Latakia, where they were divided up among several churches and schools.
On Monday, a French cruiser brought 4,000 more. The largest number were
cared for in the grounds of the American Presbyterian Mission. The
hospital was crowded with wounded and sick under the care of Dr. James
Balph. Miss Elsey, the trained nurse, opened a maternity ward, and all
the Americans worked hard in relief measures. The days in Latakia, under
the hot sun and with the constant fear that the Turks of the town might
rush in and attack them, were days of exile and hardship, in spite of all
that could be done for safety and health. They gathered quietly in the
evenings for prayer and for the singing of the hymns that they all know
by heart. After a few days sickness began breaking out rapidly. Several
smallpox cases were discovered, and the crowded conditions threatened
still further disorders. The Mutasarrif, who is chief magistrate in
Latakia, had from the start done everything in his power to protect and
provide for these fugitives. He himself patrolled the streets at night,
and, with the few soldiers at his command, dispersed the angry Moslem
mobs which repeatedly made attempts at disorder. He furnished a ration of
flour for all and expressed his sympathy with those who were in sorrow.
When he saw the rapid increase of sickness he advised that they should
all return to Kessab, and to give the people assurance of safety on the
road he went with them in person. The courageous and kind-hearted action
of this Turk saved Latakia, and the thousands of Kessab people sheltered
there, from the dreadful event of a massacre. His conduct stands out in
strong contrast with the criminal behavior of Hassein Hassan Agha, the
Mudir of Ordou.
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH IN KESSAB. SACKED AND BURNED APRIL
23-24.]
Can you imagine the feelings of the Kessab people as they climbed on foot
the long trail up the mountain, and then as they came over the ridge into
full view of their charred and ruined dwellings? Their stores of wheat,
barley, and rice had been burned; clothing, cooking kettles, furniture,
and tools had gone; their goats, cows, and mules had been stolen; their
silk industry stamped out; their beloved churches reduced to smouldering
heaps. The bodies of their friends and relatives who had been killed had
not been buried. And yet the love of home is so strong that the people
have settled down there with the determination to clear up the debris and
rebuild their houses. If generous gifts arrive from England and America
the Local Relief Committee hopes to put into the hands of the Kessab men
such tools as shall enable them to earn their usual livelihood by one of
the trades or by farming. For the present food supplies and clothing must
also be forwarded from Latakia and Beirut. But as soon as a man begins to
earn a daily wage, no matter how small, his name is struck off the ration
lists. I insisted upon this rule in the case of muleteers, who were
paid for carrying up the first shipment of relief supplies. Two capable
doctors are ready to give their services for the sick, but they have lost
all medical and surgical supplies. It would be of the utmost benefit
to furnish them with instruments and medicines. In this, as in other
needs, we heartily appreciate the prompt cooperation of the Beirut Relief
Committee. Miss E. M. Chambers, who was in Adana during these troubles,
has now returned to Kessab. She has lost everything, but is quite ready
to share the lot of the people. She is secretary for the Kessab Relief
Committee, of which Dr. James Balph, Latakia, is chairman and treasurer.
On Sunday afternoon, May 23, the first preaching service for four weeks
was held out under the trees near the burned church. My heart went out
to the people as I spoke to them and looked into their faces. I realized
then a little what they had been through during the past month. May God’s
blessing be richly poured out upon them!
_Supplementary Report._
For the first few weeks we were all compelled to do emergency work, the
doctors to treat the wounded, the rest of us to secure flour, rice, and
water for the throngs of homeless people. But now the attention of all
of us is directed to construction work, providing for the industrial
needs of the sufferers, rebuilding wherever possible and reorganizing
the agricultural work of the peasants. For the orphan children homes
are being established, chiefly by the missionaries, and for the widows
whose livelihood has been cut off by the killing of husbands, fathers,
and sons, the establishment of embroidery, rug making, and silk culture,
the materials and tools furnished by the relief committees, the wages to
be paid daily to the earners. Where many men have survived, the common
trades of carpentry, masonry, stonecutting, tailoring, and weaving
may be reestablished by a sufficient financial backing from relief
societies. There is also great need of men to specialize in relief work
and administer the large funds required. Missionaries can not rightly
give up all their regular work, nor can navy officers nor consuls, but a
few American volunteers, such as those sent to southern Italy and Sicily
after the earthquake, could do a wonderful amount of good.
Perhaps the most effective and wide-reaching relief work thus far has
been done by Dr. F. D. Shepard and his wife in the large villages of
Hassan Beyli and Baghche. This American surgeon could use to excellent
advantage a staff of young men from the homeland. The work of the Beirut
Relief Committee in providing hundreds of the men who survived the Kessab
attack with tools and implements, so that they might commence earning
a living at once, deserves note as a typically American plan, financed
chiefly through the generosity of the American National Red Cross. To
avoid pauperizing the people is one of the most difficult feats. Here in
the city of Aintab, where there has been practically no loss of life, but
great economic loss and resulting increase of poverty, I have furnished
some of the unemployed weavers with twelve looms for six months. Twelve
stonecutters, who were out of work since April 16, I have set to work
digging pits or holes in the limestone of the hospital grounds, so that
trees may be planted in the pits next spring. The earth is only a few
inches deep here.
Although the American people have helped very generously, the work
of relief has only just begun, and a more thorough effort to put the
people here on their feet again and to make kindly provision for all the
helpless persons, the old women and little children, requires large plans
and large appropriations from such societies as the American National Red
Cross.
_An English Woman’s Heroism._
Mrs. Doughty-Wylie, wife of the British Vice-Consul, in a letter to her
mother, describes with the vividness of an eye witness the horrors of the
last days of the rule of the late Sultan, Abdul Hamid.
Major Doughty-Wylie, a soldier who has taken part in many campaigns, was
severely wounded while engaged in the work of rescue. His heroic services
have won from the American missionaries laurels that will not fade. Mrs.
Doughty-Wylie also, according to impartial witnesses, displayed the
courage of her race, and by her devotion and energy saved many lives.
From a letter from Mrs. Doughty-Wylie we make the following extracts:
[Illustration: THE AMERICAN MISSION RESIDENCE. KESSAB. COMPLETELY
DESTROYED.]
“We are having a perfectly hideous time here. Thousands have been
murdered—25,000 in this province, they say; but the number is probably
greater, for every Christian village was wiped out. In Adana about
5,000 have perished. After Turks and Armenians had made peace and the
Armenians had given up their arms, the Turks came in the night with hose
and kerosene and set fire to what remained of the Armenian quarter. Next
day the French and Armenian schools were fired. Nearly everyone in the
Armenian school perished, anybody trying to escape being shot down by the
soldiers.
“In the French school a large number of Fathers and Sisters, with 2,000
Armenians, were rescued by Dick (Major Doughty-Wylie). Thirty, who tried
to escape, were shot. Dick found their bodies at the gate, but he got the
survivors out of the schools and brought them right through the Turkish
quarter without losing a soul. Altogether he got several thousand people
out of the burning quarter and encamped them near our temporary dwelling.
“I have the hospital—sixty-five beds so far and about 150 outpatients
requiring surgical dressings. Fifteen thousand starving people are to be
fed and we are running into debt nicely.
“The Turkish authorities do nothing except arrest unoffending Armenians,
from whom by torture they extort the most fanciful confessions. Even the
wounded are not safe from their injustice. A man was being carried in to
me yesterday when he was seized and taken off to gaol. I dare not think
what his fate may be.
“Nobody is safe. They murder babies in front of their mothers; they half
murder men and violate their wives while the husbands are lying there
dying in pools of blood. Then they say it is the fault of the Armenians,
because there existed a revolutionary society of about sixty members, who
talked and wrote a good deal of rot.
“We arrived in Adana from Mersine the first day of the massacre, April
14. The murderers boarded the train. There was a rush of Armenian
passengers into our compartment. While I tried to buck them up a bit
Dick went and tackled an assassin who was just going to shoot somebody
else. At Tarsus they murdered two men who were coming from the station
just behind us. One man made a rush and gained the guardhouse, but the
soldiers shoved him out and watched him done to death in the road.
“Dick got into uniform the moment he arrived, and we saw no more of him
till 11 at night. He had been rescuing all the foreign subjects he could
find. The following day I saw more brutal murders. An Armenian quarter
near us was attacked by Arab soldiers from our guard and was practically
wiped out. Their officers and one or two decent soldiers stuck to the
guardhouse and took no part in the murders. The officers, at my earnest
appeal, even saved some women and children—but how dreadfully shot they
were.
“After an hour’s argument I got a Greek doctor to come out with me to
the guardhouse and dress the wounded women and children. The room was
a puddle of blood, and while we were working there a wounded Armenian,
who was staggering in to be dressed, was stabbed to death by some of the
soldiers. I saw many murders, and nobody seemed to care.
“The authorities did nothing, and the soldiers were worse than the crowd,
for they were better armed.
“One house in our quarter was burned with 115 people inside. We counted
the bodies. The soldiers set fire to the door, and as the windows had
iron bars nobody could get out. Everybody in the house was roasted alive.
They were all women and children and old people. It was in that part of
the town that Dick was wounded. They told him that some wounded Turkish
soldiers were lying among the burning houses, and he went to rescue them,
which they certainly did not deserve. The house from which he was shot
had a garden filled with dead women and children, and I have no doubt
that some Armenian, who had lost entire family and most of his friends,
shot him in a sort of mad fit, probably taking him for a Turk.
_Slaughter in the Fields._
“Outside Adana every Christian village—Greek, Syrian, or Armenian—has
been burned and every soul in them killed. Unfortunately, it was just
before harvest, and thousands of peasants from the mountains and other
districts were there to start work. From 100 to 200 men and women were
murdered on every farm. Turkish farms were not burned or looted, but the
Armenian servants were killed. I know of only one farmer—a friend of
ours—who had the nerve to save his Armenians.
[Illustration: MRS. DOUGHTY-WYLIE IN UNIFORM OF ARMY NURSE ON BALCONY OF
SURGICAL HOSPITAL.]
“The French engineer and an English traveler gallantly did some saving.
They had escorts, and the Frenchman stood a three-days’ siege and made
his escort fight some Circassians to save a dozen Armenians. It was
gallantly done. The Englishman, whose name is Gunter, refused to save
himself unless the Armenians who had thrown themselves on his protection
were saved. It was touch and go for the lot, but British pluck won and he
got his own terms.
“The Germans, however, who were shut up in a place called Bagche gave
up the Armenians in their house as the price of their own safety. Here
the Germans are working splendidly on relief work. They are all Saxons
and had a factory full of Armenians, which held out all right. When the
Armenians were being brought out of the factory to the camp, as soon as
things were supposed to be quiet, the soldiers started killing them. I
happened to be at the guardhouse and got my little officer to go to the
rescue, and all were brought in safely except three, who had been already
shot.
“Things are still very unsettled. Murders and fires continue; but, of
course, it is not like the first days of horror.
“We have 15,000 people starving and without shelter. All we can give
them is a fragment of bread or a handful of rice. We have nothing more
to give. No milk for the babies—nothing. And measles and dysentery are
rife.”
REPORT OF F. G. FREYER, SECRETARY-TREASURER OF THE BEIRUT RELIEF
COMMITTEE.
BEIRUT, SYRIA, July 12, 1909.
Mr. E. G. Freyer, Secretary-Treasurer of the Relief Committee, with his
financial statements sends a special appeal for Kessab. He also says, in
regard to the Committee’s work as American Red Cross Agents:
We realized, first, that under the American National Red Cross our
Committee would take the field as a distinctively American undertaking,
even though recognizing the principle which governs all Red Cross
work—that its benefits should reach all in need, irrespective of
nationality or creed.
Secondly, it gave the Committee a standing, a guarantee before the public
which enabled it to raise funds in quarters where remittances under other
circumstances might not have been forthcoming.
The sending of doctors and nurses to Adana in the name and under the
protection of the Red Cross flag was not only a source of satisfaction to
the Committee, but of the very greatest help and blessing to the many who
at that time required immediate medical aid.
Those of us who have lived in the Orient for years have become accustomed
to the remark, and in many cases have allowed ourselves to believe,
that the native will not help himself, much less others, but that he
is willing to be dependent on the charity of the outside world. Be
this as it may under ordinary conditions, the present crisis has fully
demonstrated that the native can and will rise to the occasion and help
not only himself but his neighbor as well.
In looking over the summary of receipts it is more than gratifying to
note the very generous response which has come to our appeal from the
Syrians, or those whom we designate as “natives.” When we consider that
out of a total of 564,538 piasters received fully one-third has come
from native sources, this fact in itself may be considered a success
commensurate with any relief and help which the money itself has brought
to the sufferers. It is proverbial that it is difficult to get money from
the native. It is a satisfaction to know that he is sympathetic, and that
he can and will help.
Many cases can be cited where sacrifices have been made to help along the
work of relief. One man who had saved his metallic pieces (1 cent plus)
for nearly three years, and who had his small box nearly full, handed it
over with the remark, “Here, I have saved these for three years. I know
not what the box contains. Take it for the fund.” The proceeds of that
box netted the fund 385 piasters, or $13.75. The children brought their
pennies, school girls went without portions of their meals, the poor gave
of their little, and by these acts of self-denial helped to feed and
clothe their fellow-countrymen.
We have esteemed it a privilege to work under Red Cross auspices, even
though our funds have come also from many other sources.
From England we have received many contributions, large and small. The
latter are numerous, and indicate the desire many have had to help.
_A Special Appeal for Kessab._
Relief work at Kessab, as in many of the disturbed districts of northern
Syria, has been going on since the end of April last. During that time
the Beirut Relief Committee has been able to aid in feeding and clothing
the many widows and orphans who were left entirely destitute, while
tools for carpenters, blacksmiths, and masons, also plows and farming
implements, have been sent there so that the work of reconstruction might
begin.
Until now relief work has consisted chiefly in feeding the hungry;
more could not be undertaken on a large scale. The summer months have
proved favorable in that the people did not require special housing.
Improvised tents and shelters of various kinds were constructed, and for
the present these have served their purpose well, but the great question
which confronts all who are engaged in this work is, how these people are
to be housed and sheltered during the bleak winter months. It must be
remembered that the winters at Kessab are exceptionally severe. Situated
on the side of a mountain at a high altitude, the winds and rains not
infrequently cause the place to be entirely covered with ice and snow.
Then, again, how are they to be provided with food to tide over the
winter, or until they can raise their next crop of silk worms, the chief
industry of Kessab? We can not go on feeding them indefinitely, yet it is
a duty to feed and house this people until, under ordinary conditions,
they can provide their own support and repair their homes.
In regard to providing shelter, it is thought that it may be feasible
to erect two or three large barracks to give at least temporary shelter
to the women and children. Conference with those on the field and those
who know the conditions which hold good at Kessab may prove that this is
not a feasible plan, but that it would be better to roof over some of
the larger buildings. While practically all the houses in Kessab were
destroyed by fire, the walls of most of them are standing and in good
condition. It may be found more advantageous to roof over several of
these large houses, or even the Protestant and Armenian Churches. The
latter could be used by the constituents of either sect, and under such
conditions as the Relief Committee may see fit to make. Unless some such
measure of relief is adopted immediately great will be the suffering and
privation of the people of Kessab during the coming winter months.
The very lowest estimate places the cost of the construction work at
$10,000 and the cost of a sufficient quantity of wheat to sparingly
supply the needs of the people at $5,000.
In view of the foregoing facts a special appeal is therefore made for
$15,000, $10,000 of which to be specifically designated as intended for
and to be applied to constructive work.
It is hoped that these specific objects for which funds are so urgently
needed, and the receipt of which will do untold good, may appeal to many
who are in a position to give.
_Abstract of First Financial Statement, Beirut Relief Committee, June 24,
1909._
Your Committee has long felt the necessity of rendering at least a
preliminary statement, showing amounts received and expended, in
connection with the relief work made possible through your generosity.
Without the aid of regularly paid assistants it has, however, been
impossible for the Committee to render such an account earlier, feeling
that its first efforts should be directed toward the work of relief
rather than that of accounts.
It is a pleasure to acknowledge with thanks the gifts of so many who have
responded to our call for aid. Considerable has been done to alleviate
the sufferings and wants of the sick and destitute, but from all accounts
from the stricken districts the work of relief is far from completed.
Until we can get sufficient funds wherewith to purchase tools, etc., the
people can not be set to work at their various trades. This, and this
only, can solve the problem of reconstruction which confronts all engaged
in this work.
Very truly, yours,
G. BIE RAVNDAL,
_American Consul-General, Chairman._
GEO. E. POST, M. D.
E. G. FREYER,
_Secretary and Treasurer_.
RECEIPTS.
_Piasters._
Syria 136,581.10
Palestine 28,012.05
Asia Minor 17,505.00
Cyprus 1,322.35
Egypt 35,667.25
Belgium 815.25
France 543.30
England 51,658.25
America 223,930.25
-----------
Grand Total 496,037.20
£3,627 6s. 7d.
$17,715.62
EXPENDITURES.
_Piasters._
Adana 60,088.10
Kessab 76,960.10
Alexandretta 81,006.25
Latakia 7,000.00
Antioch 26,029.20
Tarsus 14,099.05
Aintab 12,462.20
Marash (Americans) 79,193.20
Marash (Germans) 23,253.30
Deaconesses, Beirut 4,404.00
Miscellaneous 31,575.00
-----------
Grand total 416,072.20
===========
Beirut currency: _Piasters._
Total receipts 496,037.20
Total expended 416,072.20
-----------
June 24, 1909. Balance on deposit in bank 79,965.00
E. G. FREYER, _Treasurer_.
SUMMARY OF DISTRIBUTION.
8,783 pieces of clothing and 182 pairs of shoes, sent in by 152 donors.
3,600 blankets purchased by Committee.
1,100 quilts purchased by Committee.
130 sacks of rice purchased by Committee.
23 sacks of wheat purchased by Committee.
197 sacks of flour purchased by Committee.
_Piasters._
Cash 198,942.10
Medicines and medical supplies 13,371.25
Blankets 29,295.00
Quilts 21,548.10
Foodstuffs 50,000.20
Clothing 26,012.40
Miscellaneous, including carpenters’, masons’, and farming
tools; sewing machines, tin pots, pans, spoons, copper
pots, blacksmiths’ tools, plows, pickaxes, spades,
needles, thread, buttons, administration, etc. 76,903.15
----------
416,072.20
I have examined the above accounts, compared the same with vouchers, and
hereby certify that they are correct.
W. R. GLOCKLER, _Auditor_.
BEIRUT, SYRIA, June 24, 1909.
_Abstract of Second Financial Statement, Beirut Relief Committee, July
26, 1909._
_Piasters._
Credit by balance brought forward
June 24, 1909 79,965.00
Additions:
Syria 2,759.30
Palestine 316.25
Asia Minor 664.35
Egypt 1,317.10
Cyprus 136.15
Denmark 69.10
England 83,728.10
America 79,929.00
Interest, bank account 564.15
-----------
Total 249,450.30
===========
Expended for account:
Adana 13,344.30
Kessab 30,715.30
Alexandretta 27,082.30
Antioch 485.35
Antab 12,462.20
Oorfa 411.10
Marash 18,264.30
Miscellaneous 4,520.00
-----------
Total 107,287.25
-----------
Credit by balance on hand
July 26, 1909 142,163.05
_Piasters._
Total of all receipts to date 665,523.10 or $23,768.68
Total of all expenditures to date 523,360.05 or 18,691.43
------------------------
Credit by balance carried forward
to new account 142,163.05 or 5,077.25
Respectfully submitted,
E. G. FREYER, _Treasurer_.
I have examined the above accounts, have compared them with vouchers, and
hereby certify that they are correct.
W. R. GLOCKLER, _Auditor_.
_Supplementary Statement or Cash Memorandum, Beirut Relief Committee,
July 28, 1909._
_Piasters._
Credit by balance brought forward July 26 142,163.05
Cash received per C. A. Wilson, Alexandria 13,962.25
Cash received from Isper Bayoud, Amatour 160.00
Cash received from N. Berouti, Jaffa 217.20
-----------
Total 156,502.50
===========
Debtor to—
T. L. 300, transferred to Dr. Balph for purchase of
wheat and storage of same 37,387.20
Telegram to Dr. Balph 22.10
225 pieces kham for Kessab 9,344.00
600 blankets, tinware, etc., for Kessab 9,263.30
40 dozen each of crockery plates and bowls 1,203.20
Medical supplies for Kessab 1,436.10
Cost of packing bales for Kessab 23.05
Cost of sending cash to Dr. Balph 30.20
Miscellaneous shipping, telegram fees, etc. 118.30
-----------
Total 58,829.25
-----------
Balance, approximately, T. L. 783 97,673.25
_Turkey-Armenian Relief Fund._
RECEIPTS.
Advanced from General Emergency Fund $12,500.00
Contributions, _Christian Herald_ (New York) 12,500.00
Contributions, Armenian Relief Committee (New York) 3,500.00
Contributions, miscellaneous 1,187.01
-----------
Total receipts 29,687.01
DISBURSEMENTS.
By cable to the American Ambassador, Constantinople $28,000.00
Repayment to General Emergency Fund 1,500.00
-----------
Total disbursements 29,500.00
-----------
Balance September 1, 1909 187.01