ARMENIAN MASSACRE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19986, 29 June 1920, Page 6

ARMENIAN MASSACRE.

EYE-WITNESS’S STORY,

NERYE-RAGKINC EXPERI-

ENCE,

The following eye-witness’s account of tho massacre of the Armenians at Marash and tho fighting between the Trench troops and tho Turks which preceded it has been received here in a telegram from a correspondent ot the Associated Press, dated March 1 W, tho Daily Telegraph ”)- 1 Even in the recent years of warfare few non-combatants have undergone a more nerve-racking experience than that of the seven American relief workers, who wore shut up for twentytwo days without any communication with tho outside world, in the mission compound at Alarash, where they were under a constant hail of shot and shell, while French troops, aided bv Armenians, battled with the Turkish nationalists for possession of tho city, mono limn half of which was burned during the fighting, with terrible loss ot hie. “ A Hi rilling description of those scenes has been given me by Air Crathcin, ©t Boston, one of the workers who went through the siege, and who accompanied the French garrison of the town in their retirement to Isnhio (on tho Bagdad railway, about lorty milos > nearly due south’ of Alarash), and finally reached Adana. Mr Prather, accompanied by three other men, one lady and a French lioutcnnnt, first tried to leave Alarash for Am tab (fifty miles south-east of Mnrash) by motor-car on January 20, but the party was driven hack to Alarash by a fusillade of bullets from the hills, whence fire was opened upon them, in spit© of a free display of the American hag. ARMENIANS SHOT DCiAVN. . their return to the city the Situation became more and ‘ more threatening. Tho following day shots were heard, r«d soon after shooting began in all parts of tho city, two Tieiich soldiers being killed. Sniping continued throughout the night, and the 10l owing morning tho American hospital was attacked by shell fire, the doctors and nurses having a narrow escape. All day on January 23 tho Imliting continued, tho Armenians fleeing through the streets before tho Turks’ who shot them down, while other lurks ensconced among the surrounding lulls picked off fugitives attempting to leave the town. ( " It was pitiful,” said Air Crathern. to see them suddenly throw up their hands and scream out as they wore atf?, m . r ! U u S • 10 esca P e - We ' watched them fleeing over tho hills till they reached our compound, some of them dropping wounded at our feet, and others staggering into the mission ? ° imds ' Vllcl eyes and distorted faces, and telling of the awful masS ‘ L< onl, Wl ,’. c ’ w V ro just beginning.’ m i* 10 lowing- day tho Americans made representations to the French Genera Querctto, who finally said that o ivcnld try to remedy the situation; nt all efforts to secure a cessation of hostilities failed, and tho bombardment recommenced in the afternoon, while tne Trench also had to fire on certain sections from which the Turk's w;oro sniping at them. At night the city was plunged in teal darkness. All compounds of the mission were filled with frightened refugees, overjoyed to have escaped the terrors of massacre but bewailing the probable fat© of the relatives left behind. CONTINUED BOAIRARDAIENT “ To-day,” writes Air Crathern in Ins diary, January 25, wo raised the American flag, but no sooner had it reached tho masthead than a salvo of a dozen gnus sent us scampering under cover. 1 timed thirty-three shots in one minute, while machine guns tapped away like giant woodpeckers. Five messengers were senff. to-day for supplies and reinforcements, but we don't know whether they will reach Maine. “Tho same day,” continued Air Crathern, “hundreds of wretched Armenians tried to reach onr compound, but found it a difficult task, as tho light from the fires of the burning Armenian quarters makes escape so’easy to detect. Nows comes to-day that scores of women and children—a hundred in one house—had been butchered with knives and hatchets. After the men had been taken outside and shot the women surrendered under promises of protection, but were betrayed,” BROKEN PLEDGES. On January 27 Mr Crathern says . “There is at this minute a young woman in onr house who relates how she passed, five nights praying in a cellar with a hundred others. The Turks asked them to surrender, promising their lives would be spared. They agreed, and the Turks told the men to come out of the house. The woman said her husband went first, and was immediately shot by their own Turkish neighbour, whom they know well.” “ On January 30 there was still no relief in sight, and on the following day nine persons were shot in tho college grounds. Fortunately, we hare plentv of wheat now, and by keeping the women hard at work grinding from sunrise to sunset we can feed the people. The terrible events going on aro a. great strain to the nerves of the ladies, hut thev are brave and cheerful, busy ministering to the needs of the unfortunate. On tho 2nd inst. a shell fell on the hosnital mof. and burst in the attic, and on the same the Turks tried to fire the Rartcll Orphanage.” As the days progressed tho position became more mid more tragic, but the Americans decided to stay on nt all hazards and not desert their post. On the sth the French killed their horses and mulos_ and tho garrison had roast mule for dinner.

REINFORCEMENTS arrive. (to February G Mr Grathcni wrote:— “ This is the eighteentli day of the siege of Marash, ami , to-day we had a joyful surprise. An aeroplane flew over' the city and dropped several messages, which much cheered us, as wo now know we are not forgotten.” On February 7 reinforcements finally arrived, and, describing the scene, Mr Ora them wrote: ‘‘ troops are already in sight, and are lighting their way into the city. The guns m the plain are shelling the hills. All tho eighty girls in the rescue homo were killed to-day, the' Turks afterwards firing the building. We had to watch without being able to raise a hand to help.’’ On the following day the French troops were in tho valley still shelling, but “ it may bo days before they can encircle the city. The wounded continue to come, in, and there are many, deaths daily.” We spent the day watching the battle in the plain from the upper college windows, and followed with breathless interest the attempt of the French relieving troops to establish connection with tho French force in the barracks, which they finally succeeded in doing.” On Tebmary 9 QuereUo informed tho Americans ho had orders to evacuate tho city at midnight. This nows caused the wildest alarm among the women and children, already crazed with fear. .‘ We urged him 1,0 delay, as we do not know how the Turks will treat us when the French leave. AVe hope for the host, but fear tho worst.” REFUGEES' HARD TASK. Iho Armenians in the compounds were frantic and desperate, and determined to leave the city at the same time as tho French, as they feared a general massacre, and tho Americans did their best to fit them out lor the journey, giving them all tho food and clothes they could spare. It was finally decided that Mr Crathern should accompany the column, of which ho would bo in charge. “It will be a hard trek,” he wrote, ‘‘seventy-five miles through mountain plain, and the fear ninny will prove unequal to the task.” The troops and refugees left the burning city at nine at night in bitterly cold weather. The guns booming over the hills covered the retreat. Mr Crathern notes in his diary that; ‘‘as the column slowly moved away the city was a magnificent sight with'tho groat barracks evacuated by the French silhouetted against the sky.” The column moved steadily in the most hitter weather conditions, and many ot the weak dropped by the wayside to freeze or starve to death. At halts the column had to camp in the open. On February 18 a terrible snowstorm raging all night, increasing to a Wizard at dawn as the column resumed its march, and for six hours soldiers and civilians made their way through snowdrifts in the teeth of a violent gale, many giving up the fight and failing by the wayside through sheer exhaustion. It was estimated that over a thousand refugees perished lieforo reaching Islnhie. In conclusion, Mr Crathern estimates that 20,000 Armenians perished at Marash. All Americans left Ala rash safely, and tho doctors, and also necessary supplies, are already on rout© to the town.