Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-31
YANKEE CHARITY
DOES MUCH GOOD
J America Wins Praise by Its
Ready Relief to Legions
of War Victims.
ARMENIA is GRATEFUL

Correspondence of The Associated Press>
London, Dec. ll.-George F. Ora
oey, member of the American COM
mittee for Armenian and Syrian re,
lief, who has helped to feed and
clothe about $4,000 Armenians in their
native land and again when they fled
to the Caucasus to escape the Turks.
has Just returned to London. Most
of this was possible only through the
generosity Of the American people,
declared Mr.. Gracey, who is not an
American, but an Englishman, and
has been a member Of the American
committee for the last twelve years.
Since the war broke out he has been
been directing the relief work for the
Armenians from Tif1is.
armenia has replaced Belgium
and Serbia as the most distressful
country on the face of the globe"
said Mr.. Gracey. The Armenians
have twice been driven from their ma
} tive land. Those who were not mas
1sacred when the Turks invaded their
country early in the war fed TO the
Caucasus. They returned when the
Russians drove the Turks out OF Ar
menia. They were forced TO flee to the
Caucasus again few months ago
when the Turks chased the Russians
out of Mush and Bitlis, and for time
Threatened the cars army at Van
on the east side of the lake of that
name.
A Woeful Plight.
when the ArmenianS were able to
return to their country early this year
they were without food, clothing or
the means OF making a living. The
American committee came to the res
cue by supplying some 10000 with
200 head OF cattle and large guam
tity Of agricultural implements. This
work of repatriating them ran along
from May to August of this year
Just as they were getting on their feet
again and starting out to face lite
anew along come the reinforced
Turks The Ottoman troops succeed
cd in taking Mush and Bitlis, in the
very heart of Armenia Then they
moved along the northern and western
shores of Lake Van, with the object
of encircling the town Of Van, which
was the base OF the Russian opera
lions in that district. They did moi
get to Van. but chung to the shoes OF
the lake. That is the present military
: situation in that territory.
THE object of the Russian incur
sion into Armenian was not only to
rescue the Armenians, but to estab-
lish a line from Trebizond on the
Black Sea across the neck Of Asia
Minor to Aleppo and thus deprive
Turkey Of the resources of Mesopota.
mia. Those who have followed the
course of the war know what hap
pened. They know that the Russians
were only partially successful, that
they captured Trebizond, Mush and
Bitlis, but were unable to extend theii
lines farther south and prevent the
subsequent loss of the two last named
places.
although the Turks did not retake
Van, rumors of their approach STRUCK
terror to the hearts of the repatriated
Armenians, who had been chased
from their homes year before. As
stated they fed to the Caucasus once
more, taking with them about 25,00(
of their countrymen from Mush and
Bitlis, so that we are at present con.
fronted with the problem of caring fol-
about 55,000."
Mr.. Gracey said he wanted to pay
tribute to the work of the American
Red Cross in Persia. Its base is al
Khoi and DR.. Hazlett, an American
is in charge.