Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1920-06-16
TURKISH FORCE.
DIRECTED FIRE.
AT U. S. COLLEGE.
Aim Was Deliberate, Say
Members OF Near East
Relief, Returning.

fRv The Associated frcsSl
NEW YORK, ~ ". June lG.--fhe
Turkish nationalist forces in Lesieg-
ing Marash, Syria, last January, delib-
erately and continuously fired on the
American college and Near Eas: Re
lief hospital and orphanage there, ac-
cording to Dr Mabel Eliot 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 Ms. Mabel Pow
er. Of North Hero, Vt. Miss Helen
Shultz Of Reading. Pa. and Mis- Mia-
ME Dougherty Of Holypke. Mass, tod
an eyewitness story % :he attack. d
rected against the ArmerjPa popnia-
tiOn.
The slaughter Of men. women and
children was horrible. he sald. and
the pillage of houses barharir. IN
one American church 900 persons
were killed only - surviving the at
tack on il she said.
OF fleeing column ~ 1000 A.
menianS. mostly women and children
driven from the bcs:e..ol city. nr.
Elliott sail only 2.200 r,ache their
objective. Islahie. bu, - rli!cs away.
The whole three wocl,s rf t'.c svigc
the firing from houSe'opS and win
dows never ceased" Sic salt the
Turks fired many building. all over
the town. and from oTr windows we
could see columns Nj smoke rising
first from one par, IF the ".ty ami
then another. every hGLr Gf the day
and night
THE largest Armenian church at
first sheltered some 800 Afmerian
Of the better class. Sho1 keepers. busi-
ness men and merchants AMI lhCr IA
miles They had ariHN. IN they nat
NJ good fight. BTt re TurE. tin-
ally fired the church AMI forced them
oct. Only - Of them escaped with
their lives
"A communication trench was dug
from French headquarters 10 the his
pital by which the French wounded
we're brought IN 10 us They were
al Seneglaese and A"rco lns. The
s,negalese blacks slHc~t frlghtfdiiN
f.om the cold W. 'hd 800 eases II
wounded end frozen feet mostly
frozen feet.
"All ove- town n Armenian
would gath-i in the rcare I chul ,he>
Tor protection. lar.c': hecaus" hN
being concentrated 4 .,' were IN great
.r force. anr also b. rIs' the rhurcE
icildings a. stone. end surrounded
Iy hiph walls and thus made the best
means Of III Tense. 1t wasn't possible
10 live day a. priva,, house, as the
Turks would fire the house and Kill
them rs they ran for shelter. We could
see that going on everywhere.
There were about 5000 Armenians
who Joined the column and tried ia
make the march over the mountains
ito Islahie, Is miles from Marash.
when the French troops evacuated the
city
There was no food for anyone, an
only few carts.
Practically everybody had to wall
the whole way
1t was CHASTITY, incredible night
mare The worst blizzard that Marasi
had ever known caught ".
Most Of the fugitiveS were wuueT
and children. The men stayed benin,
to fight and 10 cover our retreat
They died like flies. Every -
wards or so someone woul! drop y
the snow. There was no use trying x
do anything. Il was al anyba'y c''ul'
do to keep going
I'VE had to cross many streams
which were frozen at first, bT- the 90
was broken by the F~cnrh -r;in- an'
artillery. and when We came al"r,
we had 10 wade in the icy water am
then walk on in the SroT sax th'
French general in comm2nd waain'
the streams on foot.
Out Of the 5000 who started onl.
2.200 ever got there.
Mrs. Mabel Power OF North Eera
Vt. and Miss Helen. Shut Of Read
inc Pa. who came ou' with me wen
to Adana in a French nosp''.l train.