The New York herald., 1921-02-10
WOMEN CRUCIFIED,
REFUGEE DECLARES
Wife of Persian. NaturaliZed
Here, Brought in Safety
From Zone of Terror.
SAW HUSBAND MURDERED
He'd Cross Rescues Her and 3
Children After Sickening
Experiences.

Special Despatch TO TIE NEW ,YoEK HERALD
CLEVELAND, Feb. s.--"I have seen
women crucihed, women tortured,
women outraged. l have stood py heip-
less while my husband was murdered
by Persian hordes.
1T have seen horror upon horror
enacted under my very eyes, until SICK
ening sights no longer sickened me, un-
til even the bloodiest Of massacres
failed to move me-"
Thus spoke Mrs. Sophie Badal or
Cleveland as she rested In the home OF
her mother. Mrs. l.. S. Biggs, here, af-
ter a search for a haven of safety that
drove her from Persia, to which she ana
her husband had gone back In 1913.
With her as she talked, were her
three children, a girl. born in the United
States before the family left FOR Persia
and two boys, born in the latter coun-
try.
Safe at last after six years q nor
rors, Mrs. Badal told of the murder o.
her husband in Persia and her efforts
for two years to bring her three chill
dren back to this country. :,
Since August Mrs. Badal and her chill
dren. Mildred. 13. Clyde. Z, ard Daniei.
s. have been on their way to Cleveland
from Tabriz. Saturday they arrived In
Philadelphia on the British freighter
Kingsbury, which brought them from
Bombay.
Although her husbands death left her
with a Persian estate valued at Sse.ooo'
Mrs. Badal has hoen robbed OF a large
portion of this and the authorities say
II Is impossible to turn the REMAINDER
q
the family. Mrs. Badal has asked inc
Organization to find work for her.
In 1919 Saul Badal. who was natural
tied In Cleveland in 1911, graduate Oh
the school of pharmacy OF the univer-
sitv of PENNSYLVANIA, took his wife ana
daughter to Persia Two sons were
born there Caught by the war he ap-
piled for passports 10 America, but con-
ditions prevented their being issued He
Joined the British army and left his wife
and children with his mother.
Later he was employed by Major
Eadis. British intelligence officer at Ia
briz. and sent to Urunia. where the fam-
ily was reunited Two weeks later the
Persians broke into the mission yard
where the family was housed and muir
dered $50 persons, including Badal. who
while trying to get his family to safety
was shot in the back.
When she had hidden her children
Mrs. Badal tried to find her husbands s
body, but was told 1t had been cut to
pieces.
The British consul took the widow
and her family TO Tabriz and put then,
under the protection OF the Presbyterian
mission.
Massacres by the Mohammedans were
continuing. and Mrs. Badal was in con-
htant terror for her daughter.
Having exhausted sources of help IN
Persia Mrs. Badal wrote to the United
States. The Cleveland Chapter of the
Red Cross appropriated $1,000 to bring
back the family. Then came news OF
the Bolsheviki moving into Persia and
all contact with Mrs. Badal was lost.
English troops leaving Tabriz took the
refugees with them and the Badal family
was given $500. They used this for
wagon hire to carry them by slow stages
to Bagdad. where they took steamship
20 Bombay. The sailors took up col
lection to carry them further.