Norwich bulletin., 1916-06-13
Stories of the War
How Russiana Took Erzerum.

Fifteen thousand Armenians were killed by Turks at Mamalxhatun prior to the evacuation of Erzerum, accord ing to statement prepared for the local representative of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief of New York More than that many more, expelled from Erzerum and surrounding villages, have drop ped ost of sight and it is assumed that most of them have met a like fate. It is estimated that there are 100000 Armenian refuges in the Cau- easus- They are beginning to return to their homes in large numbers. By April first it is thought 20, 900 will have
 been repatriated. More than $12o,a0O
 has been expended by the American committee for their relief, IFS, GOO ar
 t1cles of clothing and bedding, several tons of sugar, tea, soap and kerosene having been distributed.
 MT. Hill described interestingly the almost superhuman achievement of the Russian soldiers in scaling the heights around ErzeIuna, packing 6eavy guns piecemeal over the moun-
 tain ranges preparatory to attacking the fortresses. His information was gathered from various officials and
 army officers who have returned to Tif1is from ErzeruIn ka
 The work of the Russian forces
 was nothing short of marvellous,
 writes MT. Hill. They had to fight ! their way from their original pos-
 ftion near Sari Kamysh clear up to
 the city itself. over roads that beggar description. The men Waded in
 snow up to their waists, pushed on
 through a hlinding snowstorm, sealed apparently impossible heights all in
 weather as intense and bitter as that
 of the Arctic circle. Guns were taken
 apart and carried on the back of soI-
 diers, hauled up by ropes to the top of cliffs and then dropped down the icy | slopes and put together in the clouds
 from where they brought terror and consternation to the enemy. Too much praise cannot be given to the valor and hardlrood the Russian sol dier. An artillery officer who was in
 the fight from the beginning told me l that the wonders performed and the I difficulties overcome were every whit as great as those. which made Napo- | Icons march over the Alps a military
 classic.
 ''The city itself is little if anw dam 1 aged, the forts even hardly showing evidence of severe bombardment 1 When the fall of the city was immi- nent the Turkish soldiers in certain l quarters began to loot and burn, but l before much damage was done the in- habitants were able to prevent the fire from spreading. The approach of the l Russian soldiers caused the looters to l beat nasty retreat A population of 1 900 was found in the place, mostly l Turks. Some Persians and a few f Greeks made up the ren1ainedr. Pos sfb1y a hundred Armenians had been
 able to hide with friendly Turks and were found in the city upon its cap
 ture. Apart from these there has been l found no trace of other ArmenianS,
 numbering 15,600, who were taken l from the city and sent into the inter- for in June of last year. That is to say, no word has come from any of the men, but Mir. StapIeton, American | missionary in Erzerum, has heard in- directly from some of the women de- 1 ported at that time. The whole of the province has been cleared of Armen- ians with the exception of those few who hid in Hle city. At the same
 time 15. 900 were sent away from vil- l lages nearby. These were taken as far as MamaHhatun where they were killed. Other groups have been sent off at different times many of them too, no doubt, sharing the same fate as those from ErZerum, although some hope is entertained that many of them
 may still be found alive in the region of A1eppo."
 Tn this connection it is interesting ! to learn of an incident occurring just prior to the fall of tIle city. Taxim Bey, the Vali, 1t appears had done al he could, as far as he was allowed by I Constantinople to do, to ease the lot oi the Arnenians. Realizing that tho
 fall of the city was near he sent fol ii MT. Stapleton s1nd to him delivered 2
 message for the Russian authorities
 to the effect that if the Moslem pop
 ulation were not mo1ested by the Rus
 sian troops, he would do all he cog1Hl
 to Ee1p the expatrfated ATmenians fl
 Mesopotamfa; otherwise he would no answer for what might happen. It is
 only just to the Russians to say tha'
 the relations 1ttween the troops aui the inhabitants are exceedingly friend. ly. The bazaars and shops are ope1
 and the people are glad to sell to thu :. Russians.
 The faNyof Efzerum had hardly beer announced before groups Of Afmen-