South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-06-10
TURKISH FORCES
FIRED ON SCHOOL
CHARGES TEACHER
Hospital Head Says Troops
Deliberately Attacked Col
lege and 0rphanage.

NEW YORK. June s.-The Turk I
fish nationalist forces IN beseiging
Narash. Syria. last January. deliber- I
ately and continuously nred on the I
American college and Near East Re-
lief hospit = and orphanage there
according 10 DR. Mabel Elliott Of
Benton Har' or. Mich, who was in
charge OF tile hospital during the
-<hres weeks attack.
DR.. Elliott, who has now returned
10 this country. with Mrs Mabel
Power. Of North Hero. VT, Miss
Helen Shultz, Of Reading, Pa. and
Miss Minnie Dougherty. OF Holyoke.
Mass, told an eyewitness story Of
the attack. directed against the Ar
menian population.
Horrible Slaughter.
The slaughter Of men. women and
children was horrible, she said, and
the pillage Of houses barbaric I'm
one Armenian church $500 persons
were kiiled-only p surviving the
attack on it-she said
OF a fleeing column OF 5000 Ar
menians, mostly women and children
driven from the besieged city. Dr.
Elliott said only Zoo reached their
objective, Islahie, but IS miles
away.
The whole three weeks Of the
s5ige the firing from house tops and
windows never ceased" she said.
The Turks fired many buildings all
over the town. and from our win
dOws we could see columns of
smoke rising first from one part OF
the CITY and then another, every
hour OF the day and night.
The largest Armenian church "a Z
first sheltered some $500 Armen-
ians 81 the better class. shop keep
crs. business men and merchants
and their families They had arms,
and they put up a good fight But
the Turks finally fred the church
and forced them out. Only p Of
them escaped with their lives.
Dug Trenches.
"A communication trench was
dug from French headquarters 10
the hospital by which the French |
wounded were brought in TO s.
They were all Senegalese and Moroc-
. cans. The Senegalese blacks suf- /
~red frightfully from the cold. We
Lad 900 cases OF wounded and
frozen fed-mOstly frozen feet.
All over town, the Armenians
would gather in the nearest church |
IS for protection, largely because by
being concentrated they were in
greater force. and also because the
church buildings are OF stgne, and
surrounded by high walls, and thus
made the best means Of defense. 1t
wasn't possible 70 live a day in a
private rouse. as the Turks would !
fire the house and drive the inha bit
ants out. killing them as they ran !
for shelter We could see that !
going on everywhere.
There were about 5000 Arben- |
ians who Joined the column and /
tried to make the march over the |
mountains TO Isiahie, Z 5 miles from |
Marash. when the French troops /
evacuated the city.
Food Was Scarce.
There was no food for anyone !
and only a few carts. Practically
everybody had TO walk the whole
way.
1T was a CHASTITY, incredible
nightmare. The worst blizzard that
Narash had ever known caught us.
Most OF the fugitives were women
ard children. The men stayed be-
hind 20 fight and cover our retreat. /
They died like flies. Every so
yards or SO someone would drop in
the snow There was no use try
ing to do anything. 1t was all any
body could do TO keep going
We had 10 cross many streams /
which were frozen AT first, but the !
ice was broken by the French |
trains and artillery, and when we
came along we had TO wade in the /
fcy water, and then walk on in the /
snow. / saw the French general |
In command Wading the streams on |
foot.
out or the 5000 who started /
only goo ever got there
Mrs Mabel Power, OF North !
Hero. Vt, and Miss Helen Shultz, OF /
Reading. Pa. who came out with me /
went 10 Adana In a French hospital /