Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-04-29
According to Details Received
by Presbyterian Board of For
eign Missions 1000 Have Died
of Disease.
TURK ATROCITIES REPORTED
Men Tortured and
Killed-Native Christian Min
listers Crucified or Burned
Alive-Villages Plundered and
Destroyed.

New York, April 2S-Detais of the
massacre of native Christians at Uru-
miah, Persia, by Kurds received to-day
by the PRESBYTERIAN board of foreign
missions, state that not fewer than 800
have been murdered there and that as
many as 2.00D have perished from disease
The attacks. it would appear, have not
been confined to Kurds. but have been
made, in at least one instance, by Turk
fish soldiers CrucihXion and burning
Christians alive have been revived, mis-
sionaries reported to the board.
The attack in which Turkish soldiers
were assailants. according to reports re-
ceived by the board was made upon the
American mission and the French Ro-
man Catholic mission. Five native Rus
sian priests. the reports assert We're
taken from the American mission by the
Turks The missionaries stated that
these men We're treated BADLY" and add
that it was not known to them II the
priests We're hanged
a report had reached the Presbyterian
missionaries at Tabriz that the Ameri-
cans at Urunliah had been forced to pay
$40 GOO a ransom for refugees who had
fled to the mission for protection. This
report it was stated, had not been con-
frmed.
MEN TORTURED BY HUNDREDS.
These and other matters pertaining to
Crumiah were related in .wo letters re-
ceived to-day from DR.. " s Vanneman
of Salem. y. j., head of the Presbyterian
mission hospital at Tabri2 and chairman
of the relief committee appointed by the
American commission there Because Of
the censorship, Dr. Nanneman wrote to
his wife. who is now in this country,
rather than to the board directly. His
letter was sent In part to the board by
Mrs. Vanneman. Writing from Tabriz
under date of March A. Dr.. Nanneman
said;
about ten days ago the kurdS in
Salinas with the permission of the Tur-
kish troops gathered all the HISTORIAN
and Armenian men remaining there, it Is
reported about 500. Four hundrei were
sent TO Khosrova and 400 to Haft Dewan
under the pretense Of giving them bread.
They We're held few days and then all
Of them were tortured and massacred.
Many of the women and children were
taken away and ill-treated. This hap
pened a day or two before the advancing
Russian army took Salinas.
OUTRAGES BY SOLDIERS
I'VE are very anxious about Trumiah.
A letter dater March l from DR., Shedd
uhe Rev DR. w. A. Shedd of Marietta,
Ohio) came through by messenger two
days ago. He said things We're getting
worse. G7ilpashan, which hitherto had
not been disturbed by the Kurds, as il
had not fought against them, had been
plundered and ruined. think this was
the only village which remained. Fifty
one Of the most prominent men of this
village were taken out at night to the
cemetery and shot. The women and girls
who could not escape were violated This
was done by the Turkish soldiers
Forty men had been taken from
tho Roman Catholic mission at JTrum-
iah City, kept prisoners few days.
then were taken at night two miles
from the city and shot There were
sixty cases of typhoid among refugees
at the college and the French teacher
brought out from Switzerland last au-
tumn for the missionary children had
died of typhoid.
SPENT ALL FUNDS FOR RELIEF.
1T. SHeuu dshtu the american con-
sui at Tabriz to come to Urumiah but
after consulting with three other con-
suls here 1t was decided 1t would be
impossible to get through Mr.. Pad
dock has photographed every possible
place for assistance. We can do moth
ing more
I'VE have spent over $4,000 for re-
lief. The bank has ceased to buy
drafts or telegraphlc orders and we
will be obliged soon to borrow money
I'VE hear, but do not know If it is
true, that the mission in I'rumiah has
been forced to pay $4,000 as a ran
som for the refugees and we fear it
Is true. DIR. Shedd writes that not less
than 500 had been murdered in Urum-
iah and not less than 1000 had died
of disease. This applies to Christians
only. This is "A very large per cent as
more than half of the Christians fed
to Russia"
CHRISTIANS ARE VICTIMS
Under date of March 81 DR.. Vanne-
man wrote as follows:
We are more anxious than ever about
Urumah. On the nth Turkish troops at
tackled our mission and the Roman
Catholic mission and took five native
Russian priests from our compound and
treated them badly. We do not know
yet If they were killed Mr., Allen was
also treated badly because he had sent
out three messengers. The gates of the
catholic mission were burned and they
were all in great danger, We received
word form Ambassador Morgenthau that
orders had been sent to Urumiah to pro-
tect Christians but the order was Just
too late We are working to get all the
remaining Christians away from Urumiah
Some of the native Christian preachers
have been cr1icified and some burned.
hut these Wera Of other don n,,nina4ior.