The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1921-04-28
RoeosAN AND HIS SISTERS sANDoukT soRpoUA

While everyone appreciates the hor-
rors of Armenia, in their fullest sense.
there is much more interest taken in
| a story from some person living near
ones own home than there can pos.
sibly be in the story of someone who
has returned from the scenes of hor-
rors, who lives in far off state.
The latest Wisconsin man to know
at first hand of the atrocities commit
ted by Turks upon Armenians is Naza-
reth Bogosian, of Milwaukee, who
spent more than $4,000 in his efforts
to save his two half-sisters, whom he
had never seen, from the hands OF the
| unspeakable Turk.
Mr.. Bogosian had for years been
seeking his sisters. When James W..
Thompson, state director for the Near
East Relief, opened state headquarters
| in Milwaukee, Mr.. Bogosian was the
/, first Armenian to make himself known.
| He told Mr.. Thompson the story of the
death of his two pareIts-the father,
an old man, being shot 20 death, and
his mother, an old lady, being finally
killed with Ratchet.
"Then, after these horrible things,
there were only my three sisters left
for me to try to save. BY means OF the
Near East Relief, we finally located
| the sisters and sent $1,000 to Near
East Relief orphanage to care for the
girls" said Mr.. Bogosian, who has just
returned from Port Said, where he
went to join his two sisters. I'VE
could not for a long time locate the
girls. and when we did there were
lust the two. The other sister, who
,, we feared had been killed or taken to
! a Turkish home, we finally discovered
had been saved by an Armenian, who
some way or another had her passed
through the lines, and he afterwards
married her. They are safe from harm,
so just have the two sisters who have
! returned with me-"
Neither of the sisters, Sandoukt,
who is "a, or Sorpouky, who is only
! IA. can talk anything but Armenian,
so Mr.. Bogosian told their story as
they told it to him.
81 will do anything can to try to
bring happiness to these two sisters,
he said. 81 have worked hard and
saved my money and l shall try to
give them anything they want. II
pretty clothes will help, shall be glad
to furnish .them-but I am afraid the
older one has seen so much that she
can never forget. That's what must
be done for them they must be
taught to forget. y Do you know, that
even when my mother met her hor-
rible death, my sisters did not cry
Their tear ducts were dry. That is
the case with most of the Armenians.
When they arrived in New York |
wanted to cheer them up, so took
them for nice long auto ride, and
while the younger girl tried to enjoy
it. my other sister did not seem even
to notice her surroundings.
"Sandoukt has SCARED and disf1g-
ured her face and suffered agonies in
doing it, but she preferred that to liv-
ing in Turkish harem. She had been
married. and does not even know what
has become of her husband, though
she thinks that OF course he was
/ killed. as were all the men the Turks
| could capture. She was obliged to
| leave her baby to die in the desert,
and even then she did not cry. Her
first tears in months were shed when
she saw my little baby asleep in its
crib.
"The younger girl wore her head
shaved like boy so that the Turks
would not get her. 1t is horrible to
think that these two girls who were
brought up in refinement and wealth,
for FIVE months had no clothing but a
single shirt apiece. And those were
SO dirty when they finally got some
clothes that they fell to pieces. Wash
ing them was out of the question,
| During these five months, the girls
walked in the hot sun which beat upon
the sand, the reflection burning, their
faces until they are brown, and as
lifeless as parchment. Their only food
was grass"
While Mr.. Bogosian was talking to
the publicity representative for the
Near East Relief, the two girls sat
very silent, very quiet, oh, very, very
quiet, and sad They could not seem
/ to realize that their troubles were over
and that at last they had found a
haven of rest and happiness. Mr..
Bogosian, who never saw his two half
sisters until he met them in New York
City, is not whit happier than is his
attractive wife at the thought that he
has used the money he had earned in
this country to make two fine Amer
lean women out of his sisters. He had
tried to meet them in Port Said, but
they missed connections. and after q