The Mankato free press., 1917-09-28

scendi totsuch depths of cruelty and
barbarism as she had. but the evil
dences were coming thick. and fast
things that had seemed unbelievable
were proven, and the American peo-
pie had become convinced more and
more that the charges of cruelty were
true. When the true story of that wal
shall have BEEN written. he said, the
armies guilty of such conduct will
have found that they have covered
Themselves With runspeakable shame
Mr.. Palmer now presented DR.. White
to tell Of the horrors and atrocities
and wholesale murders of the land
where he had been doing educational
work fer more than a, quarter of a
centurY- @ili; NnsseakaIsD E- 3
Address BY Dr.. White.
DR.. White told how in the year 1890
he left the, church of which he was
pastor at -Waverly, iowa, and went in
to the educational field in Turkey, re-
ceiying the appointment to Marsovan,
Turkey. There he and his wife
labored for twenty-seven years. Dur
ing that time they had made three
visits to America, being granted that
permission by Turkish officers whose
favor they had managed to secure.
DR.. White remarked that in support
ing Christianity in Purkey, ne was
working against the, most powerful
enemy that Christianity, had in the
world, and that was Mohammedanism.
He called attention to the vast num-
ber of people of that faith in the world,
and to the fact that Turkey today in
her vast empire, possessed more land
than all of her allies. ~ 5u" 5.ra
The speaker, made a telling point
when he declared that as early as
April 1914; Turkey began mobiliZing
her troops for the great war. This was
months before the outbreak of the
conflict and months before the assaSs-
ination OF the Aus trian crown prince,
that precipitated the conflict Nor, did
Turkey at" once ENTER" the conflict
when it, opeped, but her, preparations
and mobilization were not ICED by him :
self as. early AS April 1914 This
mobilization was carried on two
blocks from Shis home, Turkey, with
her German trained leaders, knew
that war was inevitable, long before
that assassination.
An Interesting Narrative.
He told of his institution, Anatolia
colleges that -atstheg height of sits
prosperity, before it was interfered
with by theF Turkish military power,
had 425 students, besides 255 girls in
the separate. college for girls There
were about 1000 souls in all connect
ed with the college, largely Armenians
being located lin their country. He
spoke of the fact that eight members
of his own teaching force had been
drafted as soldiers into the Turkish
forces. When the mobilization orders
came, $500 men of Marsovan were
made to go into the Turkish ranks.
The military preparations were under
way long before war was declared.
He said it was in 1915 that the
Turkish government began the solu-
tion of the Armenian problem by the
elimination Of the Armenian people.
The officials began their work by
searching the houses and other build
ings of the Armenians for evidences
of; treason and sedition. This was
merely the beginning of the wholesale
expulsions, murders and other cruel
ties that were to, follow. The work was
done with German thoroughness and
Turkish cruelty. The deportation was
carried on in endless trains of OK
carts. gf-ar@.0 a.rrE #s-lG.'I
The speaker dwelt on the point that
the sArmenians were the most thrifty
and Industrious of the people in Tur-
key, and always accumulated wealth
when they had the opportunity. The
Turks looted their homes, carrying off
precious rugs and other valuables.
Turkish officers obtained vast 9quanti-
ties of loot. ,, ~~-rr-.
%91F Sale of Armenian Girls. ""@n"
He told how Armenian girls were
sold in the streets of Marsovan at 50,
SO and 81 each. He himself had man
aged to rescue three of them with one
piece of Turkish gold, worth $40 in
American money. Vast numbers of
the girls were carried off into the
Turkish narems. .. ..,.,-.,,... ........
AS these frightful deportations were
going on, mothers could be seen giving
their babies away They gave them
to, anybody who was likely to give
them food. Many even gave them to
Turkish women, just so the children
would not starye., Vast numbers of
the. Armenians were deported into
what is known as the great Syrian
desert. This desert could be made to
produce, as Western American deserts
have. but at present it is worthy of
the name of desert.
He told how the chief of police with
an armed force one day came to the
college and demanded the. surrender
of all the Armenians in, the place.
President White endeavored to deter
him by moral suasion, but at length
the gates, were broken open. The Ar
menians came forward and gave them
selves up, stating that they were sub
jects of the Ottoman empire. Eight
members of the teaching faculty We're
carried off on that occasion.
He told how, at later time, sixty
two girls of the girls department of
the college swere likewise carried off
However, two of the managers, Miss
Willard and Miss Gage, managed to
get a hearing with the viceroy of the
province, and fortyseight 2of sthe girls
were returned. He spoke. of the won
derful-work~that Miss Gage had done
but last July, he was told, that noble
woman had ended her life.