The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-22

supplies or reinforcements and they
have been in dire need
To Heaven for Killing Christians.
Word was sent out from here and
Marash TO attack French conveys and
kill all Christians on the roads The
object was to keep the French from
reinforcing these cities, and the Turks.
armed by their government, expected
to do away with the French in the
towns themselves. The appeal to the
ignorant people is a religious one
you know the MosIems escape purga-
tory by killing Christians and there is
a reward for as many as they kill. It
was this order that caught our car and
meant the death Of Perry and john
SON Another car was attacked near
MaraSh and showered with bullets
but the driver speeded up the car, the
one girl aboard wrapped herself in
mattresses and lay in the bottom of
the machine and they escaped with
bullet holes in their clothes but no
injuries except for scratch the driver
got from a flying fragment of steel
that struck the spider OF his steering
wheel and glanced There were five
or six persons in the car
Living Under Tension
Since the middle Of January we
have been living under a constant ten
ute The ArmeuianS are scared to
death at the slightest disturbance and
they can't be blamed. One day trou-
BILE started in the bazaar. two or three
Armenians were shot and stabbed and
the rest of them fled without even
closing their shops. some of them
Where they lived in the Turkish dis
tricr they moved to the Christian sec
ton. carrying what they could The
Turks. since, have looted their houses
and in instances have actually torn
down the Armenians' houses and ear-
ried the wood and stone away. You
can't imagine such a situation
Burning of farash.
Vague rumors and reports Of fight
ing came thru from Marash. a big
light in the sky in that direction one
night. we learned afterwards was the
burning Of part of the city. We fin
ally got direct word from Marash and
the truth was unbelievable The battle
lasted for more than three weeks
without ceasing and the awful things
the Turks did are worse than you could
possibly imagine. Men. women and
children were shot dubbed. hacked to
pieces with hatcfIets and knives. In
one church nearly a thousand Armen-
ians were burned to death. The Turks
flood the streets with kerosene and
then set fire to it. Eight or ten thou
sand Armenians persisted in the siege
OF MaraSh and practically the only
ones saved we're those in American
institutions. Miss Buckley, who had a
large orphanage. saved $500 Armen-
ians. She was isolated all that time.
besieged- and several attempts were
made. to burn her out Reports reach
ed the other Americans that she had
been killed with all her orphans. but
the reports were not true. How she
cared for them and fed them I don't
know. The French finally got REIN
forcements and On the eve of a vic
tory were ordered by a higher official
in Adana to withdraw. They wanted
the Americans to go with them but a
few wanted to stay and save the Ar
meuians that they could The
Americans succeeded in making peace
between the AEnenians and Turks.
SO the hostilities ended altho the Turks
prevented the Armenians from getting
food supplies We have sent one con-
voy of supplies from here on camels
which arrived safely but we don't