about it ii we have to stay in Har-
poot this winter it will give US an
other year for language. We need
1t, too. For with sickness, etc, our
lessons last year were badly inter-
rupted. ,2.s
Must close now and study some
Turkish. Lots Of love from us az
BESSIE