The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1919-01-09
HUMAN INTEREST STORIES

An Armenian girl writes from
Erivan to her elder sister, "Ah dear
- long for you exceedingly. I often
think of those sweet school days
which we spent with you, happy and
caretree, 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
ized 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 a 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
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 Keller 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
guilt has gone to three people where
1t 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
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-year-old girl with a ,,
blinded father, the sole survivors of ,
large family. A prominent Jew was !;
brutality 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, 1913, twenty-three I
Armenian exiles reached Port, Said
lfter uncomfortable sufferings. For
wo and half years they had wan
Tered from a village near Caesarea
through the Asia Minor mountains
md Arabian deserts. Two hundred
md twenty-seven of their fellow d
ownsmen had persisted on the way. a
Every refugee has story, from the g
ad who escaped through the Turkish =
ines-traveling by night and sleeping
n caves by day, bribing soldiers and :.
officials until he found his way into L
n American consulate mother o
eft her child on the steps of an
americans home with a few words O
n bit of paper: II cannot feed it. ?
know you'll not let my baby starve."
A 14-year-o1d girl tells a remark Il
BILE story of her II months cap ;,
witty among the Kurds in Persia. =
)nly through her force of will was "
ne able to save herself from mar Ii
age, first to an elderly Kurd, later d
, the SON of Moslem priest, and Il
gain to the son of Kurdish chief. =
t one time, upon her absolute refusal p
, marry and change her religion, she IL
as beaten until she became sick. A h
urdish woman pitied her and bought I,
er for $50. She was cared for until -
er final escape with the family that =,
id protected her, to the Russian lines 81