The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-02
FOUND ARMENIANS
STARVING IN CAMP
ALONG EUPHRATES

New York, Jan. 2-An Eyewitness"
whose character and standing are
Vouched for by eminent men Of the
country succeeded recently in visit
ing the Turkish prison camps in the
valley of the Euphrates and in North
ern Arabia and Syria, where are held
in captivity thousands of exiled Ar
menians. This observer, the first
neutral to visit those camps, has writ
ten for the American Committee for
Armenian and Syrian Relief, which
has it's headquarters at 20 Fifth ave-
nue., the story Of what he saw. The
report was made public yesterday by
the committee, of which the Rev. DR..
James L. Barton is the chairman.
Among the other members are Car
dinal Gibbons, Bishop David H. Greer,
DR.. Charles w. Eliot, John r. Mott,
Oscar S. Straus, Charles r. Crane, the
Rev DR.. Stephen S. Wise, Henry Nor
genthau, Cleveland H. Dodge, Arthur
Curtiss James, Bishop Rhinelander.
and William J. Schieffelin.
1.-The writer of this report" the
statement issued yesterday says, lis
not an American, but a citizen of an
other neutral country. The report
is in many respects the most heart
breaking of all the sad messages re-
ceived by the committee. There is
no question as to the character of the
person who makes the report, or as
to the accuracy of the statements con-
tanned therein"
The writer of The report says that
he was permitted to visit the Arme-
MAN encampments all along the Eu-
pirates, and was able to see and to
gather data concerning the exiles.
''It is impossible the report reads,
''to give an account of the impress
sion of horror : which my journey
across the Armenian encampments
scattered all long the Euphrates has
given me, especially those on the right
bank between Meskene and Der-i-
Tor. These can hrdly be called en-
campments, because of the fact that
the majority of thes, unfortunate
people, brutally dragged out Of their
native land, torn from their homes
and families, robbed of their effects
upon their departure or en- route, are
penned up in the open like cattle,
without shelter, almost no clothing,
and irregularly fed with food alto
gether insufficient"
The writer says that the remnants
of the Armenian nation disseminated
along the Euphrates is COMPOSED of
old men and women and children
10000 Buried in the Pin.
"Meskene, through it's geographical
position on the border between Syria
and Mesopotami," the writer continues
lis the natural point of concentration
of departed Armenians coming from
the vilayets of Anatolia and sent after
wards all along the Euphrates. They
arrive there by the thousands, but the
majority leave their bones there. The
impression which this immense and
dismal plain Of Meskene leaves is sad
This information was obtained on the
spot, and permit me to state that
nearly $4,000 Armenians are buried
there, carried off by hunger, by priva-
lions Of all sorts, by intestinal dis
eases and resultant typhus. AS far
as the eye can reach mounds are seen
containing 200 or 800 corpses buried
in the ground pell nell, women, chill
dren and old people belonging to diff
ferent families. At present nearly
4,50O Armenians are kept between the
Down of Meskene and the Euphrates.
These are but living phantoms.
Il saw under a tent of five or six
square meters about $50 orphans.
These poor children receive $50 grams
of bread per day. However, at times,
and this is more often the case, they
remain two days without eating any
thing. Death makes cruel ravages
among them. This tent was shelter
ing $50 victims while I was passing
through. Eight days afterward, upon
my return, disease had carried off II
of them.
"Abou Herrera is, a small place
north of Meskene on the bank of the
Euphrates. 1t is the worst part of the
desert. On small hill 200 meters
from the river are confined 240 Arme-
mans under the surveillance of two
gendarmes.'
Gave Bread TO FamisIiing.
The writer says that he gave them
some bread, which they ate voracious-