Gilpin observer., 1920-03-04
AMERICAN WOMEN STIRRED BY
ARMENIAN HORRORS.

"Merciful God, it's all true Nobody
has ever told the whole truth Nobody
couldr'
Thus Eleanor Franklin Egan, in the
Saturday Evening Post, quotes How
ard Heinz of Pittsburgh, Herbert
Hoover's representative in the Near
East, on the real conditions in Arme-
mia as he saw them with his own eyes.
Mr.. Heinz has been one of those who
had believed the stories of starvation
and death in Armenia had been eXag-
gerated. Not until he went himself to
the Caucasus did his views change.
Then he was shaken to the foundation
of his soul by what he saw.
Fearful! Awful! Horrible! Unbe-
lievable!' are some of the adjectives
Mrs. Egan says must be used in speak
ing of conditions in the Near East
where Near East Relief, l Madison
avenue, New York, supported by con-
tributionS from the American people,
is conducting the only organized effort
| TO save the lives of these utterly desti-
tute millions Everything she saw and
heard Justified the necessity for quick
and generous aid from America. Her
story of what she witnessed re-enforces
the call of the Near East Relief for aid
for stricken Armenia.
1.-The Hunger grin is everywhere
evident" Mrs. Egan writes. "The pitt
full hundreds seemed to me to be weep
ing constantly. Not profoundly as in
grief, but whimperingy, appealingly
as in unbearable physical distress. A
terrible population. Unspeakably filthy
and tatterdemaliOn thrOngs; shelter
less, death stricken thrOngs milling
from place to place, children crying
aloud, women sobbing in broken mar
ticulate lamentation men utterly hope
less and reduced to staggering weak
ness, needless of the tears rolling down
their dirt-streaked faces"
That is her picture of the Armenians
most in evidence in Armenia. These
are the throngs. Then she turns to the
mobs Large numbers here and there,
wide-eyed, eager, hands outstretched in
wolfish supplication; teeth barred in a
CHASTITY grin that had long since ceased
to smile-an emaciated skin-stretched
grin, fixed and uncomfortable"
SIS it any wonder" she asks, "that
I could not swallow my food? threw It
to the children in the rayening hordes
and started small riots. The children
fought together. snarled and cawed at
one another for small bits of army bis
cult or morsels of bully beef.
"And then | was told that many of
hn,
was likely To kill them instantly. This
was too terribly true Yet In the whole
length and breadth of the land there
was not an ounce of food of the kind
necessary for such cases. At Kars l
saw one man die with bread In his
teeth. And IL YOU will consent to look
with me upon too awful thing will
add that he showed evidence of having
eaten too much grass.
! u went hungry in Armenia, and l
associate remembered pangs of my
/ own with all my rccollections of the
terrible land. had plenty OF food with
me, but for days on end could not
eat. 1t was a physical impossibillty"
OF her first sight In Armenia of the
terrible condition of the people Mrs.
| Egan writes of the scenes on her way
| to Kars.
Everywhere In the fields there were
people down on their knees searching
for grasses to eat. Those near the rail
road lifted their heads and gnzed Mt
our train as II rushed past, and 1
caught glimpses OF terrible faces. An
old man sitting on the top of nm en-
bnnkment waved n handful Of grass Mt
me where I stood vt the car window,
then threw his head back and laughed
n mnniacnl laugh. I began then to feel
the cold chills with which I was to
shiver for days on end"
or knrs she writes:
'"rhcy were multiple Lazarus, and
the train was the rich mans table