The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-03-29
FIRST ARMENIAN
REFUGEES HERE
Members Of a Terribly
Prosecuted Race
TO Be COLONizEO IN U. S.
Wrongs Inflicted BY the Bru-
fish Turks Are Related
In Detail.
MOsLEAIs MET BY RESISTANCE
lRy L. Y. Il. Ruckor.l

New York, March 24.-Bitter ex
perience of the actual horrors Of wal
is being brought to America by Ar.
menian refugees-children women
and old men--neeing from their
looted homes and burned villages in
Asia Minor, before the devastating
Turks.
With the Goddess of Liberty a
stones throw away and the tower
ing skyline of New York staring
them in the face, | watched forty
five Armenians-frteen men and
the rest women and children and
babies in arms-wait wonderingly
Willie Uncle Sam unwourd the red
tape that temporarily held them
from breathing the air of freedom.
They seemed already to have forgot
ten the noise of battle, the shouts
of on-rushing Moslems and the cries
of the victims whose homes were be-
ing destroyed. as the least of their
misery.
These were the advance guard
of 1900 Armenian women and men
being escorted as refugees to the
United States by the American COM
mittce for Armenian and Syrian Re
lief The refugees are to be coll
ouized in this country. Their way
was paid by relatives already here.
As fast as they were discharged
by the immigration authorities, the
Armenians were taken in charge by
Walter II. Mallory, field secretary
for the committee. In turn. those
who had friends or relatives in New
York, were sent to them. The 9TH
ers were placed in charge of the va
riOus Armenian organizations to
await employment which the COM
mitee is attempting to obtain for
them.
Most of the first contingent of
refugees came from the villages Of
Habatlee and Batyan. on Mount
Moses, bordering OF the Mediterra.
mean, IS miles from tue ancient
city of Antioch. The two villages
having total of 1906 Inhabitants. J
We're destroyed last summer by the
Turks.
1t was late last SUMNER" said
Mrs. Achsah Sakenian, 70 years old, !
formerly OF the village of Habatlee,
when the inhabitants of Habatlee
and Batyan received word from the
Turkish officers that we had been
ordered deported to a desret somo- !
where in the interior"
Mrs, sakenian s,,o;.o .,n,.neh tho
iutern-., "pohe I'M
station of her son, s. G. Sa-
ken, a New York art dealer. who
met her at Ellis Island. He is thor
oughly Americanized and has had
the courts cut off the last syllable of
his name.
During the time given for prep
aration," the aged woman contin-
ued. about 5000 men. women and
children, myself among them, fled
to a refuge on Mount Moses.
The rest were driven by Turkish |
soldiers to some place in the inte-
Tior. We never knew where they
went, because none ever was known
to return,
"The Armenlans on Mount Moses
resisted the Turks. Twice the men !
repulsed attacks by Turkish SOL
diers, sent to dislodge them.
1T was huge homemade flag
that finally saved all of us. After
our men had attacked the Turks at
night, while they slept, We escaped
to a slope on the Mediterranean.
Our men surprised the Turks. and
they fed. thinking il was a superior
force.
when we reached the slope. the
refugees sewed together several
large white sheets and in the CEN