The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-05-22

People in Exile.
A news bulletin just issued by The
American Board of Commissioners feli
Foreign Missions is of general interest,"
because of its description of conditions
IN Albania and on the Turkish frontier
and of local interest because of its ref
erenee to Rev. Charles Erickson, tc
whose work in Albania BrattleborC
people contributed several hundred dol
iars a year ago, and to DIR. c. E. CLARK
Of Sivas, Turkey, son of DR.. Charles s
| Clark of West Brattleboro. The bulle
tin says:
Many enquiries are reaching us as to
| Mr.. Erickson and the new work in Al
bania, for which he pleaded so success
fully when in this country last year.
| He has been waiting in Rome for the
| first opportunity to cross the AdriatiC
and resume work. The Kennedys anC
the four new workers have been de
/ tanned in this country. Mr.. Erickson
under great difficulties, recently made {
flying trip of investigation to the pur
cities of Albania and returning tt
Rome writes, under date of April 7, o
the terrible restitution which he found
My first stop was at Valona. Whel
| was there last, year ago last June
the provisional governor was in contro
and life in the city was free and hope
full and glad This time it was differ
ent. A foreign flag was there, the Al
bantam leaders had all left, the cit
was crowded with refugees; misery
wretchedness, starvation and deaf
were everywhere. Half a mile iron
the landing, on the left of the road
under some olive trees, but low, sOdde
ground, with stagnant pools, filth an
garbage all about them, were two scoI
or more refuge shelters built of swan
grass. Later / visited them. From ey
cry miserable shelter, one or more ha
died. Most often it was the father,
he had not already been killed by til
Greeks before they got away, shown
that he had starved and sacrificed hin
: self for his family. There were scarce
ly half dozen men left in the colon,
Few had any covering, blankets, rug
= etc. sleeping on the ground. One gil
= of sixteen was dying of pneumoni
: while | was there; her father and
= brother had previously died The
= food consisted of thistle leaves po1te
% with n small handful of corn of whic
'e an average third was unfit for even 6
= animal to eat, so decayed was it.
Q In the city thousands are crowdt
into tumble-down, abandoned buildin,
= and mosques, etc In one large mosql
9 were ut one time living about $50, b
~ of these "a had died. At another can
" Of sixty people to whom no governme
= help had been given | found moth
y, wailing over the body of her boy WI
had just died; another woman had til
: morning lost her reason, taken her II
a., infants and wandered half an hour
90 = L.
- naked and thrown herself down to q
n. The Italian authorities informed l
,e that there were $4,000 of these rel
= gees in and about the city, most
- them from ZEPPELIN, KOlonia and 9th
TX districts recently occupied by the Gre
- government after their COMMITTEE
a. and irreguiars, consisting largely of
y; leased criminals | am told, had comm
- ted the unspeakable horrors which h
~. driven these people forth Altogetl
y: 10000 people, practically the VIII
% Moslem population of this terrific
- are thus in exile from their homes.
"a. Our station at Erzroom is on I
5 Eastern Turkish frontier. where (
g Russian and Ottoman armies are ella
u ing The medical and relief work
lie came so heavy that DR.. c. z. ella
g Miss Mary l.. GRAHAM. Miss Zene
an. MIS-. SeWny, Turkish orderly q
a. druggist, of Sivas were sent for, a
ST they made the perilous journey
= twenty-one days over the mounta
sHe and through the SHOWS without iniu
md What thew found Mt Erzroom we lie;
Miss GRAHAM to narrate:
md '"The first news when we arri7
md was that the Stapletons were all S
aSy.s with tvphus. Mrs. Sewny being
d.. best nurse devoted herself to them ;
=, the rest of us began to look around
'cA' see what we would better do. The {
- is one big hospital. Every availa
'rd' building is filed with the wounded
. sick. We looked over the propostt
and of the Vail to take this hospital
. clusivelv for officers. where I am n
aw. and had just decided to do it, whe
- telegram came from a village r
Jaw. hours from here saying that DR.. lie
. Sewny was sick and for his wife