Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-14

CepteO the 1utlle OIuCe Oh IHteECeSSUES.
Jevdett was obdurate: he would put
down rebellion at ali costs, first at
shadakh and then at Van. He tried
to force the missionaries to accept q
Turkish garrison OF fifty soldiers or to
give him a written release from re-
sponsibility for their safety. They
managed the ticklish problem clever
~; when. they gave their final answer
that the guard might be sent, though
it would precipitate war, 1.-THE Ar
menians had SO far organized their
forces that the road from the Turkish
camp to the mission was cut off.
Hostilities began April 20 at dawn.
Rifle and cannon IRE was opened
from five strong positions on the old
town or business center and on the
Armenian residence quarter, called
the Gardens. as every house Is partly
surrounded by vineyards and or
chards. By evening houses were afire
in all directions. Fifteen Armenian
rifiemen. reinforced at times by 1900
youths armed with pistols or hand
grenades, manned eighty barricaded
houses, connected by trenches and
mud walls.
Ammunition was scarce but Prof.
Menassian Effendi, head of the Nor
NAL School and a graduate of Yale's
transformed such chemicals as were
at hand and manufactured smokeless
and black powder while mechanics
turned brass cartridge shells. The
Armenian laboratories soon were is
suing 1000 cartridges daily, besides
hand grenades. Before the end of the
siege they made three brass mortars
effective at 1000 yards. Menassian's
boys band heartened the fighters with
continual music. Women and children
carried ammunition and food and
water. Fourteen year old Neville
Usher and his recently organized
boys' scouts did heroic service In ex-
tinguishing fires. reporting and carry
ing sick and wounded and enforcing
sanitary regulations among 1000 Ar
menian refugees, who were now over
crowding the mission.
Jeydett. now throwing off the mask
OF friendship he had worn. for he had
known DR.. FISHER from childhood,
threatened bombardmen in case a
single shot were fred 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 mis-
sionaries were caring for Turkish as
we'll as Armenian sick and wounded
and as the only practical administra
soup kitchens and distribution Of
bread for the $4,000 refugees who
flocked or were driven into Van from
the villages. The Armenians organ
lied a city government. with mayor,
courts and police and kept better or
der.
All the American missionaries work
ed ceaselessly and effectively. Miss
Caroline Sillman organized and took
charge Of a hospital annex for cases
Of measles. Miss Gertrude Rogers and
Miss Elizabeth USHER helped Miss
Bond, superintendent Of the hospital,
where there were always $50 patients
for 50-patient capacity. Mr.. Yarrow
discharged a multitude of administra-
tive :dnties, assisted by Mrs. Yarrow
and Mrs. ]. c. Reynolds. the veteran OF
the station, having lived there A years
without slackening energy or enthu-
siasm. Besides these there were, as
sharers Of the dangers and tolls Of
the siege the eight children Of the U.s.
shers and Yarrows and Miss Knapp, q
visitor from the Bitlis mission.
In spite Of day and night lombard
ment from the imposing Fortress Rock.
an isolated crag rising sheer from the
fiat plain. Immediately adjoining the
old town, the handful Of Armeniana
remaining there, cut off from their
fellows by the intervening Turkish
gardens, shortly captured some OF the
fortified government buildings in their
midst. Thirteen thousand cannon balls
or shells were thrown from the fortress
into the old town, but mainly fell
harmlessly into mud walls. only three
lives being lost from the cannonade
there.
At the end of two weeks a runner
from Ardetch, the second town Of the
vilayet. brought news that the COVER
nor had butchered all the male and
many OF. the female inhabitants and
he alone had escaped to tell the story.
He had passed the night under a heap
of corpses. he declared, and his story
excited the Armenians to a new fury
Provisions and ammunition were
running low when the end came with
dramatic suddenness. On May 10
and Is all the vessels in the harbor
sailed across the Lake OF Van with
families Of Turks and, to mask the
coming Turkish retreat, more furi-
Gus cannonade was begun: the Ameri-
can mission at last became the target.
In two days. half . hundred shells fell
In the compound. one little Armenian
girl being killed. Altogether $4,000
shells or cannon balls hsd been fired
into the Armenian garden or residence
city. At sunset May 10 the large bar
racks from which m unobstructed fire
had been trained on the American mis-
lon. disgorged its garrison. which was
seen to ride away across the farther
hills. The Armeniane rushed the last
positions Of the Turks, including the
barracks. and set them afire. killing
most Of the feeble remnant Of the gar
risons.
There followed q Wild night Of fren-
lied rejoicing and incendiarism. The
old town and the, Turkish garden city
went up in smoke. Halt Of Van, one
Of the prettiest cities Of Asia. became