New Britain herald., 1921-05-07
SEEK RELIEF FUND
 FOR TURK VICTIMS
Priest to Speak at St. Mary'S
 Church Tomorrow Morning :

OlulVu lUluUllUn MuIulDS
 Relief funds for Chaldean victims of Turk atrocities will be sought tomor- row morning at the masses in St. Mary'a church by Rev. J. Naayem. Father Naayem was formerly of the British and French prisoners of war in Turkey.
 Appeal Is Sounded.
 Tho following appeal has been sounded by Archbishop Suleiman Sabbagh of Diarbekir, Mesopotamia
 Tho Turks. who have always looked upon Christians in their em- piro as friends and proteges of tha Allies took advantage of the state of war to show their hatred toward them by attempting to annihilate tho race completely. Our small Chal- dean nation. already so weakened. was on the point of total destruction. Nearly oil the young Chaldeans, forci- hly drafted into the Turkish army. perishcd in the trenches for greater part victims of privation and the bad treatment to which they were sub 4ccted. Those exempt from military service were tho object of all sorts of acquisitions. conhscation and tax
  them to beegary. Not content with that. the Turks completed their work so cruelty done by a terrible drama of bloody massacres and tragic de- portations
 Many Arc Massacrcd.
 "Incited by religious fanaticism, and by their hatred for the Christians, | the Turkish government made a veri- | table shambles-filled with the re- | mains of our unhappy children-out l of our country and out of a large part l of Mesopotamia. inhabited by the Chal- deans. With their hands tied like the Chaldean men were conducted by night outside the towns md villages and nassacred without pity by the brutal 'Tcherkess' and by Inc police who were recruited from he worst nssassins The unspeakable age manner. and with such refine ments of cruelty. that one can scarce W believe tho actual facts.
 For months the hyenas and vul- .ures fattened off the corpses of the -haldean victims lying on the plains md in the ravines. The waters of the rigris. red with their blood, carried thousands of bodies to the sea.
 No One Is Spared.
 "Tho ruffians spared neither old men, women or children. These wom- ,n and children were driven from heir homes and compelled to march n conveys without rest, food or wa CT Their captors drove them across .ivers and mountains, killing many ,n the way, and, having enough of his foul work. the Turks called their brothers, the Kurds. to their assist acc v.t,r.. rnr, tho yrnEf hnr- | rible orgies upon these unfortunate people.
 "A large number of the young girls md women were retained as slaves n the Turkish and Kurdish harems. Others were sold and resold like SO many cattle or driven from house to house like pariahs. Driven by hum ger. thousands of these victims, com pletely naked. still wander about the streets in search of food and cloth ing.
 During the past two years. a ter rible famine has intensified their mis- cry. claiming many victims amongst the widows and orphans. Without | to help or shelter them. these inno- cent people arc doomed to perish If | not sent immediate aid.
 Ruin and Mourning.
 ''Their homes. villages. schools and | churches arc entirely destroyed. There | remains nothing to be seen but ruin | and mourning. Reduced as we are | to the greatest misery ourselves, we | are unable to help these widows and | orphans
 For this reason we appeal to all | nobIo and charitable people. to all | tender hearts and to all thoso who have pity for the suffering and mis- 1 cry of others. and beg them urgently | to come to the help of these weak. i innocent sufferers, the last survivors | ot tho Chaldcan nation.
 ''If there are any whose interest in | this historic race and whose charity l in the cause of humanity moves them | to offer their practical assistance and l to become members of a committee | which is being formed on the subject, l will they be SO kind as to communi- l cate with Rev. J. Naayenn, 253 Madi- | son avenue. New York city?"