The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-12-30
WITH RED CROSS.
Continued from Page ~

We crossed fine bridges left in per- |
feet order during the hasty retreat, |
guarded now by a band of American |
Jews with the red Zionist star on their |
sleeves, and stopped to examine at their |
request few sick Turkish and Ger |
man captives who had fallen out sick |
and were lying under the little fig trees
beside the road They had no guard
and needed none. They were ready to
go on when they could. following the
crowd who had gone before. We saw
| one Turk passing down the river-bed
alone and when one of us called to him.
he indicated with wave of the hand
| that he was trying to catch up with
the crowd of prisoners ahead.
| For weeks past in Jerusalem | have
been caring for the sick among part
of the refugees from villages in the
| fighting zone. Some of them had left
in the night. in the cold and the rain,
carrying their children on their backs
and leaving their homes and posses
sions to the Turks as they entered the
city which the British gave up. Now
we find many families separated An
Armenian who had been sent here
from Maresh four years ago wass among
the refugees. He returned with MS and
found his old mother and four of her
grandchildren and is planning to take
them back with him to join the rest of
his family in Jerusalem. Another man
in whose house we had been guests
brought four children to me. his neph
lews and neices, whose mother hurried
away carrying with her only little
baby a week old. You can imagine how
eagerly such families are awaiting their
reunion.
, In the days of the recent capture of
this city, and those DAYS Immediately
following, the joy of the refugees in
| Jerusalem was uncomfortable. Each
Ievening there was q "fantasy' TO
which we were invited. The men stood
in circle in the center of which was
a light from flaming mass of oil and
dirt, and nearby back and forth
swayed and danced two or three men
+, and women fourishing swords or sticks
to the rhythm of wierd music. half
song and half groan. Speeches were
made resounding with the praise of
England. France, and America. and
filed with rejoicing at the recent great
victory.
| MS CitN MAS DctH pretty tdtus udhi-
aged. A large proportion of the houses
have been left empty. The furniture
! has been stolen and perhaps destroyed;
! and doors and windows are gone The
: houses like the streets are filed with
dirt and rubbish.
The British are restoring order, stop
I ping looting, cleaning things up and re
t pairing the roads leading to and from
:, the city The American Red Gross
! | asked some of US TO start relief work
= for the people of the city. We rented
! a house and have opened the mediea
y work. The patients start pounding al
the door at s o clock in the morning
and il is. quite evident that we are tc
i be kept busy.
| have seen a number of people who
I had been badly wounded by bombs OF
= bullets. Just after we began TO clear
l. the building an Indian soldier wa;
: wounded by the explosion of bomb
and | saw him in the street immediate
J ~ opposite where | had been having
7 lunch The bomb had torn off most OF
the fingers of one hand and had wound
$ ed the other hand as well as his ches
k and neck We Immediately took hin
: to our building and fixed him up TEN
i porarilv Several children have COM
: similarly injured. There is an epidem
!, c among the people of the neighbor
!. ing village.
/ Now we hope that peace is reall,
T near. If this proves true, it will meal
n that our opportunities for work will b
greater than ever in relieving suffer
ing and helping the people of tn
u stricken regions to get back on to thei
ID feet.
e. DIR. CHARLES E. CLARK.
'Es Salt, Palestine.
~ 0rf L 1919