Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-10-15
BURIED BABES
OF ARMEN|ANS
WHILE ALIVE
HORRIBLE STORY OF TURKISH
ATROCITIES IN DETERMINATION
OF CHRISTIANS Is TOLD BY
RETURNED MISSIONARY.


terminating the Armenians, il was declared
MISSIONARY ~ The American Board II
Commissioners Tor Foreign Missions 10
%iifrpui. Turkey. who recently came back
tu ill~ country. A trench WAS I'LL. beside
4 camp oI Armenian women. he sad. and
s~ they mei death the survivors were
forced 10 drag their bodies 10 it and bury
them.
THE gendarmes said they could not take
care of the babies that were left behind 80
many of those were buried with their
Mothers DIR. Riggs said. when Twisted
this camp | frequently saw Turks wander
ing about among the Armenians picking
out pretty girls and little children To take
away To their homes. Some mothers told
u that they had themselves thrown their
babies into the EuphrateS river rather than
allow them to he taken To Moslcm homes.
Many more threw themselves into the river
Ia escape a bondage of shame wores than
death.
"About fifteen miles from Harput i a
lake hidden from sight with many ra-
vines about it. We were told tina, the Ar
menian exile> were being killed and left in
these ravines. Two Americans investigated
and brought back photographs and actual
facts. They saw in a twenty mile ride
10000 human bodies. most Of them killed
by the bayonet. With a few exceptions
they were women and children and the
mangled condition of their bodies showed
the horrible fate that has been theirs
The story of the deportation Of the Ar
menians of Harput is one of ''perfidy,
violence and murder" DIR. Riggs went on
adding, I'll is nearer the truth 10 say the
Turkish government undertook the exter-
mination of the Armenian population.
After the issue of an edict for all Arme-
mans TO 90 to Mesopotamia, he said, there
came the arrest of all the men of stand
ing.
''Thev were sent ont on the road tied to-
gether in groups Of two 10 five. he said.
driven and beaten BY gcndarme-. of the
FIRST party of 500, one ycnng man survived
o. ten the story of what happened. The
party wH- taken iuto "a ravinc nj ordered
ta -t down. hc I'D me-. Then the gen
tA.t.aNm H.aHaHhA NffHA NHM
rocks and Tired a.fa ,hcr rifles a.o ih,
crowd rI bound pr -aner- Ions let
showed signs "f itg
eth, man pho tsIt ur th.- u M
I eecIed in getting bis kmt, ana
! him-eli loose. AZ he made hI- Ut-h 'o
liberty hc Was followed ht a voliey Of shots
INT got away unscathed. All the other
I'm 90 tlas and .avu,lar 80 rtt.- vav r,tfl
lesslv butchered.
"The women md Children were thor
-t.rcG Oh tie road toward Mesopotamia
n companies of two or three thousand. BY
indirect routes they were forced to wander
about until the summer heat and disease
aa I'D way the majority. No tran~poria-
tion was provided. | saw one old man.
90 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 peo-
pie 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.
1.-The people who passed through lIarput
from the north usually spent two or three
days in camp within sight of my home.
The sights we saw there can never be for
gotten. They were absolutely without
shelter, day or night. from heat or cold.
The air was un~peakably foul from dead
bodies lying near. A. we approached the
women and children came around a. like
hungry wolves. all restraint lost in the one
desire for q piece of bread.
THE sick ard diving lay around under
the blazing sun with no one 10 care for
them. waiting for the end. One place |
saw IA row of twelve dead women and chill
dren who had been lying in the shade Of
trees. With them was one little baby still
alive. The shade had shifted and the
4 burning August sun had fallen on then
and killed them. 4 long trench was due
beside the field where these people wer,
cncamped. The people themselves wer,
obliged to dig and fill it. A. soon rs on,
: died she was dragged To the trench"
In January. 1916. DR.. Rigc- said, Their,
4 were ls5 600 deported Armenian IN Me-o.
y potamia. while in May. 1917 the mos
i careful investigation showed only 1l2.00C
= survivors. more than three-quartcr~ huvinr
IN persisted from #rii'. nl 'i rr .Hf rr
-irre l Fifteen months
~Iue rull bright feature I'd tb- tcunat
d picture .- the help ta.i actually rrach.
# cd \ fraction Of these people through re.