The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-09-09
america! America!' the Millions CRY
In Sad Armenia, Land of Stalking Death
oslvIIIs Chatter, Home From Near
Hast, Tells Narrowing Story Of
Human Misery Thsrs-Bss.
ties and Straw for Food.

"Crouching by herself In corner,
Q little seven.year-old girl was crack
Ing something between two stones"
says Melville Chatter in an article,
'The Land Of Stalking Death" in the
National Geographic Magazine, de-
scribing conditions In Armenia. II
looked closer and found the child was
eating the marrow from bone"
Where did she get it," asked the
Interpreter who accompanied me.
"Yonder in the grave yard" he re-
piled, after questioning the girl.
This child, according to Mr.. Chatter,
was subslsting solely on small dole
Of rice furnished daily by the Near
East Relief representatives In her ma
tive city, Igdir. There was not suffi-
dent food In the town to even give
eae meal a day to all Of the children
and shortly after they had received
tbs bare pittance Of food all were
searching for any bit on which they
might chew to appease their hunger.
They picked up beetles, straws; and
enc a piece Of a horses 'hoof, says Mr..
Chatter.
Root and orass Diet.
Conditions at Igdir are horrible al
most beyond relief People live chief
" on roots and grass, but occasionally
DE diet is varied BY the killing Of q
dog or cat Workers sent out by
Near East Relief, the former Commit
tee for Armenian and Syrian Relief.
who are furnishing the only susten-
ance to these people, told Mr.. Chatter
that 1t was impossible to remove at
once the bodies of those who had died
from starvation, and when they were
taken out for burial, an arm or leg
Of the body had been eaten by the
fAmished survivors.
Mr.. Chatter tells of . visit to tho
burying ground when graves were
torn open and bodies exhumed By the
iamished inhabitants. 1--WE had taken
Q short cut he says, toward where
our car waited and by chance we
were skirting the cemetery. Our guide
pointed thither and said:
1t is not pleasant sight. You
must understand that the Turks left
this country 20 bare that there were
not even spades. Graves must be
dug with any available thing, even
with human bones. II the dead has a
relative strong enough to carry q
weight-big stones are placed on the
grave; but II not he shrugged sig
nifcantly.
II asked, hardly knowing how to
frame my question. Exactly what
exactly whom do you 3meanr
Men Stalk Dogs.
Z mean he answered, the pariah
dogs BY day and under cover Of night
well, come and see for yourselves
II will never forget that terrible
acre Of earth--the Acknowledgment
mounds, and those others, the unpro-
tocted graves, now revealed as empty,
scooped-out holes whose Drinks were
strewn about with remnants Of torn
on garments, among which lay black
sned semblances Of humanity. As we
turned away the apparition Of great,
yellow pariah dog, paving among the
graves, drew from us volley Of
stones. Then as he skunk of, skele-
ton-lke man sprang up from behind
the wall (under cover Of which he
had been stalklng his prey) and, brain
Ing the beast with club, disappeared,
carrying it's carcass with him.
"Our farewells and thanks to the
American Committees manager seem
ID an endless proceeding and upon
reaching our car we found it blocked
By a host Of humanity, who, having