The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-01-24
= America! An1ericd!!,' the Millions CIV
In Sad Armenia, Land of Stalking Death
Melville Chatter, home from
Near East, Tells Narrowing
Story of Human Misery
Therc-Beetles and Straw
for Food.
BY herself in

A~ROUCHlNG by herself IN
~ corner. a little seven-yeAr-
old girl was cracking something be-
tween two stones" says Melville
Chatter in an article. THE Land of
Stalking Death" in the National
Geographic Magazine, describing
Conditions in Armenia Il looked
closer and found the child was eat
ing the marrow from d bone
Where did she get it,. asked
the interpreter who accompanied
me.
Noader in the grave yard" he
-cpiied, alter questioning the girl
This child, according 10 Mr.,
Chatter. WAS subs,stiug solely on a
small dole Of rice furnished daily
av tie Near Eat Reset represent
atiycs IN her naiiv" city. lgdir,
There was not sufficient food tn the
taWu TO- even give ono meal day
10 all ai the children and shortly
after they had received this bare
pi;tanrc Of food all were searching
Tor any bit on which they might
chew to appease their hunger. They
0ick cd up beetles. straws. and one
q piece II horses hoof, says Mr..
CHa.ef
Root and Grass Diet
Conditions at Igdir are horrible
almost beyond belief. People live
chiefly on roots and grass, but oc-
caslohaHy the djct IS varied by tic
killing Of dog or cat. Workers
sent out by Near East Relief, the
former Committee for Armenian
and Syrian Relief, who are furnish
ing the only sustenance TO these
people, told MIR Chatter that it was
Impossible 10 remove at once the
bodies Of. those Who had died from
etafvation and when they were
taken cut Tor -hucJal. an arm or a
leg oil the body had been eaten by
The famished survivors.
MIR Chatter tells of visit TO the
bufYing ero,Ud when graves were
torn open and bodies exhumed by
the f9pished inhabitants. 1--WE had
taken a short cut" he. says. TO
ward where our car waited and by
chance we were skirting the GENE
terry Our guide pointed thither
ard said
lit is not a pleasant sight You
must understand that the Turks
lett this country so bare that there
were not even spades. Graves must
be dug with any available thing
even with human bones. If the
dead has !. relative strong enough
20 carry weieht--big stones arr
placed on the grave; but if not,
he shrugged significantly.
Il asked, hardly knowing how te
frame my question, Exactly what
exactly whom do you mean"
Men Stalk Dogs.
al mean, he answered, the
:pariah dogs by day and unde,
cover Of night-well, come and Sc,
Tor yourselves
II will never forget that terrible
..-.asrc- Oh -earth--the low boulder
heaped mounds. and those others
the unprotected graves, now re
vc2led as empty, SCOPE don't hole.
WHOSE Drinks were strewn 'abou
with remnants Of torn-of gar
ments, among which lay blackenec
semblanees of humanity As WI
turned away the apparition of +;
~.'ereat, yellow pariah dog, pawinf
among the graves. drew from us
volley OF stones. Then as he sluni
off, sleletor.likc man sprang II,
from behind the wall (undcr cove
ofrwhich he had been stalking hi
prey) and. Draining the beast witt
a club. disappeared, carrying it!
carcass with him.
Our farewclls and thanks to tht
american Committees manage
seeued an endless nroceesing ar