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

error had butchcrcd MI the male and
many OF the female inhabitants, and
| he alone had escaped to tell tho story.
He had passed a night under II heap OF
| corpses. lie declared. and his story cN-
cited the Armcnians to 4 new fury.
Provisions and ammunition were run
! ming low when tho end came with dra-
matte suddcnncSs. ON May Is and 10
| all the vessels in the harbor sailed
across the lake of Van with families or
! Turks. and. to mask tho coming Turk
| iSh retreat. Il more furious connonade
was begun: the American mission at
| last becoming the target In two days
| half n hundred shells fell In tho COM
pound. one little Armenian girl being
| killed. Altogether $4,000 shells or can
non balls had been fired into the Ar
mcninn garden or residence city. AZ
! sunset May 16 tho large barracks from
which an unohstructcd tire had been
trained on the American mission. us
gorgcd its garrison, who were seen 10
ride away across thc farther hills. The
Armcnians rushed the last positions or
tho Turks. Including the barracks. and
set them attire. killing most OF the
feeble remnant OF the sarrisons
There followed Il wild night OF frcn-
zicd rejoicing and incendiarisnl. me
old town and the Turkish garden city
went up in smoke. Half of Van, one
of the pretticst cities of ASIA became
n ruin. To make matters worse. Aram.
appointed temporary Governor allowed
the cutting of shade trees III the Turk
iSh quarter partly for spite ana partly
to raise revenues.
The spiend.dly equipped Turkish hos
pitaI was plundcred OF its Invaluable
medicines before tho missionaries.
whose medical supplies were nearly en-
haustcd. reached it, They cxtinEuished
three incendiary fires started in the
hospital.
The Armenians claimed to have had
ample provoCation for reprisals. the
Kurds having committed nameirss
atrocities and the Turks having exc
cuted 160 Armenian prisoners. OF whom
eighty were sick or wounded, before
they retired. shooting, besides all the
Armenian conscripts in their RANKS.
The Turks LETT their own sick and
wounded in terrible straits Seventeen
were rescued alive by the Americans.
The survivors declared they had had
neither food nor water for four days.
Scores We're dead in their beds, largely
OF neglect.
The explanation Of tho Turkish re-
treat came on May IS in the person
of Vartan and 1900 Armenian volun-
teers. followed by Russian detach-
ment.
Realizing that revenge must have its
limits, both Armenian and Russian
commanders delivered Kurdish women
and children to the missionaries, to
the number OF a thousand. The mis-
sionarics, however, We're without prop
err medicines or food and were unable
10 give these refugees the care they
required Diseases have been raging
in thir narrow quarters.
Tho defense OF the Armenian resi-
Gcncc quarter was directed mainly by
Armenak Yekarian, Il noted partisan.
To the correspondent OF the Associated
Press he related some OF the incidents
Of the struggle. Early In the siege the
Turks fred 10 cannon shot or shells
nj position held by five Armcniaus.
One was killed and another was wound
ed. Three survivors and eight more
riilemci. took 4 house held by ESQ Turks,
killing At least six.
one OF the most mcracing of the
Turkish positions was n barracks in
the edge of the Armenian residence
quarter. 1t was held by 100 Turks.
Armenian sappcrs mined and dyna-
mitei IL. ana the fleeing garrison left
twelve charroG corpscs.
TuHiSS ARR: R.:IIISED
Dl ARMENIAN BAND
Jevdett Bey then sent 500 men
against IN Armenian limo held by
forty-fOur ritlcmcn. After three
hours fight tho Turks rctreated. leav-
ing thirty-iivc dead on tho field TIE
4irmcnians here lost one killed and
two wounded.
Tne Turks had twelve cannon. about
half Of modern construction. Two Of
the old smooth horrs exploded. The
waste OF Turkish ammunition con
trastcd strikingly with the prudence
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