Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-05-07

heights around ErZerum, packing heavy guns piecemeal over the moln- tain ranges preparatory to attacking the fortresses. His information was gathered from various officials and army officers who have returned to Tiflis from Erzerum. =
 Work of Slavs Marvellous.
 "'The work of. the Russian forces was nothing short of marvellous" ;" writes MT. Hill. They had to fight their way from their original position near Sari Kamysh clear Up to the city itself, over roads that. beggar descrip- tion. The men waded in snow up to their waists, pushed on through a blinding snowstorm, scaled apparently impossible heights all in weather as intense and bitter as that of the Arctic circle. Guns were taken apart and carried on the backs of soldiers, 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 con- sternation to the enemy. Too much praise cannot be given to the valor and hardihood of the Russian soldier. An artillery officer who was in the fight from the beginning told me that the wonders performed and the diffl- culties overcome were every whit as great as those which made Napoleon's march over the Alps military classic.
 "The city itself is little if any dam aged, the forts even hardly showing evidence of severe bombardment. When the fall of the city was immin- ,ent the Turkish soldiers in certain quarters began to loot and burn, but before much damage was done the inhabitants were able to prevent the fire from spreading. The approach of the Russian soldiers caused the loot CTS to beat nasty retreat. A popula- tion of 25,000 was found in the place. mostly Turks. Some Persians and a few Greeks made up the remainder. Possibly 6 hundred Armenians had been able to hide with friendly Turks and were found in the city upon it's capture. ,Apart from these there has been found no trace of other Armen- ians. numbering 15,000, who were taken from the city and sent into the interior in June of last year. That is to say, no word has come from any of the men, but MT Stapleton, Amer iean missionary in Erzerum, has hsard indirectly from some of the women depor.ed at that time. The whole of the province has been cleared of Armenians with the exception of those few who hid in the city At the same time 15 500 were sent away from villages nearby. These were taken as far as Mamakhatun 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 thtm may still be found alive in the region of Aleppo.''
 One Kind Turk.
 In this connection it is interesting to learn of an incident occurring just prior to the fall of the city. Taxim ] Bey, the Vali. it appears had done all he could, as far as he was al- | lowed by Constantinople 10 do, to ease the lot of the Armenians. Realizing | that the fall of the city was near he sent tor MT, Stapleton and 10 him delivered message for the Russian authorities to the effect that if the ! lMoslem population were not molested | by the Russian troops. he would do all he could to help the expartriated Armenlans in Mesopotamia: otherwise ! he would not answer for what might | happen. It is only just to the Rus sans to say that the relations between | the troops and he inhabitants are ex- ceedingly friendly. The bazaars and shops are opsn and the people are glad to sell to the Russians
 The fall of Erzerum had hardly been announced before groups of Armenians in various parts of the Caucasus began plans for their re- turn. Many have already gone back and others are only waiting for means to enable them to move. The Van. Bitlis and adjacent vilayets have all ready bsen opened and permission to go back seems easy to obtain
 Refugees Total 100000
 The number of refugees at present would total close to 20,000 They have managed for the most part to get through the winter somehow. helped by the various relief organizations a. ' work here. IL is realized that to per init wholesale return of all would be madness. They would return to ruined homes and devastated fields. Very wisely therefore those in author ity are urging the women and chil- i. dren to remain here while the msn take up the work of rebuilding their homes.