Norwich bulletin., 1916-02-21
HORRORS OF WAR AND MASSACRE
Dr. Clarence D. Usser Gives Startling Revelation of Con
 tions in Turkey-SmaN Armenian Force Held Turkish Army at Bay for 2s Days-Urgent Need of Relief Funds

The horrors of war and massacre
 were described by Clarence D. Ussher,
 M. D., a medical missionary to Van,
 Turkey, and well known in this city,
 before a very large audience at the Davis &heatre on Sunday evening. How thousands of Armenian women and
 children were unmercifully murderdi by cut-throat Turkish regiments, how
 the Red Cross flag on the hospital at Van was disregarded by the barbarous
 Turkish soldiers and how even Old Glory, the emblem of purity and free dom, was riddled by Turkish bullets
 as it waved proudly in the breeze above the American hospital at Van, were some of the revelations made to
 the people of Norwich by Dr. Ussher,
 who is making an appeal for financial aid for the Armenian relief fund.
 Practically all the churches in the city omitted their evening services in order that their congregations might
 at Van and large number of the To-
 cal clergy occupied seats on the stage. His Honor, Mayor Timothy c. Mur- phy, was chairman of the meeting. Rev. Frederick w. Coleman, pastor of
 Trinity Methodist Episcopal church,
 dered by the choir of Broadway Con
 gregational church. Dr. Ussher was
 introduced by Mayor Murphy.
 Dr. Ussher began by telling of the
 mobilization of the Turks which was
 started July 31, 1914. It was certain
 the Christian races was determined.
 They were maltreated and starved in
 the army and plundered and bankrupt
 ed in the name of reQuisition. Follow
 ing the lead set by Germany, all the Turkish criminals imprisoned in Van were liberated and armed on condition that they do the bidding of the gov ernment.
 Orders were issued that the Chris tians were to be exterminated and that
 if any Moslem should protect a Chris tian first his house should be burned the Christian killed before his eyes
 and then his family and himself. The
 first house burned in Van was the
 home of a Moslem who shielded an
 Armenian.
 FouIIy Murdered at Feast. The government on April 18th ar-
 rested an Armenian leader at Sha- ! dakh. The people made a protest ano
 demanded his release. On the next day the governor called four Armenian
 leaders of Van and sent them with four Turkish officials as a peace com
 mission to Shadakh. The first night they were on the way, and by the
 governors orders they were foully
 murdered at feast. On the following
 day a cavalry regiment of the Turkish
 criminal cutthroat soldiers was sent
 to massacre the people in Shadakh
 They found the road guarded and not wishing to encounter the Armenian rear guard swept down one of the
 most beautiful valleys in the country
 massac acreing village after village, six in number The Armenian populact had been advised to do nothing whicf
 the Turkish government could use aE an excuse for their horrible actions but they could stand it no longer. Si1 | sfttons in front of the cutthroat regi- ment and stopped them long enough for the women and children to escape to the mountains. Many of the wound ed and mutilated later came to Ou1
 hospital for treatment.
 Child Shot in the Back. A boy years of age, seeking shelter in the ice cold waters of the lake, was shot three times as he ran. One bulle' laid open his back from sacrum tC shoulder. A second bullet laid opeI
 the abdominal cavity for about eigh | inches so that his bowels protruded and the third bullet shattered his lef shoulder and arm as he tried to hide in the water. This boy did not die 1T the lake, but, suffering horribly as ht
 must have been, was carried 12 mile: 1 woman to the hospital, and the strange thing about it was that he lived. Witf the others he had spent four days il 1 the mountains wrapped in filthy gar ments.
 Previous to the siege of Van, thu Russians had entered the province O. Van and occupied Bashkalla and Serai l On their withdrawal from these place. l the Turks had slaughtered nearly ev' cry Christian remaining. Horrible out
 rages were perpetrated, women anC girls were herded into rooms wher, Turkish soldiers entered and did tt
 death in the vilest manner possible even little girls and 8 years old Nineteen outraged and mutilated wom en and girls, Armenian and Syrian were left lying in one room, and thei 1 horrible plight was described and pub | hshed by the guilty Turkish officers
 who in order to stir the Moslems tt hatred represented that these wer, Moslem women and girls who had beer ! thus abused by the Armenians ant Russians.
 Hundreds Shot Down.
 April 18th the governor of Artist i called all the men of Cigantz by trade with their apprentices, sending gen | darmes for those who were tardy They were divided into groups of 50
 marched out, and 2,50o shot down ant ! tumbled into trenches. This was tn | most merciful of massacres. In othe | places men were fiayed alive and wom | 6n ripped up ana InuL1laCoO. ASdln In account was published throughout tn | empire representing that the Armeni
 ans had rebelled and done this to tn
 Turkish population. Even then tn | local Moslems could not be persuadet
 and the government was compelled t send courtmartial officials and crimina
 soldiers to superintend the deportation | and massacre of nearly the entire Ar
 menian population of Turkey.
 l The able bodied men were takel away to the army. Others were sen out on the road a few hours journe,
 and then brutally murdered. At Mar i sovan 1,216, comprising the college an school faculties and students, preacher and others, were slaughtered wit, axes, and one man boasted that he ha ] killed 50 that night and taken 150 lira 1 from their bodies.
 1 This done, the aged and the wome and girls were herded like cattle an
 sent on foot journeys of months dura 1 tion, without provisions or clothing. One group of 5000 sent from Rarpoo numbered but 213 when 1t reache
 A1eppo. Women were stripped make 1 and compelled to travel so under tn heat of the sun by day and the chi, of night lying in the open on the bar | ground and subject to the passions c any fiend who chose to approach then The men were thrown into the large | VI, Sv1 o4