The Washington times., 1918-10-06
Continued from Last Sunday

Continued from Last Sunday
@NE prayer to Allah; one prayer to God One with
our lips one with our hearts
-. That was how we left Malatia, the Charnel
City where one hundred thousand Christian Armenian
men and other thousands of Armenian and chill
dren had been massacred to begin the one hundredme
walk to Diyarbekir.
Only women and girls ever left Maatia. Such
as were not mastered at their homes in the north
the roads were killed in the "Charne City" Boys and
girls under ten eleven years old were taken outside
the city and drownedexcept the healthiest girls who
were sold to rich Turks who wanted them to raise for
their harems and the strong boys, who were sold to
Turkish farmers.
Fifteen thousand women left >Malatis that morning
with me for Diyarbekir. As told last Sunday had
been placed special favor the American lady Miss
McLaine with party Of turned Armenians, all young
women, who promised by the Vail Governor, pro-
lection the road to Diyarbekr There two hum
dred of this company and all but me had agreed to
be Mohammedans to their lives their relatives
So when the MueZzins on the mosque called the First
Prayer Just before left the city all of in this party
had kneel toward Mecca and ree the sunrise devotion
to Allah and his prophet.
But this prayer was on the lips only. They had said
the rex ah-the Mohammedan creed-and had thus re-
nounced their Christianity but know that of them
had done with sincerity They faithful in secret
to their faith So from their hearts, from mine they
said their real prayer-hat God would keep them, and
them through the long days Of the hundredmile
Our party was at the head of the column with small
band of soldiers guarding Only Turkish police guarded
the rest of the long line Our guards said the Vail at
Malata could spare many soldiers for such long
journey as that to Diyarbekir They said the Kurds
would take charge of the refugees beyond the city
It was very hot those days-scores of aged women
dropped to the ground within the first hour two outside
the city Frustrated by the heat and famished for water
of which there only that which could beg from
Turkish farmers along the way The mother of two girls
in my party Who with her daughters already had walked
hundred miles into Malatia, struck by soldier
because she fell behind. The blow knocked her down.
and she could get up. The soldiers would not let us
take time revive her Her two daughters had to kiss
her goodby end leave her moaning by the roadside.
One Of the two girls a bride-a widowed bride
She had her husband and father killed in the town
of Kanga the Sivas road, and when the Kurds were
about to kill her mother because she DID, she begged
a Turkish officer who by to save her The
officer had asked her if she would her religion
her mother and she agreedshe and her younger
sister So they had saved their mother thus far-only
to leave her to die by the road.
The sisters walked with their about each
other They dared look around to where their
mother lay upon the ground When could hear the
woman's means longer I walked to them and
asked them to let stay them. knew how they
must feel. wondered if my mother and my little
brothers and sisters had lived soldier In Maatia had
told the exiles from TchemeshG edzak city, had
passed through that city weeks before and had gone
going. toward Diyarbekir. Perhaps, he said
they might still be there when arrived-if did
The Turkish officials in Diyarbekir allowed many refu
gees camp outside the town this soldier said long
they had money to pay him. My mother still had
money, knew So was hopeful-and pretty soon the
two sisters began sympathze with my hopes and that
softened their own sorrow.
If they had only known then what comngl saw
of them whipped to death few days later and the
other hung by her feet until she died from window of
the house of Hadji Ghafour in Geuk
The Turkish gendarmes left the party two hours out