I received your very kind letter about a week ago, for which I
thank you very much, and I read it with great pleasure. But we
do not get the boys' letters regularly. It is nearly two months
since the disaster occurred, and in that time I have received
but one letter. The other day an Armenian handed me a letter
that was torn into nearly a hundred pieces. I put all the pieces
together and read it. It was also from the boys, and I read and was
very glad. Now I will try to give you a little information about
us. The first Monday I did not go to the market, for from Saturday
I got somehow suspicious that there was something impending over
the city, and I did not let father go either. My brother was to
accompany those who were going to bring up a bride for my brother's
partner in business. While my brother was at the wedding house,
they sent him on an errand to go and get a few policemen to
accompany them as protection in bringing the bride. Just at the
moment when my brother was on his way to the station-house, he
sees there was confusion in the market; then he drops the matter
of bringing a policeman, but goes to the market and closes the
shop, and then turns towards home in a hurry. While on his way,
some men fired at him several times, but fortunately he was not
hurt. He comes as far as to one of our neighbors, and there drops
down exhausted. They came and brought me the news that he was
there. Then I plucked up all the courage I could, and went and
brought him home. An hour or so after, the Turks came and besieged
that same quarter and killed about thirty persons. On Tuesday,
very early in the morning, we left everything, house, property,
and goods, and just to save our lives we fled to the new church,
and I don't know what became of the rest. We remained there in the
church until Friday; after that we came out of the church, being
a little assured of safety, and have been living on the provision
that the government allowed us, but that also ceased a few days
since. When we came back home again we did not find a single
thing; they had swept off everything. We brought a matting from
some place, and six of us sleep in one bed. Some sleep on hay. May
you never have to endure such hardships. This incident seems worse
than the earthquake or the cholera, or the fire. May the good Lord
preserve us from things worse than these. Our life is not worth
the living. We don't know the exact number of the killed. Malatia
is altogether a ruin. It is a worse ruin than the city of Anni,
and even worse than Sassoun. It is beyond conception, one cannot
keep account of it. May the Lord write it down in his own account
book, so that he should take the account in the day of judgment.
Please excuse all my shortcomings, because I am out of myself. Our
love to all the friends over there.
Yours truly,
P.S. Please tell the boys to know the value of money, and not
waste neither their time nor their money in vain. For we have no
one to look for but to God in heaven, and after Him to them on
earth. For the value of a son is known in the time of adversity,
when he helps his elders or parents. Let them not yet send any
money, for there are no brokers left where we can change it.