Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-15

n written release from rcspons,bil,t,
| for their safety. They MANAGED IN,
/ ucklish problem cleverly; when tho,
save their final answer that tho guart
might be sent. though il would pre-.
| ctpt'ato war. the Armonians had so IA,
organised their forces that the road
! from the Turkish camp to the mission
was cut or.
Hosttlittes hogan April 20 at dawn
Rtiie and cannon iiro was opened from
i've strong positions on the told town
or business center and OH the Armenian
residence quarter, called tho Gardens
as every house Is partly surrounded by
vineyards and orchards. BY evening
houses were ahre in all directions
Fltteen Armenian rifiemen. re-enforccd
nj times by $500 youths armed with
pistols or hand grcnadcs. manned
eighty barricaded houses. connected by
trenches and mud walls.
GRADUATE OF YALE
DOES VALIANT SERVICE:
Ammunition was scarce. but Profess
sor Mena ssian Effendi, head of the nor
NAL school. and a graduate of Yalc's
Shci!ield School OF Science. clevcrly
transformed such chemicals as were at
hand and manufactured smokcless and
black powder, while mechanics turned
brass cartridge shells Tho Armenian
laboratories soon were issuing 1000
cartridges daily, besides hand grenadcs
Before the end of the siege they made
three brass mortars. effective nj 1000
yards. MenassIan's boys band heart
encd the fighters with continual music
Women and children carried ammuni-
ton and food and water. Fourteen
year-old Neville USHER and his recent
~ organized Boy Scouts did heroic SER
viCo In cXtinguishing fires. reporting
and carrying sick and wounded. and
enforcing sanitary regulations among
1000 Armenian refugees. who were now
overcrowding the mission.
Jevdett now throwing off tho ma six
OF friendship he had worn, for he had
known DR. USHER from childhood.
threatened bombardment in case a
single shot were fired from Armenian
trenches near but outside the mission.
DR.. USHER answered that the mission
aries could bear no responsibility for
acts of individuals beyond their con
troll. Meantime. the American mission
aries were caring for Turkish as we'll
as Armenian sick and wounded, and, as
the only practical administrators In
Van, had organized sanitation soup
kitchens and distribution OF bread for
the $4,000 refugees who tocked or
We're driven into Van from the villages.
The Armenians organized "A city gov
eminent. with Mayor, courts and po-
lice and kept better order.
All the American missionaries worked
ccaselcssly and effectively. Miss Caro-
line S!llman organized and took charge
of q hospital annex for cases OF
measles. Miss Gertrude Rogers ana
Miss Elizabeth USHER helped Miss
Bond, superintendent of the hospital,
where there were always l5o patients
for fftypatient capacity. Mr.. Var
row discharged n multitude of admin
istrative duties, assisted by Mrs. Var
row and Mrs. J. c. Reynolds. the vet
eran OF the station, having lived there
forty-four years without slackeninE
energy or enthusiasm. Besides these
there were, as sharcrs ofAhe dangers
a1ld tolls of the siege. tho eight chill
dren OF the Usshcrs and Yarrowa and
Miss Knapp, n visitor from the Bi,lis
mission.
In spite of day and night bomba rtI :
ment from tho imposing Fortress Rock,
an Isolated craC rising sheer from the
! fiat plain, Immediately adjoining the
old town, the handful OF Armcnians re-
! naming there, cut off from their fol
1 lowa by the Intervening Turkish gar
dcns. shortly captured some OF the
fortified government buildings in their
midst. Thirteen thousand cannon balls
! or shells were thrown from the fort
rcss into the old town, but many fell
harmlessly into mud walls, only three
/ lives being lost from the caunonadc
there
Al the end OF two weeks runner
from Ardctch, the second town Of tho
/ vilayct, brought news that the Gov