Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-06-13
TURKS POUR STEADY FIRE
s.:lAV AMERICAN COLLEGE
Hospital Maintained for Relief of
Sufferers Target for Gunncrs
rxat Marasl, Syria.
GBy Associated rress.l

& MEM YORK. June 6.-Thc Turkish
Nationalist forces in bcsicging Ma
Srash. Syria, last January deliberate
l1ycahd continuously fired on the
yAmerican college and Near East Re-
s1isE .hosDtai and orphanage there
faccording to Dr.. Mabel Elliott. OF
5Benton Harbor. Mich. who was in
i chars2sof the hospital during the
three weeks attack
8 pE,oElliott. who has now returned
Ito this country. with Mrs. Mabel
Power, of North Hero, Vt; Miss Helen
: Shuitz-iwof Reading, Pa, and Miss
Minnie Doughcrty. OF i!olyoke, Mass,
told an eyewitness story of the at
Staeks directed against the Armeni ian
population.
The slaughter OF men. women and
I children was horrible. she said. and
the pillaEe Of houses barbartc. In
I one AEmgnian church 2,5oo persons
4 were killed-only twenty-five sur
STiyinS the attack on it--she said.
J OF uccinE column Of 5000 Ar
J driven from the bcsicEcd city, DR..
! Elliott slid only 2,2O0 reached their
ohiectiys lsiah!e, but seventy-iive
'sThe Whole three weeks Of the
seigs the firing from housetops 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 ris-
ing, first from one part OF the city
md then another, every hour OF the
day and night.
a 'SThc largest Armenian church at
FIRST sheltered some $500 Armcn.ans
Epf the. better class, shopkeepcrs.
Ebusiness men and MERCHANTS and
they put UP a good fight; But the
turks finally fred the church and
forced them out. Only twenty-five OF
lthem ESCAPED with their lives.
- IA communication trench was dug
lfrom French headquarters 20 the hos:
+pital Iby which the French wounded
Were brought in 70 us They were were
,sseneg alcse blacks suffered fright
fully from the cold. We had 900
cases OF wounded and frozen feet
asnos;ly frozen feet.
= "All over town, the Ar,nenians
-would gather in the nearest churches
: hor protection. largely because by
IbeinE concentrated they were in
ehurch buildings, are Of stone. and
zsurropnded by high walls; and thus
smadc the best means OF defense. IT
wasn't possible 10 live n day in a
fire the shousc and drive the inhab!-
-nants oNi, killing them as they ran
for SHELTER. We could see that going
son everywhere.
- Terrible Experience OF Refugees.
" "There were about 5000 Armcn-
jams who Joined the column and tried
TO make the march over the noun
stains 10 Islnhie. scVentyfive miles
from Marash. when the French
Atroops evacuated the city.
= There was no food for any one
s5and only a few carts. Practically
5everyboay had to walk the whole
1T Nwas CHASTITY. incredible night
sSnarc., The worst blizzard that Ma
rash had ever known caught us.
q "MdsCof the fugitivcs were wom-
ON and.-childreu. The men stayed
'abehind stp fight and cover our re-
= 'SThey died like nies. Every NIFTY
yards, or, so some one would drop in
ethc snow. There was no use trying
40 do. anything. II was all anybody
scould. do 10 keep going.
"a We had TO cross many streame.
(which were frozen ut first. bu. tho
ice was broken by the French trains
sand artillery, and when we came
salonE We had TO wade in tho icy wa
ster. and then walk on In the snow
a saw tho French general in COM
mandi wddinE the streams on foot
j. "Out nj the 5000 who started only
2,2Oo ever got there.
q Mrs Mabel Power. of North Hero
vt, and Miss Helen Shultz. of Read
sing. Pa. who came out will, mo went
TO Adana in a French hospital
81 "a! in"