Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-04
American Girls Aid
Armenian Orphans While
Turkish Troops Enter City

NEW YORK. Jan. 29-Dramatic
and humorous experiences are de-
scribed in the stories just received
here from three American girls who
In Kars, Armenia. when the Turkish
troops captured that city in Octo-
Der last.
The American young women not
only had to calm the panic stricken
orphans. but to fight off Armenian
refugees who wanted to hide in the
orphanages and Turkish soldiers
bent on looting the buildings. One
of the girls. Miss Elsie NJ. Kimball
OF Mt. Vernon. n. Y, put to rout
a group of about twenty Turks
who were attempting to steal the
blankets from the children's beds.
She attacked them with a whip and
being unarmed they fled. Her two
companions were Miss Cora l..
5each. OF Ogdenshurg, N. Y. and
Miss Frances Anderson, of New
Canaan. Conn. All three workers for
the Near East Relief which con-
ducts the orphanages.
Miss Kimball tells in her letter
Of the panicky situation which *
listed in Kars when the Armenian
defense collapsed and word was re-
cieved that the Turks were coming
in "Just imagine" she writes, "a
great mass of 1000 women and chill
dren huddled together in uncon-
trolable fear, momentarily expected
to be mAssacred by a conquering
army with absolutely no possibility
! of escape from what they had every
reason to believe would be certain
death"
Miss Kimball had just managed
to quiet them when the Turks ar
rived at the door of the orphanage
three vicious looking soldiers.
1T ran to them and explained
| through the interpreter hat l was
an American woman and this was
an American orphanage. Two of
the fellows who wese evidently bent
on mischief started toward the
building where the children were
gathered. 1 snatched the arm of
the other fellow and beggei lin to
protect the children. I'm rlediately
he ran after the two soldiers and
dealt them ferocious blows with his
AAtofy mi aA4a AAo 6eAf
them all the way to the gate. They
were loathed to go, but he whipped
them clear out of sight and I thank
ed him for his help. Then came
more soldiers and 1 repeated my
speeches until l was about worn
out when along came a fine looking
Turkish officer. I explained the sit
uation to him and asked that Tur-
kish guards be placed at u gates
and he put two of his men on guard
to police the place.
1.-THE guards drove back all would
be invaders vigorously and merci-
lessly with the butts of their guns.
their fists and the toes of their
shoes. Many of the fellows who
came through on grounds from the
open field in the back were the
widest looking individuals this wild
country could possibly produce, and
believe me, 1t produces some mighty
evil specimens of humanity and in
generous quantities. The most
treacherous of all are the Kurds.
the boldest and most blood thirsty
and most ruthless tribe in the Near
East. The Turkish guards had their
hands full in pushing them back.
They regarded me with great curl
osity, never having see an Ameri-
can and my goggles interested them
exceedingly.
THE shooting went on all day.
but probably not owe 500 people
were killed altogether in the city
and the valley. Once when I was
standing near the gate a shot struck
within a few feet of me. 1t was
the closest shave / had Aat day
though other shots were flying all
around.