New Britain herald., 1915-10-15
LOCAL PERSIANS
 HEAR BAD NEWS
KurdS Threaten to Wipe Out
 Their COuntrymen

Rev. Elisha E. Adams, missionary in charge of the Persian-Assyrian de- partment of the South Congregation ai church, is in receipt of a bulletin letter from the Persian war relief committee, telling of conditions in West Persia, which has been ravish- ed by the Turks and Kurds In this region live many of the relatives and friends of local , Persians and the news of further tragedies in that scourged country brings sorrow and sadness to them.
 Spurned by Both Sides.
 The bulletin says "The situation in West Persia, especially in the Uru- mia section and in the mountain re- gions along the Turkish border, has grown distreSsingly worse since the last bulletin letter was despatched. The relief work was going along IS well as could be hoped with the meagrc funds and the large num- Der of people needing relief over an extensive section and then word came that the Russians were agaln to withdraw their troops from UrurnEA and that section and second heg2fa from the city and district took place. this one in the whitening heat of Au-
 
 the bitter cold of January. Twenty five to thirty thousand refugees Hed from Urumia toward Tabriz, O nly to be stopped on the plains and moun- tain passes without being allowed to even enter Salmas, whence they were commanded by the Russians to re- turn to Urumia. Many tried to do this under the guidance of some mis- sionaries, only to find themselves re- fused admission to the city and turn ed back once more to a miserable lief or a more miserable death on the plains
 Extinction Threatened.
 Up in the mountain regions on the borders of Urumia tens of thousands of Christians are gathered in various mountain fastnesses without food, being starved out to massacre by the hordes of beseiging Kurds. Various letters from missionaries and natives says the situation threatens the pos sible extinction of the Nestorian peo- pie. It is too pitiful for utterance and can best be seen through ex- tracts of letters from Persia.''
 Panic Reifgns Supreme
 Further the bulletin says describing COHulllOlS III the most Q1S- turbing feature is the uncertainty. Russian officers freely say that if a strong force of Turks should appear or the forces here should be required elsewhere the troops will be with drawn. This keeps the Christians in a most panicky condition all tho time. It is hard to keep them in the villages and every now and then oc- CUTS an exodus of prominent persons, as there was yesterday, which helps to make the situation worse. On the other hand the Moslems are con- stantly expecting the Russians to de- part and are delaying, as only Per sians, can, in carrying out Russia's demands. The people of the villages, too, are in an ugly, uppish state of mind and are not at all disposed to give up the plunder taken from the Christians, as ordered by the Rus sians. Only yesterday, messengers from Mar Shimmon arrived saying that all the forces of the Kurds are again gathering against the Ashirets. The above was taken from the report of Robert Labaree in relation to the progress of the relief work under taken in the vicinity of Urumia."