The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-11-16
Little Babies Buried Alive
In Trenches With Mothers By
Turks Prosecuting Armenlans
Missionary Just Returned Tells Of Horrible Atrocities Pepetraed
by Sutans Terrible Followers
Pick Out Pretty Girls For White Slave PwposesTen Thousand Human
Bodies Counted in Single Pit

Burial alive of babies trenches with the bodies OF
their mothers who had been slaughtered allowed to
h from exposure pracced by the Turks IN their work
of eXte1nnating the Amenians, declared here to-
day by the Rev Henry H. Riggs missionary of the Amer
can Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions TO ar
put Turkey who recently came back to this country "A
trench was dug beside of Armenian women lie said
and they met death the survivors were lolceo " ue
their bodies to it and bury them.
The gendarmes said they could not take care of the
babies that left behind many of those were buried
with their mothers' Dr. Riggs said when visited TINS
camp frequently Turks wandering about among the
ATmemanS pcklng out preS a n C tod Us that thew
had themselves thrown their babies INTO the EuphrateS r
er rather than allow them to be taken to Mosem homes
Many threw themselves into the river TO escape oo
dage of shame than death.
About fifteen miles from Harput is a lake hidden from
sight with many ravnes about it. We were told that the
Armenian exles being killed and left in these 1avnes
Two Americans investigated and brought back photographs
and actual facts They saw oa IN twenty we E me hnone ae WtI
few exceptions they women and children and the
manged condition Of their bodies showed the horrible 1e
that has been theirs.
The story of the deportation of the Amenans of Ha1-
put is of perdy violence and murder, Dr. klggs Went
on, adding 81" is nearer to the truth to say the lufSh
government undertook the extinction OF the Armenian pop
ulation After the issue of edc for all ArmenanS to
go esopoana he said there came the arrest OF all the
men of standing
"'They were sent out on the road tied together in
groups of to five he said drven and beaten by the
gendarmes OF first party of 800 young survived
to tell the story of what happened The party was taken
ravne and ordered to sit down. he told me Then the
gendarmes climbed up the surrounding rocks and fired
with their rifles into the crowd of bound prisoners as long
as they showed signs of life
"The who told me the story succeeded in getting
his knife and cutting himself loose. AS he made his dash
for liberty he followed by voey of shots but got
away unscathed All the other men of that and similar
parties were ruthesslv butchered.
"The women and children then started on the
road toward Nesopoamia in companies of two or three
thousand BY indirect routes they forced to wander
about until the summer heat and disease wasted away the
majority. No transportation was provided saw one
old man. who had travelled 200 miles start out to go the
naming $50 miles carrying his back his pack of quilts
and clothes and top of that his aged pased wife who
could not walk.
"Often the routes chosen took the people water
less deserts where thousands pershed from thirst pass
ed through such region where thousands of beaGhed se
etons each side the way told the story OF WateresS Jour
nev across the plains in August
"The people who passed through Harput from the
north usually spent two or three days IN camp w NJ sgh o
gotten They were absolutely without shelter day ornght
from heat cold The air was unSpeakaby foul from dead
bodies lying As approached the women and chill
dren around like hungry wolves all restraint lost
in the one desire for a piece of bread.
'The sick and dying lay around under the blazing sun
with no one for them, waiting for the end One
place of twelve dead and children who
had been lying in the shade of trees With them one
little baby still alive The shade had shifted and the burn
ing August had fallen on them and killed them long
trench dug beside the field where these people were en-
camped The people themselves were obliged to dig and
fill it. As died she dragged to the trench
In January 1916. Dr. Riggs said, there were 485O00
depored Armenans in Mesopotama while in May 1917 the
most careful investigation showed only 10000 survivors,
more than three quarters having pershed from famine
pestience and massacre in fifteen months
THE only bright feature of this terrible picture is the
help that has actually reached fraction Of these people
through relief funds from Americas ever ready generos
ty Dr. Riggs said "n Harput able to give daily
ratons of bread to nearly 5000 widows and orphans If
more money had there 10000 within reach equal
y in need Upon the rupture of diplomatic relations the
Turkish government conscaed food supplies and many
Of these people pershed Of hunger"
Since then, however, DR.. Riggs continued arrange
ents have been made continue the relief work through
neutral agents who dsbursing the funds and supplies
gathered through the American Committee for Armenian
and Syrian Relief in New York City. The question of
ing the of the Armenian he said be sov
ed only by American generosity
THE Armenian men are dead" he said. "and the
men have been crushed and cannot long survive the terri
BILE experiences through which they have passed But there
are 100000 orphan children, most of whom begging
their bread today The hope of the future in gathering
together these remnants and saving them for the seed of
the future Armenian These children look to to-
day they be fed and housed and educated for the
next ten years they constitute the leading progressive
element in the life of Turkey their fathers did in
the old"