The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1920-06-07

NEW YORK. June 5.-The Turk
ish nationalist forces in besieging
Marash. Syria, last January deliber-
ately and continuously fired on the
American college and Near East Re-
lief hospital and orphanage there. ac-
cording to Or. Mabel Elliott. OF Ben
! ton Harbor. Mich. who was In charge
Of the n sspi,al during the three
weeks attack.
Or. Elliott, who has nov returned
TO this country. with Mrs, Mabel
Power. of North Hero. VI, Miss
Helen ShultE. OF Reading, Pa. and
Miss Minnie Dougher,y. OF Holyosc,
/ Mass. told an eyewitness story OF
the attack. directed against the Ar
menian population.
! The slaughter q men, women and
children was horrible. she said, and
! the piilage of houses barbaric. In
one Armenian church 2.500 persons
were siiied-only =? surviving the
attack on it-she said.
OF a fleeing column 10 5000 Ar
menians. mostly women and children
driven from the besieged city. DR..
| Elliott said only 2.200 reached their
! objective. lslahie. but IS miles away.
The whole three weeks OF the
siege the firing from house-tops and
windows never ceased" she said.
The Turks fired many buildings all
over the town. and from our windows
we could see columns OF smoke rising
first from one part OF the city and
then another, every hour Of the day
and night.
THE largest Armenian church at
first sheltered some 2.5o0 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 22 escaped
with their lives.
"A communication trench was dug
from French headquarters to the hos
pital by which the French wounded
were brought in TO us. They were
all Senegalese and Moroccans. The
Senegalese blacks suffered frightfully
from the cold. We had 500 cases Of
wounded and frozen feet-mostly
frozen feet.
IAN over town. the Armenians
would gather in the nearest churches
for protection. lsrgely because by be-
Ing concentrated they were In greater
force. and also because the church
buildings are OF stone. and surround
ed by high walls. and thus made the
best means OF defense. II wasn't
possible TO live a day in a private
house. as the Turks would fire the Il,
house and drive the inhabitants out.
killing them as they ran for shelter. ,
We could see that going on every
where.
There were about 5000 Armen-
ians who Joined the column and tried
to make the march over the noun
tains to Islahie, 75 miles from Mar
ash. when the French troops evacu- ,
ated the city.
There was no food for anyone,
and only few carts. Practically
everybody had to walk the whole
way.
1T was CHASTITY incredible night
mare. The worst blizzard that Mar
ash had ever known caught US.
Most OF the fugitives were women
and children. The men stayed be-
hind to 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. II was all anybody
could do to keep going. /
I'VE had TO cross many streams.
which were frozen at first. but the Ice
was broken by the French trains and
artillery, and when we came along
we had to wade In the Icy water, and
then walk on In the snow. saw the
French general in comand wading
the streams on foot.
"Out OF the 5000 who started only
2,200 ever got there.
Mrs. Mabel Power, OF North Hero,
w., and Miss Helen Shultz, of Read
Ing, Pa. who came out with me went
TO Adana in French hospital train"