The Glenwood post., 1920-01-03
4Hz saAsD OF THE HAzzx


Hsf name is Ephras sad she y only
one of the Thousands Of Armenian
women and girls who are coming to
the hospitals Of Near East Relief,
bearing on their faces the hated Mos
lem Brand.
The brand, which consists of tattoo
ing on the forehead and chin and some
times on the cheeks, indicates clearly
that its wearer has been in = Turkish
harem. It proved useful to the Turks
while Armenian girls were held an
slaves, FOR when one Of them managed
to escape, the gendarmes could ten at
glance thst she belonged in harsm
and see that she got back to her owner.
Certain Turkish head men caused .ssre
elaborate designs to be tattoed upon
their Armenian slaves, their own spec
ial brands, which made the girls as
easy to identify as their property as
If they had been cattle on q range.
Ephrax lived before the war nes.
the village Of Ghenlak, with her hus-
band and two little SONS, four years
and five years old. Her father and
mother and brothers and sisters lived
in the same village. There were If
teen members Of the two families Of
whom only this young woman is left.
She is now at the great Armenian
Refugee Camp on the Suez Canal, Il
few miles from Port Said, Egypt,
where Near East Relief workers are
training refugees for self-support.
Seated at her sewing machine here,
making garments for the refugees to
wear, her year old baby, the child OF
hated Turkish father on her lap,
she tells the story of her, Aoslenl
brand. Tragedy has become common
piace smong the Armenian women ana
her story does not differ greatly from
others.
Bphraz saw her husband into the
Turkish ranks ordered on pain Of death
to fight with the enemy. She saw her
two little sons killed before her eyes.
She saw her mother die Of hunger, and
her brothers tortured and killed. She
saw her sisters meet the usual fate Of
Armenian girls who fell into the hands
of the Turks.
She was held in harem for four
teen months. Twice she tired to drown
herself, but was prevented and beaten
by her owner. Her baby was bora
shortly before the advance of the Eng
lish hastened her release, and that CT
hundreds Of other Armenian women.
Now, she is back again, with plenty
of food and tender care in the refugee
camp but with dreadful memories in
her heart, and With the mark Of the
harem on her face. Sometimes, she
hopes that her husband may yet come
back from the Turkish army, and somo-
times she fears that he will. When
she talks to q stranger she always sits
with her face in shadow, trying to
hide the infamous brand. d stit
But Ephrax is only one Of a multi
tude. Noted American invest: gators
declare there are at least 10000 OF
these harem slaves-Armenian girls
under the age Of twenty captured by
the Turks while their fathers sad
brothers were out fighting for the
cause of the Allies.
It is for the rescue and the rehab-
ilitat.on Of these pitiful captivss as
well as to save the lives Of $4,000
children, who wander homeless, starv
ing in the stricken countries, that .
campaign now Is being waged by the
American people. In. Colorado every
man, woman and child 10 asked to give
something to this cause. It is Ameri-
cas- job.
Fifteen dollars month will fsel,
clothe, shelter AID educats ono Of these
25doOO childrea; ten dollars aimonth
will feed, ciothe and shelter one; i've
dollars . month will feed and cIothc
one. Amsfican ofphsnages in Armen-
il now are caring for more than 1oo,-
900 such children. The othersJ must
perish. Contributions can be ssnt in
care Of Albert A. Reed, treasurer, All
Chamber Of Commerce Building, Dem
vef' ool'sAde. PSI eaa ao4n4 sa ,s.I