Norwich bulletin., 1920-06-05
TURKS FIRED ON
AMERICAN COLLEGE

New York, June 4.-The Turkish ma
tionalist forces in besieging Marash
Syria, last January deliberately and con-
tinuously fired on the American college
and Near East Relief hospital and or
manage there, according to DR.. Mabel
Elliott, of Benton Harbor. Mich. who
was in charge of the hospital during the
three weeks attack
DR.. Elliott, who has now returned to
this country, with Mrs Mabel Power, of
North Hero, VT, Miss Helen Shultz, of
Reading, Pa, and Mss Minnie Dough-
erty, of Holyoke, Mass, told an eye-wit-
ness story of the attack, directed against
the Armenian population.
The slaughter of men, women and chill
dren was horrible she said. and the pill
lage of houses barbarc. In one Arrne-
MAN church $500 persons were killed
only % surviving the attack on it
she said
Of a fleeing colurBn of 5000 Ar1ne-
| mans. mostly women and children driven
from the besieged city, DIR. Elliott said
only 1900 reached their objective
lisa HE, by Is miles away.
/ THE three whole weeks of the siege
the firing from house tops and windows
never ceased" she said. 1.-The Turks
fired many buildings all over the town,
| and from our windows we could.,See col
/ umns of smoke rising first from ont part
| of the city and then another, every hour
! of the day and night.
''The largest Armenian church at first
sheltered some $500 Armenians of the
| better class. shop keepers. business men
| and merchants and their families. They
| had arms. and they put up a good fight.
| But the Turks finally fired the church
/ and forced them out Only % of them
| escaped with their lives.
"a communication trench was dug
| from French Headquarters to the hos
pital by which the French wounded were
f, brought in to us They were all Sene-
| glaese and Moroccans: The Seuegalese
blacks suffered frightfully from the cold.
We had 900 cases of wounded and froz-
| en- feet-lnostly frozen feet
| "All over town, tho Armenians would
gather in the nearest churches for pro-
lection, largely because by being concen-
| trated they were III greater force, and
] also because the church buildings are
of stone, and surrounded by high walls
and thus made the best means of defense
1t wasn't possible to live a day in a
private house as the Turks would fire
the house and drive the inhabitants out
killing them as they ran for shelter We
could see that going on everywhere.
There We're about 5000 Armenians
who joined the column and tried to make
the march over. the mountains to Isla-
HE. Is miles from Marash. when the
i French troops evacuated the city.
There was no food for anyone. and
only a few carts. Practically every.
body had to walk the whole way.
:: at was CHASTITY. incredible night
mare. The worst blizzard that Marasf
had ever known caught US.
Most Of the fugitives were women ant
children. The men stayed behind t.
fight and cover our retreat.
''They died like flies Every so yards
or so someone would drop in the snow
There was no use trying to do anything
1t was all anybody could do to keep go
ing
1--WE had to cross many streams, which
were frozen at first. but the ice wa
d broken by the French trains and artil
lery. and when we came along we had II
wade in the icy water and then walk OF
i in the snow. I saw the French genera
in command wading the streams on foot
) "Out of the 5.en0 who started only 2,
200 ever got there.
E Miss Mabel Power. Of North Hero. VT
l and Miss Helen Shultz, Of Reading, Pa
who came out with me went to Adana il
; a French hospital train"