Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-23
NEAR EAST WORKERS
MAKE REPORTS AND
HEAR ADDRESSES
Lieut.. Frank Comes Tells of the
Needs of Armenian
Sufferers.
JUDGE PRICKETT PRESIDES

Near East volunteers assembled in the
club room of the Hotel du Pont at noon
to make reports Of the work they have
done since Friday of last week Due 10 the
act that many of the worker had no,
gottel cards OF per ons from whom they
are To seek contributions the reports wers,
not as large as was expected. But there
was enthusiasm enough and the spirit
that the workers are displaying speaks well
for the success of the drive
Judge William 5. Prickett presided at
the luncheon. Rev Charles Bohner.
pastor Of Hanover Presbyterian Church.
made the invocation. During the lunch
con, Irving easier, song leader of the
Community Service. led the volunteers
IN songs that added to the good spirits Of
the workers Lieutenant Frank Connes, who
during the war was an interpreter In
the Caucasus and is now Interpreter for
the Supreme Court Of New York State,
addressed the workers
ATE HUMAN rLEss.
The story that Lieutenant Comes had
10 tel4 the workers while iatenseiv inter-
estlng was prewsome and gave them an
idea Of conditions in Tiilis the capital Of
the Caucasus, at the time he was there
fifteen months ago.
II saw children eating the bodies Of
other children he told the volunteer
workers. ''Of course the others had died
first, but tho hunger Of those still alive
was sufficient to make them want to
devour their former broth hers and sisters.
With their faces smeared with the blood
of the ones who had Just died, the sight
was a horrible one
The first hour | was in Tifiis, said
| tFIfb by,., aI, ,ilrn,
died from starvation | at once tried to
get food for others, as all novices do when
they see things for the first time, but at
the moment it was impossible for me TO
render any aid.
AT other times | have seen men. |
women and children eating rats, that had I
been brought out from the city of Tifiis I
nto the fields where the refugee Armeni- ,
ms were. The people did not wait I
o Kill and cook the rodents but tore at !
hem while the creatures were alive and
ent them to pieces. One time | saw a
mother rush up TO a man who had a rat,
nd tearing a limb of the rat from the
nan, carry It TO her dying child and
Trusting the limb into the starving childs
Mouth told him to eat it. The woman
earned had become crazy from lack of
pod and worriment over being unable
D supply food to her child"
Lieutenant Comes told of meeting the
Die survivor of unit of 75 Armenians.
hose companions had been buried alive
V the Turks, In trench they had dug
the bidding of the Moslem. After the
rnenians had dug the trench they were
bid to jump into If and then the Turks
eaved the refuse earth in upon them,
lffoeatlng them.
Mrs. Bland Wilson Stead, who had |
large of an orphanage in Armenia, who
here TO speak before the members Of
le New Century Club tomorrow, also
idressed the meeting.
Through the energies of Mrs. r. B.
aymond, president Of the New Century {
hub, the members are seriously con- '
derlng plan to adopt Armenian or
mans.
Mrs. Hughes is in charge of the booth
the Hotel du Pont today and obtained
me substantial contributions at the
,on hour
Mrs. Harrie T. Price is arranging for /
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