The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1919-01-10

An Armenian girl writes from
Eriyan to her elder sister, "Ah dear
long for you exceedingly. l often
think OF those sweet school days
which we spent with you, happy and
carefree, without even dreaming that
we would come to such bitter days as
these when we should all be widely
separated and never see each other
again. My life is very empty, now
that we have lost our dear and idol
lied brother; it is also dreadful to
think Of my companions who are in
the talons Of the cruel Turks, as
Sarah Leah and others"
Arabs and Turks holding Armenians,
bargain with relief workers for fair
price for their captives. One dollar
or whereabouts, often buys an Ar
menian But the transaction is not
always easy to start Mr.. Lacy writes
from Bagdad: Although we are
making efforts to get into touch with
the many Armenians among the Arabs
outside, in order to purchase them, up
until now we have not managed any
thing definite and the unsettled coun-
try, owing to military operations,
makes the task very difficult. We
hope the way will eventually open for
getting hold of most of these -captives.
In this case we shall have to make a
quick call on all the funds we have"
In a deserted village of Asia Minor
one of our missionaries came upon a
little girl about ten years of age sit
ting on doorstep. Her mind was
absolutely blank She was taken to
the Relief station, and it was learned
later that this poor child had seen
every member of her family killed be-
fore her eyes.
Speaking of blanket distribution in
Aleppo, relief worker writes: 81 feel
very sure that none have gone to peo-
pie who had adequate covering, but it
is quite possible that in some cases a
quilt has gone to three people where
it might have gone to five, who per-
haps have been left quiltless, These
quilts, by the way, are pretty sub
stantial things, filled with wool. Most
of them have been given out unmade
and the women will have to sew them
themselves. In good many cases |
have told the people that those who
knew how must help those who don't
know how, and SO have a share in
helping work. We have to watch that
hungry people don't sell the material
for food"
Ernest E. Lazy writes from Bagdad:
"The stories of horrors etc, are SINH
lar from all quarters. There is no
need for one to say over again what
has often been. said before. But it is
impossible to exaggerate the cruelty
and fiendishness of the deeds perpe-
trated."
Three stories illustrate the condi-
tons in which the Turks left their
victims in Jerusalem. Relief workers
found little ten-yearold girl with a
blinded father, the sole survivors of
large family. A prominent Jew was
brutally shot by Turkish captain and
lay helpless in the street three days
before the British entered. A Syrian,
compelled by the Turks to handle
dynamite, was found with both hands
blown off, his wife and four young
children in want and wretched.
In January 1918, twenty-three
Armenian exiles reached Port Said
after inconceivable sufferings. For
two and half years they had wan
dered from a village near Caesarea
through the Asia Minor mountains
and Arabian deserts. Two hundred
and twenty-seven of their fellow
townsmen had persisted on the way.
Every refugee has a story, from the
lad who escaped through the Turkish
lines-traveling by night and sleeping
in caves by day, bribing soldiers and
officials until he found his way into
an American consulate mother
left her child on the> steps of an
Americans home with a few words
on bit of paper: 81 cannot feed it.
l know you'll not let my baby starve."
A 14-year-old girl tells a remark
able story of her II months cap
tivity among the Kurds in Persia.
Only through her force of will was
she able to save herself from mar
riage, first to an elderly Kurd, later
to the son of a Moslem priest, and
again to the son of Kurdish chief.
At one time, upon her absolute refusal
to marry and change her religion, she
was beaten until she became sick. A
Kurdish woman pitied her and bought
her for $50. She was cared for until
her final escape with the family that
had protected her, to the Russian lines.