The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-04-24
C.F H. CRATHE RN
WRITES OF DANCER
MET IN TURKEY
Mr.. Crathern Has Been in Cen
ter of Area of Trouble
MANY NARROW ESCAPES
Thirty Denominations are Joined In
This Great Movement to Raise
Church Funds.

Editor of The Banner:-I left
France for Turkey in Asia about May
1st, 1919 and since that time | have
heard three times from Bennington;
once from my good friend John Spar
go; once from my former Colleague
Or. Mills and once from that elect
Lady of the Old First Church, Mrs.
Harwood. So you Sc what splendid
isolation | have enjoyed. 1t is now
four months and ten days since / had
line or letter even from mem
Der of my own family, so entirely
have succeeded in cutting myself off
from the outside world. This CT
course is not the fault of the postal
service in America, but the result of
an atro cious and antiquated system
in the mail department in Turkey
So unreliable is it indeed that on
several occasions | have been impor
tuned TO send important dispatches
by prominent Turks through our
American Courier, because they could
not depend on their own government
officials.
Even kilograms of the utmost grayi-
ty | have sent to our American High
Commissioner and American Consuls
which have not been transmitted be-
cause OF the chicanery and duplicity
Of Turkish administrators. But
have hopes of this letter reaching you
because | am in Cairo where British
rule is dominant and where boats
leave direct for the United States.
am sending you report that is al
ready OF historic value. 1T was the
first authentic statement of the
Marash massacres and war that
reached the representatives OF the
Entente Powers, as happened to be
the first man to reach Adana after the
siege of four weeks in Marash, ]
came QUE with the French troops in
charge OF about 5000 Armenian
refugees a thousand OF whom unfor-
tunatety perished in blizzard the
like of which had never been known
in that part of Asia Minor.
The facts In this report have been
wired to London. Paris, washington,
Constantinople and other centeEs and
have furnished discussion in House
and Commons and other Parllaments
and the type written copy such as
am sending to you has been forward
ed to our State Department to Lord
Bryce, to Admiral Bristol and to the
headquarters of Armenian Relief in
Turkey and America and to other
persons and institutions OF influence.
| have also sent by request a spec.
ial article to the New York Times
covering the main facts in this report
also by request a confidential report
to the state department IN Washing
ton covering important matters that
could not be the subject of public
discussion.
My personal interest in your paper
which | received III France and very
occasionally in Turkey and my affec-
tion for the people Of Bennington
lead me to hope that you may find
this paper of sufficient Importance to
give it in daily installments to your
readers. The extracts are taken from
longe letters which were writtenl day
by day during the seige and war in
Marash and oftentimes under heavy
and continuous fighting and firing, to
my wife and children, and which are
now in possession OF Mrs Crathern.
/ am now on my way to CONSTANT
ncple by British Destroyer and ex-
pect to present the particulars of this
GdnntfoI
of the representatives of the Entente
Powers and to the Armenian people
Of Constantinople.
then expect to return to Aintab
and Marash and to those dear people
in that stricken city to whom i
vowed on leaving it that | would
move heaven and earth in making
known to the world the atrocities that
had been perpetrated by the un-
speakable Turk. Anything that you
can do in The Banner" to bring
these facts before the public viii be
greatly appreciated.
For many months | shared with the
Armenians in their joys and aspira-
tions, hoping and praying for the
dawn of a new and better day. Now
through the trying and terrible expert
ences of those memorable weeks in
that beleagured city Of Turkey, and the
heart breaking memories OF that
never to be forgotten trek through
the wilderness of binding snow,
am happy to be admitted to their fell
Ilowship Of misery and suffering that
may herald to the world the story
of that matchless heroism that is not
only willing to carry the cross up the
slopes of Calvary, but willing also to
be crucifed upon il.
With best wishes to all dear friends
II am
Sincerely Yours,
G. f. II. Crathern.
Cairo, Egypt, March 23, 1920.
Jan Gath.
Extracts from diary Of Rev, G. r.
Hill Crathern Y. M. c. A. Sec. In Ain
tab, Marash, Turkey and Urfa Mesopot
amia, concerning seige and war In
Maash, Jan. goth to Feb. 11th
Jan. goth, 1917
Sec. Crathern had been in Marash
TN,o