Norwich bulletin., 1915-08-10
DR.. USHER IN rhick
or TROUBLES AT VAN.
With Other Americans AZ MIsslsn Saw
eklrrina Times In Armenian HaNelt.

Ssirrine Times IN Armenian Hsseif.
OF considerable interest 70 people
here 10 the correspondence that has
come from Van, in Turkish Armenia.
Of the struggle between Turks and Ar
menians there. in which Dr. Clarence
D. Ussher. who married Mise Barrows
OF Norwich Town. had prominent
part. and which eventually terminated
in favor OF the Armenians. It remains
still a question, however, of whether
Van viii remain independent or be an
nexed by Russia
The vilayet Of Van has an area Of
about $4,000 square miles and a popu-
latton OF several hundred thousand.
The story of the revolt, by which Tur-
key has lost control of this ancient
region, has not hitherto been told with
much fullness. The origin Of the re-
volt, OF course, is found in the heredi-
tary discord between the races and
religions OF Van, but the uprising OF
the Armenians was more specifically
due to the conduct of Jevdett Bey.
the Turkish governor general of the
vilayet. in demanding Armenian re-
cruits to the Turkish cause and in the
severe measures he took when these
recruits were not forthcoming.
DR.. c. d. USHER and E. A Yarrow
of the American mission accepted the
was obdurate: he would put down re-
bellion at all costs, first at Shadash
and then at VAN He tried to force
the missionaries to accept a Turkish
garrison Of 80 soldiers or to give him
q written release from responsibility
for their safety. They managed the
ticklish problem cleverly; when they
gave their final answer that the guard
might be sent, though 1t would precipi-
tate war. the Armenians had so far or
,srx.l I.1F-- Co. 4
the Turkish camp to the mission was
cut of.
Hostilities began April 20 at dawn.
Rifle and cannon fire 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 orchards. By evening
houses were aflre in all directions. Fiji
teen Armenian rifiemen, reinforced at
times by 1.500 youths armed with pis-
tolls or hand grenades, manned tightly
barricaded houses. connected by
| trenches and mud walls.
Yale Man Made Ammunition.
Ammunition was scarce. but Pro-
fessor Menassian, head Of the Normal
school and a graduate OF the Shehield
| Scientific school at Yale. cleverly
| transformed such chemicals as were
at hand and Manufactured smokeless
and black powder, while mechanics
turned brass cartridge shells. The Ar
menian laboratories soon were issuing
1000 cartridges daily, besides hand
grenades. Before the end of the siege
they made three brass mortars, efrec-
i tive at 1000 yards. Menassian's boys
band heartened the fighters with con-
/ tinual music. Women and children
carried ammunition and food and wa
/ ter. Fourteen-year-old Neville USHER,
who is now IN Stonington with his
uncle and aunt, Rev. and Mrs. Dwight
G. Stone, and his recently organized
Boy 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.
Missionaries in Hospital Duty,
| Jevdett, now throwing OF the mask
of friendship he had worn-for he had
knswn DR.. USHER from childhood
| threatened bombardment in case q
single shot was fired from Armenian
trenches near but outside the mis-
| sion. DR.. USHER answered that the
missionaries could bear no response
bility for acts Of individuals beyond
their control. Meantime the AmeE1-
can missionaries were caring for Turk
ish as well as Armenian sick and
| wounded and, as the only practical ad-
sanitation, soup kitchens, and distri-
button of bread for the $4,000 refugees
| who docked or were driven into Var
from the villages. The Armenians or
ganiZed a city government. with may
or, courts and police, and kept better
order.
All the American missionaries work.
ed ceaselessly and effectively. Miss
Caroline Sillman organized and tool
charge Of a hospital annex for cases
Of measles. Miss Gertrude Rogers and
Miss Elizabeth USHER helped Mis-.
Bond, superintendent of the hospital
where there were always $50 patient:
for a 5O-patient capacity. Mr.. Var.
row discharged a multitude Of admin.
istrative duties assisted by Mrs. Var
row, and Mrs. J. c. Reynolds, the vet.
eran Of the station, who has lived Their
A years without slackening energ,
or enthusiasm.
Thirteen thousand cannon balls o.
shells were thrown from the fortress
into the old town, but mainly fel
harmless into mud walls, only tire,
lives being lost from the cannonadl
there.
At the end Of two weeks, a runne
from Ardetch, the. second town Of tn
vilayet, brought news that the gov
ernor had putchered all the male an(
many OF the female inhabitants, ant
he a. ne escaped to tell the story. H,
had passed a night under a heap o
corpses, he declared, and his stor,
excited the Armenians to q new fury