Pueblo chieftain., 1921-10-14
NEAR EAST RELIEF AGENT TELLS
OF WHAT He saw IN ARMENIA

"I have seen enough of human suf-
fcring in the last few months to give
me night marc for the rest Of my life
solemnly declared DIR. Clarence D.
Royse of New York City, a member of
the Near East Relief association who
was sent to Armenia and southern
Russia to see for himself and to bring
hack reliable information of the con-
ditions in the near East. DR.. Royse
has been back in this country less than
a month, and came here after state
conference of the Near East Relief
committees in Denver. He spoke OF his
horrible experiences last night before
the Delphian club. Greater Pueblo as
sociation. and the Masonic Order. and
is scheduled to appear tonight in the
council chamber of the city hall ut
T:3o. which is open to the public, 60
pecially to the heads OF the various
organizations.
II started in Constantinople after
landing from the steamer" declared
DIR. Royse yesterday afternoon. to get
the first hand information on the pre-
vailing situation in those disease
stricken countries. In that city saw
10000 refugees from Russia and Ar
menia. who had run away from GER
no industry in ConstantinopIe. but the
thousands walk the streets constantly
idle, diseased. haggered hungry. They
are homeless. there is no money, no
clothing, nothing to prevent them from
starving to death excepting the aid
from the Near East Relief and other
nations. They slept in the open at
night, in vacant lots, vacant houses. Al
leys. hal1ways-any where they hap
pened to fall.
But Armenia was a great deal
worse, for in Constantantinople people
arc not actually dying Of starvation;
in Armenia they are. went to Batum
in southern Russia. There were refu-
gee camps there as in Constantinopie.
but they were worse than In Constantt-
nople for they had no food or relief.
then went into Russian Georgia and
into Armenia, and found dead and dy-
ing in the streets. The dead wagon
made the ronuds as frequently every
day as was necessary. and then the
bodies could not be touched. they were
hooked and cast into the wagon to be
thrown into large ditch for burial.
often entirely naked. Sick persons
crumpled in their tracks and fell dead
without murmur. and others gasped
few times before cholera or hunger
overlook them. There was no food, no
clothing, no work. The country is idle.
and as long as 1 travelled in the land
1 did not sec single factory with
one decently dressed person in the
country while was there, a girl about
Is years of age. The best dressed are
no better clad than men going about
dirty work, and 95 per cent are not
that well dressed. many going about
without a stitch of ciotnhg on them.
There is no clothing in the country.
none on sale in the stores, and gar
ments sent by other nations are not
getting there fast enough. There is no
fuel within 800 miles of Erivan, the
center of the starvation area.
Half of the people are without
homes. I went one morning to a park
left desolate because of the dearth
of water. There from 1000 to 1.5o0 were
sleeping and when about 5 o'clock they
arose, some were left dead on the
ground, and many more could barely
stIgger to their feet. Cholera helps
starvation and there is not a chance
for work of any kind with which to
combat the menace. The Turks evac
uated the country last Spring taking
every thing with them, even farm i'm
plements. seed. animals. The people
are helpless. The only activity is in
tho orphanages where 10000 children
are cared for and these are only par
TALLY nourished with aenemic meals
and broth twice uay.
II was one of a small party to visit
the scene of one of the most terrible
masSacres recorded in history. Five
thousand met horrible death last No
vember at the hands of the Turks. The
women and girts were massacred in
one group. Many of the older men
were cremated while the men of mill
tary age were shot to death. The
Turks are gone now. however. but the
conditions are little better than while
they were in the country"
The resources of Armenia are gone.
according to the eye witness OF the
most gruesome tragedy Of the ages.
The man power even is gone or going
by slow death There Is nothing to be
purchased If the inhabitants had
money. and no way in which TO pro-
,,nrr money or even credit The trans-