Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-18
NURSE SLIPS TOLLS
OF TURK CAPT0RS
Miss Helen r. ShuItz, Reading
Girl, Taken Prisoner in Mos
lem Uprising, Escapes
WRITES "WILL SEE 1T OUT"

Captured by band of Turks, who
have been pillaging and massacr1ng IN
Asiatic Turkey, when they invaded
Marash, the headquarters of the Amerl-
can committee of relief, Miss Helen +.
Shultz, a graduate of the Chlltren :
Hospital of Philadelphia, has escaped
TO Islahil, with 1000 Armenian refugees
and other American relief workers.
This news was brought today in a
dispatch from, Constantinople, which
told of a widespread uprising against
the French troops policing that section.
The courage and determination OF
Miss Shultz and her associates was IN
dicated in recent letter to her parents:
Mr.. and Mrs. George P. Shultz, OF
Reading. written when the situation
was threatening.
it through" the plucky little nurse
wrote.
Reign of Terror in Marash
A reign of terror has existed in Ma.
rash since January 81. The last word
received here was February 1, when
the Christian refugees in the town were
in a state of fear because their food
supply was becoming exhausted.
Stanley r. Knerr. of Darby, Pa.,
and two nurses, hdUel Ia' 5oWNi' -
North Hero. Vt, and Minnie e. Dough
erty. Holyoke, Mass. were captured
hv the Turks with Miss Shultz. Their
capture was the result of their being
mistaken for French when the French
troops took over American missionary
Quarters and schools, which were easy
to defend. a:.. =.
tween the French occupying the as
trict and the Turks. The French are
using Armenian and Sengalese troops
which apparently has excited great nos
tility among the Moslem tribes.
Message from Relief Committee
The official message received by the
American committee for relief IN the
Near East at Constantinople, dated
February 16, read: A..
"Information this morning IS that
the personnel and 20O0 refugees reIired
to Islahie with Colonel Normand. There
was extreme destitution and many were
sick and wounded. There is no In
formation from Aintab and HedJln' Line
situation is serious
A force of British soldiers 'retlred
from Marash last Thursday because OF
insufficient supplies. They, were re re-
niaced by French units. 1t was fol-
lowing the occupation by the French
that the band Of Turks stormed the town a
and took tho entire refugee colony ana
American relief workers prisoners: 3:
There were seven other American reller
workers in Marash. e.,
Two DAYS later the refugees were freed
and, disguised as one OF these, MISS
Shultz and her associates fed.
Kerr Anticipated Trouble
Mr.. Kerr had been anticipating
trouble with the Arabs for number OF
weeks. according to letters written TO
his father the Rev. James Il. Kerr.
Ever since the French took the place
of the British in policing the area, an
attack from Arabs has been expected
and in a letter dated January 4, MT.
Kerr reported rumors of war.
For some reason the Arabs, who are
more or less friendly to the Amenians.
are antagonistic to the French and
would unite with the Turks against
them.
Mr.. Kerr is assistant director and
treasurer of the relief station at Marash,
and has frequently recounted the con-
ditions of poverty which are being re-
lieved. Part Of the work of relief has
been to rescue Armenian girls from the
harems and from time to time raids
have been conducted and truck loads OF
young girls have been carried to the
towns.
Frequently men appear at the sta
ton with nothing but shiver and
bunch Of rags" Mr.. Kerr has written
his family. "And a third hand suit of
clothes from America is Fifth avenue
style in Marash.
Provide Work for Refugees
After relieving the actual misery of
lack of nourishment and need for cloth =
ing, the relief mission provides indus
trial work for the unfortunate refugees.
Bakeries and cloth manufacture are
among the industries first started.
Mr.. Kerr Is expected to return to this
country next summer and will continue
graduate work in science at the Uni
versity Of Pennsylvania from which he
received his first degree in 1917.
Miss Shultz is graduate of Girls
High School Of Reading, class of 1911.
1t was in 1913 that she graduated from
the Children,s Hospital here, following
which she practiced as nurse in this
city.
She enlisted for service in France,
but the armistice ended hostilities before
she sailed. In January, 1919, Miss
Shultz enlisted In the Red Cross for re-
lief work in Syria, but she was sent to
Turkey. In February she sailed for
Constantinople.
Although her enlistment expired and
she was to have been sent home, Miss
Shultz re-enlisted for another six
months. This was two days before the
British retirement from Marash.