The New York herald., 1922-10-29
He Finds that Churches and Mosques
Were Destroyed, Christians and
Moslems Murdered With Equal
Ardor; Many of the Stories Told by
Both Sides Not Supported by Proof.

up to some extent. They led Us int
q vineyard and there we found a mar
busily engaged in disinterring bodies
so that we should see some real evi.
dence. The graves were shallow, with
not more than twelve or fourteen
inches of earth over the bodies. so 4,
was not long before one body was un.
covered. Unfortunately the spade
was thrust into one Of the bodies dur.
ing the operation and we had to bea]
hasty retreat. I am willing to swear
that there were bodies buried there
however.
In our wanderings about tho town
we visited many mosques ana at one
saw the tomb Of tho builders Of the
mosque. Tho bodies were encased
and laid on slabs in a reclining posi-
ton. with a fez at the head of the
slab. We were informed that the
bodies had been there for Ave GEN.
turies and that no possible claim could
be laid against the Greeks for their
death.
Seventyrsix Bodies Found
In Ruins at AlashehI
We now started retracing our steps,
bound for Smyrna again. As we left
Alashehr we learned that we were due
to meet Mustapha Kemals train al
Salikli and we became very much ex-
cited over the prospect. We met the
train all right. but as We pulled In
his train pulled out and we just had q
Iii "a Ill - -
cheering village folk.
Salikli must have been a real pretty
town. The main street was quite wide,
perfectly straight. and well shaded.
The fact Is this street was the saliva
ton Of what remains Of the town. The
city did boast Of 5000 houses, Of which
1000 were burned. There were 402
shops. "a hotels, 16 bakeries. 21 coffee
houses, five flower mills, one moving
picture house. two mosques, one syna-
gogue and one Government building,
the telegraph Office. burned. The popu-
lation had been approximately 10000.
OF whom 1000 were nom Moslem. The
non -Moslem population left two or
three days before the firing Of the
town. The city was burned on Sep
tember s and to date seyenty-six
bodies have been found and buried.
About 5000 people are now In the
town, many Of them homeless.
The story Of the fire followed the
same lines as In the previous case.
The Greeks came, started burning the
city. looted the houses and shot all
who crossed their paths. Many pitiful
stories were told Of the abuse OF
the people by the Greek army, some of
which will bear repetition.
First we heard a wounded man who
said that he was in his house when
some Greek soldiers entered. robbed
him Of 900 lire and then started away,
taking his son with them. He tried to
reach his boy and was shot In the side.
Next a little boy limped In. He told
his own story, sobbing the while, Of
how he had run out of his burning
home and had been shot down by q
Greek soldier. Asked If the soldier
had aimed at him and fired, he re-
piled that he was near a tree at the
time and the soldier had fired right
at him.
Says Greek Sergeant
Proved an Archrob bier
Then a man told Of how his home
had been broken open, one man shot
through the throat. another wounded
and he himself shot through the arm.
A Greek sergeant had come along and
drove the soldiers away and then
turned to and robbed them himself,
without any competition.
Two women came in an related
their stories. One told Of how her
son-in-law was shot and the other
how her home had been broken open,
robbed and her husband~killed. Then
a little girl told of how her father
had been beheaded after he was
robbed Of five lire and how she had
been beaten by the Greek soldiers.
Most pitiful Of all was the story Of
the next witness. little boy about s
years old, who told how he had seen
his thirty-year-old brother. caught In
the street and beheaded. His story
caused one Of the Turkish reporters,
who got 1t first hand. to break down