Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-11-15


Highland County, from his daughter
Dir. May Fleming, medical mission
cry, connected with the American
Presbyterian hospital at Tabriz, Per-
s:a, from which NEARLY summer, she
and the other Americans attached to
the hospital were forced to flee By,
the Turks who invaded the place and
looted the hospital.
The letter is as follows:
Zonjan, Persia,
June %, 1918
Dear Father:
We are taking chance of send
ing mail without much hope of i:
getting through, but we must take
the chance.
/ cannot tell you our whole story
now. You have heard through the
| Board in n. Y. that we had to
leave Tabr;z. We all fought against
Eoing as long as we could, and as
eng as there seemed to be any
chance Of doing any work, or Of be-
| ing any help to the native Christians
it last we actually saw the Turks
come into the city, and that night
re knew that we must go.
The whole story Of our journey
shall try to send you sometime. We
have been on the way thirteen days,
travelling by jurgan (much like a
,rsirie schooner), a rough wagon, by
cart, by donkey back and on foot.
IN sure / nave walked more than
| aaIf the way. We have slept IN
aative houses, inceravanserais part
+ the time out under the open sky.
/ slept one night in a cart, and two
Nights in the jurgan. We are sun
5urnt to all shades of red, brown
md black. But in spite of few
..ardships we are all getting along
ge1., and I, at least, am enjoying the
quincy and am thriving on it. l
an walk twelve or fifteen miles at a
tretch and not be over tired at the
ID. Just now we are resting here
II two days, the guests Of some Eng
,:gh soldiers. The officers have Civ
a us their own quarters and are III
all' things most kind. --.
We expect to go on to KAHN day
..Ster tomorrow. Then we shall
now to what place we are to go. l
'atb Lcpe we will so on to Hin
do. 1t would be strange, wo'lid'
t not, il should bring up in Ham;.1
IAN after eli? We all feel now thai
t will be a long time before the
cork in Tabriz can be taken up a.
.rain. I cannot tell you how it hurt
IS to leave the hospital there! We
nave heard that the Turks have &C.
.uDied the hospital. I have tried
not to allow my imagination to pic
ture what my home may be like by
his time. We had time to send some
our things down to the other gar
zen, where DR.. Vanneman and Mr.
Jessup are staying, but not all could
be sent, we may never see them a.
cain. I have with me only what
.0uld lie put into my straw suit case,
ny travelling bag, and in cloth bag
that I purchased in Russia when l
came to Tabriz. --
But, do not wish to send you an
| %ncheerful letter, for we are not
It ali down hearted lot of folks.
We remained in Tabriz just as long
us we could, waiting until it seemed
to be providentially shown to us
that we should leave; and now we
| 80 forwa I'd to whatever God has
waiting for US. We are over the
hardest part of the journey q never
| imagined one could go over such
places on wheels!) and the out door
life is doing US all good. Today,
| sunday, we had afternoon tea on.
5ur balcony, the three officers whot
are our hosts, being invited in. They
are SO pleased to see some women
.oiks once more. Then we went in
TO the garden among the roses and
nad a very simple little service; the
enlisted men coming also. 1t was an
| Interesting company, gathered there
in Persian garden, singing togeth-
6l. There was our company, Mrs.
| Jassup, whose heart goes back to
her husband left behind in Tabriz,
| Hiss Wells and myself, who feel that
We have no home, Mr.. and Mrs. Gift
| ford who with their four little chill
dren, are going they know not
whittier; Mrs. Holiday, who has
spent more than thirty years in this
country and who is still full Of en-
ergy and making plans for new
work; Miss Johnson and Miss Gill
| iispie and Mr.. Crothers, who have
teen here less than a year, and are
having this strange experience; Miss
Mckinney and Mr.. Peters, who came
out to teach for three years without
any thought of such a journey as
this. 1t has brought out unexpected
fine qualities in them both. Then
there was the American Consul and
his French wife. There were the of
ficers and the privates, who have
seen service>in Belgium, in France,