The Washington times., 1922-11-03


because costs Of living vary IN
different parts Of the country"
stricken women who witnessed the
killings.
The soldiers then selected from the
women twenty seven of the younger
ones. They were ordered to stand
alongside their dead men'folk while
the Turkish officers selected
woman for each soldier.
THE Turkish officer In com
lnand," said Mrs. Yacoubian. in tell
ing her story. dragged me 10 the
front of IN" market-place. lie tol1
me he wanted me for his VIE. ana
asked II were ready TO consent. !
replied that under no circumstances
would I agree.
Then he dragged my little hoy
iiaig, away from mo. lie pointed
gun directly at his head and threat
cued to shoot unless ] agreed TO 80
peacefully with him.
"'You dare not touch my boy ana
YOU dare not harm me, | shouted
He looked at me In amizcmeht'
There is "A greater power than you
watching over and protecting me'
| shouted.
Taken to Prison.
Then he saw the gold teeth In
my mouth. The effect on him was
almost unbelievable. lie dropped
the gun and stared at me. lie tried
to argue with me about becoming
his wife, but insisted that there
was a divine power watching over
me and protecting me. ana that
neither he nor any OF his soldiers
dare raise their hands TO do harm
to mys,lf If or my boy.
I'm Adrianople the possession OF
gold teeth Is sign OF riches and 10
IN. Turks they reflect something
almost supernatural The wealthy
women have perfect teeth extracted
TO replace them with gold.
II was then taken with several
hundred other women, old and
Young. and thrown into n dungeon,
where We were kept for about two
weeks. Ny children wcr" taken
! from me What had become of them
! | did not learn. because at tn" END
| OF the second week we were all
! hcrdcd together and told We were
! TO b" deported into the Arabian
desert
| About 400 OF us started out from
! Caosarca on the march of 500
miles TO our destination. In tn
/ throng OF refugees were old women
! and old men. young girls so ema'
ciated they could hardly walk.
"On the long march We were pre-
ccded 10y detachment OF Turkish
cavalry, which led the way over the
| hard roads. Another detachment
was in the rear. and when the refu.
gees Jagged they were beaten and
prodded with bayonets. For the
! first five days we had nothing to
eat or drink. Some OF us managed
to stave off death by wetting our
parChed lips with dew found in spots
along the road.
. "FreQuently we would come to
fountain, and when we sought to
drink we were ordered by the sol
dirrs on guard to pay. Two of the
older women who managed TO get TO
the fountain without being seen
were shot as they bent over to sip
the cooling water.
Il contracted typhus when We
we, about fifty miles from the de-
serl. fell in a faint on the road.
The soldiers thought ! had died.
They had become accustomed TO
these sudden deaths: they didn't
even stop when one of the marchers
fell exhausted by the roadside. Up
to that time all but twenty OF the
women from Caesarea had fallen in
the road and of that number only
five lived TO tell the story Of the
deportation.
Il managed to crawl along the
road until ! reached the edge Of the
Arabian desert, eating nuts and bark
from the trees and slipping dew from
1 = .f
| ing Arabs acCosted me and ! told
them my story. They had already
| learned OF the mystery woman who
' had defied the Turkish officers, and
they recognized me by my gold
! teeth.
The teeth saved mo again. The
Arabs gave me food and I remained
with them for about week. Then
/ learned there were some Armen.
.ans near by and they offered to
take me to them.
II had. OF course. heard nothing
Of my children in the meantime. We
managed to journey to Aleppo and
there located an orphanage con.
Quoted by the Near East Relief. In
the orphanage was Mrs r. c. Lar.
son. now in Philadelphia. She cared
for me and made efforts to locate
my CnlIuTen
I'VE learned the children had heen
taken TO Konia, where there is an.
other Near Fast orphanugp. and |
was advised thev were al We and
well. went TO Konia and got them.
Then we luckily caught tho In Il
train from Konia 20 leave The In.
terror of Adr'anoplC before the
Turks began their wholesale depor.
tatiuns.
"In three daNs we reached Con.
stantinOplc. On the way W" were
stopped twice bv Turk sh sold ers.
But everywhere. II seemed. the
Turks had heard the story Of Caes
: area and when thev saw my gold
teeth they refrained from interfer.
inc with me.
We all came here on an Ameri.
can ship because IL was NV original
intent on To go to Norfolk whore
have a brother, Rev Sisag Eumcr.
ian. pastor Of PRESBYTERIAN n
Church accidentally met in
Phiadelph'a some old Armenian
friends and have since stayed