New Britain herald., 1922-06-30

woman and the French delegation took a whole day to travel 100 miles. arriving at an empty station to find typewriters, telegraph instruments, etc, thrown out of the windows, and a heavy snow falling. It was cold. the station was crowded and there was no fire. There were no trains that night and the refugees were forced to walk about all night long to keep from freezing.
 General in Charge
 An Armenian general and two Ar menian boys in the group managed to rig up a temporary telegraph in- strument and kept in touch with Alexandrepo. Next morning a switch engine took the general, the two Ar menian boys, Mrs. Gilman and the French delegation to Alexanderpol, Shortly after they left the village fell into the hands of the Turks and4the refugees at the station were murdered.
 While Mir. and Mrs, Gilman were at Alexanderpol they were afraid the Turks would take the city and massa- ere the children. The Armenian troops had fled and only the Americans and English remained.
 "Not Bad, Just Bandits"
 The advancing Turks captured the orphanage and took a narrow bridge leading to the residential section. But they proved to be simply thieves look ing for plunder and not the regular army and small damage was done.
 They were not bad Turks, just bandits" says Mrs. Gilman in relating an incident wherein they evinced much interest in her husbands cam era, finally damaging that instrument out of pure meanness The Turks were friendly to the Americans and to the children and did not offer to harm them.
 Interested in Larger Cities.
 It was at the section of the or phanage devoted to older girls where the most danger was feared. Rowing bands of Turks would pass by here, peer into the windows and say with grins. You are big girls, we'll get you" One orphanage was filled with children who had been blinded years before, beca SC of Turkish atrocities, and all were nervous wrecks from their experiences. It was a common occurrence for Turks to break into homes and carry off the inmates most of whom never again were seen alive.
 Came to America.
 June 12, 1921, MT. and Mrs. Gill man came to America in the interests of the Near East Relief work and | have been on lecture tour through | New England southern and western states, during which time they spoke in 70 towns and cities.
 Next fall the members of Stanley Memorial church hope to see their pastor ordained. This is his first charge, in America. Mrs Peroshine is here with her daughter, but the son still resides in Russia. He writes that he is earning a pound of bread for a days wages in Tifies.
 Accomplished Artists
 Both Mrs Gilman and her mother are artists of rare ability and have some wonderful tapestries in the par sanage at 446 Chestnut street, which they painted in Europe. Mrs. Pero shine has a book of sketches of peo- pie she saw coming over on the boat, one of them is a sketch of Marconi taken while going through the Medi- terranean.
 Too Quiet to be True
 While Mrs. Gilman because of her youth has fully recovered from the severe nervous shock she has gone through, her mother still feels the horror of the past few years in Rus sia When the family lived for time in New Haven. she heard the report of rife shots at a smal arms test at the Winchester rife plant and thought the Bolsheviks were coming here. The continual July 4th cele brations going on in the neighborhood for the past several weeks are a con- tinual shock to her. At other times she says it is so quiet in America she things it can't be true.