Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-01
CHRISTIANS CUT
DOWN WITH AXES
by THOUSANDS
Turks Ruthlessly Slaughter
Men, and Women and Girls
Are Carried Off

New York, Oct 1.-The slaughter
with axes of all the Armenian fac
ulty members of Anatolia College
Marsovan, Northern Asia Minor, TO-
gether with 1 200 others by Turkish
peasants whose pay for the work
was the privilege of stripping the
clothing ott their victims bodies, is
described here by the Rev. George E.
White, president of the college, re-
Gently returned to this country. The
massacres were committed at night
by order of the Turkish government
he said, the Armenians being sent
out in lots of a hundred or two to
their doom and their bodies rolled
into prepared burial trenches.
one group of our college boys
asked permission to sing before they
died and they sang Nearer, My God,
to Thee, then they were struck
down" Dr. White said
The situation for Armenia became
excessively acute in the spring of
1915 when the Turks determined to
eliminate the Armenian question by
eliminating the Armenians. The Ar
menian question arise from political
and religious causes.
ON the pretext of searching for
deserting soldiers, concealed bombs.
weapons, seditious literature or rev.
olutionists, the Turkish officers ar
rested about l 200 Armenian men at
MarsoVan, accompanying their inves-
legations by horrible brutalities.
There was no revolutionary activity
in our region whatever.
Killed by Lots
The men were sent out in lots
of one or two hundred in night de
portations' to the mountains where
trenches had been prepared. Coarse
np1Sgntg who % a.
what was done, said it was a pity to
waste bullets and they used axes.
Then the Turks turned on the
women and children, the old men
and little boys. Scores of oXcarts
were gathered and in the early dawn
as they passed, the squeaking of their
wheels left memories that make the
| blood curdle even now. Thousands of
| women and children were swept
away. Where? Nowhere. No desti-
nation was stated or intended. Why =?
Simply because they were Armenians
and Christians and were in the hands
! of the Turks.
Girls and young women were
snatched away at every turn on the
! journey. The girls sold at Marsovan
! for from 50 to 81 each. L know be-
cause l heard the conversation OF
men entiafed in the traffic. / know
girls at the price of $40.
THE misery, the agony, the suffer-
ing were beyond power of words to
eXpress-almost beyond the power Of
hearts to conceive. In bereavement,
thirst, hunger, loneliness, hopeless
| ness, the groups were swept on and
on along roads which had no desti-
nation.
81 received word from Ambassador
Morgenthau that our premises would
not be interfered with. Next morn
ing the chief of police came with
armed men and demanded surrender
of all Armenians connected with the
college, girls school and hospital. We
claimed the right to control our
grounds as American citizens.
Break Open Gates
More than two hours we held
them at bay. They brought more
armed men. They again demanded
surrender of the Armenians. l re-
| fused. They challenged me for re-
sisting the Turkish government.
They said anyone who did so was
liable to Immediate execution.
"They broke open our gates
brought in oXcarts and asked where
| the Armenians We're. l refused to
tell. They went through the build
ings smashing down the doors. Then
our Armenians friends, feeling that
| further attempt on our part to save
them would bring more harm prob
ably than good, came forth, profess