The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-17

physician attending the wounded and
the sick was Or. Ussher,
In the emergency the Americans rose
splendid to the need. Rev. Il. 4. Var
row was given a position akin to that
Of city manager. He organized the
community from top TO bottom, with
mayor, judges ANA police, and commit
tees to deal with all contingencies. Al
grain stores were pooled, a public oven
secured and bread tickets issued. y
soup kitchen was also opened The
missionary ladies', aided by their school
girls, boiled and distributed milk for
the babies. Never were the people of
Van better governed than during those
dread days when all things marched
to the music Of the fire Of rife and
cannon.
Even the boys helped During the
preceding autumn thirteen-year-old
Neville Ussher had organized a troop
Of Boy Scouts among the Armenians;
and these lads lived up to their motto
by keeping the premises clean, acting
as sanitary guards, watching against
fire from shell explosions carrying ths
wounded on stretchers, taking a census
Of the sick, and distributing milk and
eggs to babies and to the sick outside
the mission premises
Two evenings week, as Miss Knapp
has told in her record Of the siege,
which was privately printed, the mis-.
sionary circle gatherd for conference
and devotion. I'VE would joke and
laugh over some aspects Of the situa-
ton, but as We listened to the volley
firing only two blocks away we knew
that at any hour the heroic but weak
cned defense might be overpoweredi
knew that then hell would let loose
in the crowded city and our crowded
compound; knew that we should wit.
ness unspeakable atrocities perpetrated
upon the persons of those we loved
and probably suffer them in our own
persons. Yet we would sing:
Peace, perfect peace, the future all
unknown?
Jesus we know, and lie is on the
throne.''
Release, Then Flight.
After a months siege the arrival Of
a Russian army put the Turks to flight
/ and Van came into the possession Of
the Christians, who undertook to re
pair the desOlatiOn wrought. Then came
one Of those dramatic reversals thai
test the quality Of the Christian relig
ion. No sooner had the six thousand
Armenian refugees left the mission
premises than a thousand Turks, mostly
women and children left behind in tn,
retreat Of the army, camped down upOr
the missionaries, to be fed and careC
for. In addition, there were wounded
and sick Turkish soldiers bequeatheC
to Doctor Usshor's care. still the mis-
| sionaries did not finch from their task
They even attempted to see that every
one of the Moslem refugees got bath
as well as bedding, clothing and food.
one Of the broad contrasts between
Christians and Moslems, such as l have
| heard from eye-witnesses of similar
scenes then presented itself. ! agalr
quote Miss Knapp, a participant in the
siege: While the Armenian refugees
had been mutually helpful and self
sacrificing, these Moslcms showed them
selves absolutely selfish, callous, and in
different to one anothers sufferings
Where the Armenans had been CHEEKY
and hopeful and had clung to life witt
wonderful vitality, the Moslems dice
like feas Of the prevailing dysantery
from lack Of stamina and the will tC
| live"
High was the price paid for this min