The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-11-03
AMERICANS DEATHS
LAID TO THE TURKS
Five Missionaries Succumb to the
Shock of the Armenian Horrors,
Says Report.

NEW YORK, Nov. 3.-The strain
and shock of the tragedies that the
war has brought to Turkey during the
last year is responsible for the deaths
of five of the American missionaries
on duty in the Turkish empire since
the first of last May, the period cover
ed by the Turkish campaign against
the Armenians, according to the an
nual report of the Rev. Dr. James L.
Barton, the foreign secretary of the
Board of Commissioners of Foreign
Missions, made public here yesterday.
The missionaries whose deaths are
attributed to the terrible conditions in
Turkey were Mrs. Mary E. Barnum,
died at Harpoot, May 8, after fifty
six years of service in Turkey; Mrs
Charlotte Z. Ely, died at Bitlis, July
IL, after fortyseven years continuous
service; the Rev. George p Knapp,
died at Diarbekr, Aug. 10, after TWEEN
y-fve years service at Harpoot and
at Bitlis; Mrs. Martha W. Raynolds
wife of the Rev. DR.. George c. Ray
nolds, died Aug. p, from injuries re-
ceived while in flight from Van to
Tiflis, Russia, and Mrs. Elizabeth
usher, died of typhus fever at Van,
July IA, after sixteen years of service
The report goes into the war situa-
tion in detail. Among the hundreds of
thousands of Armenians and other
Christians who perished in Turkey, Dr.
Barton states, were professors and
teachers in our schools, pastors and
preachers, pupils, and all other class
es, every one of whom, he adds
miserably perished at home, or have
died of exposure upon the road toward
northern Arabia or elsewhere, where
vast multitudes have been exiled
Probably in all history DR.. Bar
ton continues, 1.-TWO hundred mission
aries have never been called on to pass
through more terrible experiences than
the last nine or ten months, and the
end Is not yet
Referring to the treatment of Amer
leans by the Turkish authorities, DR..
Barton SAYS that when Harpoot was
made military center several of the
buildings of Euphrates college were
voluntarily turned over to the Turkish
military authorities. A large dormi-
tory was not and the American consul
sealed the door with the official seal of
! the United States.
/ f.This SEAL add DR.. Barton, was
ostentatiously broken by the Kai-ma-
kan of Harpoot, and so since March
the college has discontinued its work
altogether. The mission buildings at
/ Alton and Kara Hissar were early
taken possession of By the government
as was the school building at Adaba-
zar.
I'm their dealings with Americans
the officials have assumed that the De
cree of abrogation of the capitulations
has put all foreigners under local of
fetal control AS result their houses
as we'll as their persons have beer
searched repeatedly, their communica
tions with the United States consul;
and even with the ambassador have of
ten been suppressed, their movements
seriously obstructed, and in one IN
stance, that of DR.. and Mrs. Smith a
Diarbekr, they were arrested and sen
out of the country by court martial
No charges worthy of consideration
were preferred. Several missionarie
have suffered brief periods of imprls
onment' -