The Holly chieftain. (Holly, Colo.) 1897-1987, 1920-03-18


Then he was shaken 10 the foundation
Of his soul BY what he saw.
fearful Awful Horrible! Unbs-
lisvabls!" are some q the adjscttves
Ma Egan says must b used in SPEAK
ing Of conditions In the Near East,
whore Near East Relief. Madison
avsnus. New York. supported By con-
tributions from the American people,
IL conducting the only organized effort
to save the lives Of these utterly desti-
tuts millions. Everything she saw and
heard Justified the necessity for quick
and generous aid from America Her
story Of what she Witnessed re- enforces
the call Of the Near East Relief for aid
for stricken Armenia.
"AThs Hunger grin u everywhere
evident" Mrs.. Bgan writes. "The pitt
ful hundreds seemed to me to be weep
ing constantly. Not profoundly ~ IN
grief. but whimpsringly, appealingly
~ in unbsarsbls physical distress. A
terrible population. Unspeakably filthy
and tatterdemalion throngs; shelter
less, death stricken throngs milling
from place to place, children crying
aloud, women sobbins In broken mar
ticulats lamentation; men utterly hope
less and reduced to staggering weak
ness, needless Of the tears rolling down
their dirt-streaked faces"
That IL her picture Of the Armenians
most in evidence in Armenia. These
are the throngs. Then she turns to the
mobs. Large numbers here and there,
wide-eyed, eager, hands outstretched in
wolfish supplication; teeth barred in
CHASTITY grin that had long since ceased
to smile-an emaciated skin stretched
grin, fixed and uncomfortable"
rs 1t any wonder" she asks, shat
1 could not swallow my foodf threw 1t
to the children in the ravening hordes
and started small riots. The children
fought together, snarled and clawed at
one another for small bits Of army bis
cult or morseis Of bully beef
"And then I was told that many of
them we're 70 starved that solid food
was likely to kill them instantly. This
was too terribly trua Yet in the whole
length and breadth Of the land there
was not an ounce Of food Of the kind
necessary for such cases, At Kars l
saw one man die with bread In his
teeth. And II you will consent to look
with me upon too awful thing will
add that he showed evidence Of having
eaten too much grass.
II went hungry in Armenia. and /
associate remembered panss Of ny
own with all my recollections Of the
tsrrihls land. had plenty of.food with
mo, but for days on end could not
eat It was physical impossibflity."
OF her first sight in Armenia Of the
terrible condition Of the people Mrs.
ESan writes Of the scenes on her way
to KaPs:
Everywhere In the fields there were
people down ON their knees searching
for grasses 10 eat. Those near the ran
road lifted their heads aAd sazsd q
cur train as Il rushed past, and !
caught siimpsss Of terrible faces. ~
old man sitting on the top Of an en-.
bankment waved handful Of grass ut
ne whore I stood at the car window.
tAsn threw his head back and laughed
q maniaoal laugh. began then to feel
the cold chiils with which I vas b
SILVER for days on end"
OF Kars she writes:
"Thsy were multiple Lazarus, I'D
the train WAS the rich mnn's table.
They were begging for crumbs. be-
gan to hear for the first time the whin-
Ing indescribable phrase that sounded
to me like 'O-na-ns, o-na-ns.' Il wss
20 fsebly, 20 plaintivsly murmursd %
na-ne.'"
Mrs. Egan asked what 1t meant and
was told the nearest equivalent was
"0h. my souli" But" she says, ut
was more than that; 1t was q prayer
for mercy"
Describing 4 makeshift hospital ~
fore the arrival Of the Near East Relief
workers, Mrs. Egan writes:
"The sick in their unbelievable rags
we're lying around on the noors-bve-
dies Of unimaginable wretchedneeA
The doctor was not doing anything at
all for them. What could he dot ~
had not SO much as single ounce q
medicine Of any kind. The little peoybe
were more pltiable than the aduftA
The ward, II may cali it that hal
10 It not one stick Of furniture of any
kind, and the children wers an lying
% the dusty and rubbish strswn floor
with nothing under them and NO cover.
ing save the rags they wors.s