The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-03-26
MOSLEM'S KILL
CHRISTIANS
Serious Riots In Persian
District Reported.
Mob Rule Supreme and Amer;.
can Mission Refuge For
Thousands.
a. .MB

New York. March 23.-The Per-
sian War Relief Committee, with
headquarters in this city, to-day re-
ceiyed the following cablegram from
Tiflis, Russia:
All villages burned except three.
Two Christian quarters of Urumiah
plundered and great many people
killed. Women taken captives. Fiji
teen thousand refugees in the Amer
lean mission. Great danger. The
French mission has been DESTROYED.
There are 10000 refugees in Rus
sia."
The message was signed by Asian
OFF, Russian contractor of Tifis.
Urumiah is in Northwestern Per-
STA, not far distant from the Russian
border. A previous dispatch from
Djulfa. Persia, received here March
81, was to the effect that the Tur-
kish Consul at Urumiah. at the head
of seventy Askaris, recently attacked
and deacons upon being ordered to
leave the mission were insulted and
beaten, it was stated in the dispatch.
Russian troops, it was also said, had
been sent for to save the lives of
Christians whom the mission was un-
able to protect
in, a.
of mob rule for week. according
TO reports received here by the Pres.
byterian Board of American Mis-
sions. A reign of terror in which
maurauders and bandits hold sway
has driven tens of thousands from
the city and into the outlying prov
inces and has sent other thousands.
to the protection of the American
flag, which waves above the Presbyr
terrain mission there.
Ten thousand persons were hous-
ed in the mission three weeks ago,
according to information received
here. These refugees included al
most the entire native Christian pop
ulation of the city, between 1000:
and 5000, the 200 or 800 American
missionaries and teachers whose ac-
tivities have been conducted under
the boards supervision. and a heter-
ogeneous aggregation of foreigners.
Danes, Swedes. Norwegians and
nthar Euronaonc nraccad has;da Mns
lens in the headlong flight for life
from the mob to the missions. ac-
cording to the reports. The doors
were open to all. All who could be
accommodated within the buildings,
it was said, were accorded the pro-
lection of the American flag.
The missions themselves embrace
a number of buildings, divided into
two compounds, so-called. Chief of
these is a great school building a
mile and half from the city proper.
Several thousand persons. it was
thought could find protection within
its walls. The second compound con-.
sists OF number of buildings in the
city proper. These include a modern
hospital of commodious proportions,
churches to the number Of twenty
five and other schools. Over the
principal buildings of this compound
the American flag has been placed.
Urumiah is the center of a rich
province of Persia. II was abandon
ed by the Russians early in the cam
paign. The French mission referred
to. it was said. was founded by the
Lazarista Order. and including the
territory of the province, embraced
twenty-six chapels and meeting
places conducted by sixteen Europe
an priests and three natives employ
ed and there were in the mission.
III sisters OF charity.
The Christian quarters which were
invaded. it was said. were occupied
by colonies of native Christians. who
called themselves HISTORIANS and
whose occupancy dated back more
than 1900 years.