Arizona republican., 1917-10-15
CHARGE MADE TURKS
BURY BABES ALIVE
W|THDEAD MOTHERS
Republican a. P. Leased Wire]


of babies in trenches with the bodies of
their mothers, who had been slaugh-
tered or allowed to perish from expos
ure, was practiced by the Turks in
their work of eXterminating the Arme
mans, it was declared here today by
the Rev. Henry H. Riggs, missionary OF
the American Board of Commissioners
for Foreign Missions to Harput, Tur
key who recently came back to this
country. A trench was dug beside a
camp OF Armenian women, he said, ana
as they met DEATH the survivors were
forced to drag their bodies to it and
bury them.
The gendarmes said they could not
take care of the babies that We're left
behind, so many OF those We're buried
with their Mothers DR.. Riggs said.
When | visited this camp, | fire.
quently saw Turks wandering about
among the Armenians picking out pref
ty sills and little children to take away
90 their homes Some mothers told us
that they had themselves thrown their
babies into the EuphI ates River rather
than allow them to be taken TO Moslem
homes. Many more threw themselves
into the river to escape bondage OF
shame worse than death.
About fifteen miles from Harput is
a lake hidden fIom sight with many
ravines about it. We were told that the
Armenian exiles were being killed and
left in these ravines. Two Americans
investigated and brought back photo
graphs and actual facts. They saw in
twenty mile ride 10000 human bodies,
most of them killed by the bayonet.
With a few exceptions they were Wom-
en- and children and the mangled con-
dition of their bodies showed the hor-
Iible fate that has been theirs.
The story of the deportation OF the
Armenians of Harput is one of per
fidy, violence and murder" Dr. RIGGS
went on, adding, 1t is nearer to the
truth to say the Turkish government
undertook the extinction of the Ar
menian population" After the issue OF
an edict for all Armenians to go TO
Mesopotamia, he said, there came the
arrest of all the men of standing.
They were sent out on the road tied
together in groups of two TO five, he
said, driven and beaten by the gem
darmes OF the first party 500, one
young man survived to tell the story
of what happened The party was TAX
en- into a ravine and ordered to sit
down, he told me. Then the gendarmes
climbed up on the surrounding rocks
and fired with their rifles into the
crowd of bound prisoners as long as
they showed signs of life.
The man who told me the story sue
ceeded in getting his knife and cutting
himself loose AS he made his dash fol
liberty he was followed by a Volley OF
shots bat got away unscathed. All the
other men of that and similar parties
were ruthlessly butchered.
The women and children were then
started on the road toward Mesopotd-
mia in companies of two or three
thousand. By indirect routes they We're
forced to wander about until the sum
mer heat and disease wasted away the
majority. No transportation was pro-
vided. I saw one old man. who had
travelled 200 miles, start out to go the
remaining $50 miles carrying on his
back his pack of quilts and clothes and
on top of that his aged, palsied wife,
| who could not walk
often the routes chosen took the
| people over waterless deserts where
thousands persisted from thirst. !
passed through such a region where
| thousands of bleached skeletons On
each side of the way told the story of
| a waterless journey across the plains
| in August.
The people who passed through
| Harput from the north. usually spent
two or thee days in camp within sight
| of my home. The sights we saw there
! can never be forgotten. They were alb
| solutely without shelter day or night,
| from heat or cold. The air was I'M
| speakably foul from dead bodies lying
near. AS we approached. the women
| and children came around us like hun
| cry wolves, all restraint lost in the one
| desire for a piece of bread.
The sick and dying lay around un
| der the blazing sun with no one to care
| for them, waiting for the end. One
| place | saw a row of twelve dead wom-
| en- and children who had been lying in
| the shade of trees. With them was one
| little baby still alive. The shade had
shifted and the burning August sun
| had fallen on them and killed them. A
! long trench was dug beside the field
where these people were encamped.
The people themselves were obliged to
| dig and fill it, as soon as one died.
In January, 1916. DR.. Riggs said
| there were 485,000 deported Armenians
| in Mesopotamia, while in May 1917, the
| most careful Investigation showed only
! 900 survivors, more than three
| quarters having persisted from famine,
| pestilence and massacre in fifteef
! months.
| The only bright feature of this ter
| Tible picture is the help that has ac-
| tually reached a fraction of these peo-
| pie through relief funds from America S
ever ready generosity DR.. Riggs said
| In Harput we were able to give daily
Iations of bread to nearly 5000 widows
| and orphans. If more money had come
| there were 10000 within reach equally
| in need Upon the rupture of diplo-
matte relations. the Turkish govern
ment confiscated our food supplies and
| many of these people persisted OF
| hunger"
Since then. however. DIR. Riggs con-
| tinued, arrangements have been made
| to continue the relief work through
| neutral agents who are diSburslng the
| funds and supplies gathered through
the American Committee for Armenian
and Syrian Relief in New York City
| The question of saving the remnant o
| the Armenian race. he said, can be
solved only by American generosity
The Armenian men are dead, h
said, 'and the women have bee
crushed and cannot long survive tn
terrible experiences through whicl
they have passed. But there are 400,
900 orphan children, most of whom ar
begging their bread today The hop
of the future is In gathering togethe
these remnants and saving them TO
the seed of the future Armenian race