SHA L L T HIS N ATIO N DIE ?

E M . Rev . JOSEPH AAY , O I . NI

With a Preface by L O R D B R Y C E

and

An Historical Essay by B GA R IEL OUSSAN I ,

Chaldean Rescue 253 M adison Avenue

N ew York , N . Y .

CON TEN TS

PART I CHAPTE R

’ M e I . y Fath r s Death M II . y Escape T e U III . he Fat of rfa

I M i e e V . y Prison Exper nc s ’ S e e e e V. My ucc ssor s Exp ri nc

PART II CHAPTER

C e the M s e a S I . Depositions onc rning as acr t airt H l II . a ata

i e III . Kar ma (ag d 13)

S ar IV . tera and W ena

In he V . t Desert

I e e V . The Massacr of Diarb kir

In e s he e s VI I . the T nt of t B douin

The M L i a VIII . assacre of dj i I ! . What Happened n Kharput

! . M Rape , Loot , and urder

PART III CHAPTER

I n Hak ari I . ki and Persia

III . The Experience of the Right Reverend S Petros Aziz , Bishop of almas

IL L USTRATION S

Pa ge The Author Disguised as a Bedouin Fronti spi ece The Author ’ s Father 22 The Prison Camp 44 Mazlou m Bey 53 The Patriarch of B abylon 121 Dj alila 131 Wadi Wawela 139 Halata 145 The Archbishop of Sairt 158 ’ L The Archbishop s Sec retary 162 Karima 163 " Stera an d Warina 167 Hunting for Gold 172 The ArchbishOp of 181

‘ Rafts on the Tigris 187 V Michael and His Brother 19I

” Eyewitnesses 199 The Archbishop of Jezire 207 Habiba 254 ' Mar Shimou n 26 1 ‘

The Rev . Lazare Georges 267 The Bishop of Salmas 303 The Bishop of Urmia 308 “ Map of Mesopotamia 318

P R E FA C E

LORD BRYCE

The bloodstained annals o f: the East contain no

record of massacres more unprovoked , more wide spread o r more terrible than those perpetrated by the

Turkish Government up on the Christians of Anatolia

1915 w as ff and Armenia in . It the su erings of the Armenians that chiefly drew the attention of Britain and America because they were the most numerous

among the ecclesiastical bodies , and the slaughter

was , therefore , on a larger scale . But the minor com munities A ss ro- , such as the Nestorian and y Chaldean

churches , were equally the victims of the plan for

exterminating Christianity , root and branch , although the Turks had never ventured to allege that these

had ff communities given any ground of o ense . An

o u t account of these massacres , organized and carried with every circumstance of cruelty by Enver and

ru ffi an l Talaat , chiefs of the y gang who were then in SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

o p wer in Constantinople , has been given in the Blue ffi 1916 Book , published by the British Foreign O ce in , and entitled Treatment of the Armenians in the Otto

man Empire . In the present volume there is pre sented a graphic and moving narrative of similar cruelties perpetrated upon members o f the A ssyro- Chaldean

u o f o e Ch rch in which about half them , men , w m n

o f mu r and children , perished at the hands Turkish derers and robbers . The narrative is written by the

N aa em who s aw s Rev . Father y the e horrors with

o n his w eyes and narrowly escaped with his life . He has recounted to me and to other friends of his people

o in England the terrible st ry , and we have encouraged him to believe that his English translation of his book will be read with sympathy and pity both here and in

the United States . I venture to recommend it to those who Wish to know What these innocent victims have ff su ered , trusting that it may do something to sustain that interest in the sorely afflicted Christian Churches of the East which has b een ma nifested in both coun

0 tries , and h ping also that the charitable aid so gen ero u s ly extended to them in their calamities may be PREFACE

continued . The need of relief is still very great and it

e is for th ir Christian faith , to which they have clung

o f during centuries oppression and misery , that they ff have now again had to su er . 1 2 23rd Jul 9 0. y,

AN HI STORICAL ESSAY

ON TH E

ASSYRO-CHAL DEAN CHRI STIAN S

BY

R O U SSA N I . . REV . GAB IEL , D D

N aa em the o f The Rev . J. y , author this work , and an eye-witness o f most of the horrible scenes o f

e massacre her in described , has requested me to write an introduction to this English version of his book

b of for the enefit the American public , which is per

n o haps not so well acquai ted with the history , ge g raphy and religion of the A s sy ro - Cha ldean Christians who suffered during and after the great war ( 1915- 1920)

at the hands of the unscrupulous Turks, indescribable

who tortures , and lost through murder and famine f m o their me bership .

Having the interest and the welfare of this u nfor tun ate nation at heart , being myself a native of that

unhappy land , and having already known of these xvi SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

s things through direct correspondence with bishop ,

priests , merchants , friends and relatives in Mesopotamia ,

o f w I gladly accede to his request , hopeful a akening in the loving hearts of the American people a genuine sym

a s for one o f p thy and commi eration this martyred race , c the most ancient and glorious nations ; but , alas , de i

o u mated and reduced t r in .

Never in the past have the American people had such an o pportunity of extending a helping hand to oppressed Christian nations as they have at the

present time in Upper Mesopotamia .

ff o f o The su erings the Belgian , French , P lish , Ser bian and Austrian peoples during the great war co m pletely fade away by comparison with what the help

O f ff less countries the Near East su ered and endured , nd and are still enduring, from Turkish a Kurdish

ravages and cruelties . The excellent work done by the Near East Relief

Committee has accomplished much ; but a great deal

an d r more must be done , done quickly , if the Ch isti m a ity of the Near East , and especially of Mesopotamia and Persia is to be rescued from immediate and total

- e destruction . The well merit d relief so generously AN HISTORI CAL ESSAY xvii extended to the suffering Armenians has in a way so completely focused the attention and the generosity

f r o the Ame ican people on this unfortunate race , that

a ~ the other, smaller, but j ust as unfortun te , races of the Near East have been to a great extent lost sight h o f. T ese smaller Christian nations , and particularly

A ss ro -C ff the y haldeans , su ered as much at the hands o f the r o the Turks as A menians , and pr portionately

more , and thus deserve as much sympathy and help .

A s s ro - Ethnographically , the modern y Chaldeans are

s the descendants of the Ancient Babylonians , A sy

rians and Arameans , who for many millenniums

- inhabited and ruled over the Tigris Euphrates valley ,

Upper Mesopotamia and Syria , and who were the political masters of the Near East for many centuries

o bef re the Christian era . With the downfall of the Kingdoms of Assyria and

. 7t 6 h C. Babylonia ( and th centuries B . , respectively)

e and the political ascendency of the M dians , Parthians , 6 6 and Persians (from circa th century B . C . to th cen

tury A . D . especially during the reign of the Sassa

ff on nide dynasty) , they su ered many political and later

religious persecutions , but stood the test heroically . xviii SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

e Incidentally , their very ethnographic id ntity and their national spirit of independence were completely

crushed . They were , so to say , engulfed in the many

religious , racial and political whirlpools and currents which sw ept over their country for more than ten full

centuries .

Under the Arab domin ation (from the 7th to the c 13 . . th century A D ) they on e more prospered , and developed the greatest and most extensive Christian

Church of the Near East , enj oying vast political and

times b religious privileges , marred at y occasional and

13th on local adversities . From the century and until

our own day , however , this heroic Christian nation suffered such untold misery and persecuti o ns at the

hands of the cruel Tartars , Moguls and Mohammedan

Turks that at the beginning o f the 20th Century this

once great and fertile country , this glorious and power

was to one- o f ful nation , reduced less than tenth its

former size .

— emfbra c e d The Asse Chaldean nation Christianity ,

if not during the first , certainly during the middle of

the second century . Setting aside the controversy as to the early evangelization of Edessa in Upper Meso AN HISTORICAL ESSAY xix potamia during the reign of King Abg ar (circa 35

A . D . ) and the traditional propagation of the Gospel

throughout Mesopotamia by the Apostles Thomas ,

Addai and Mari , it is unanimously agreed by all scholars that towards the end of the second century the Christian religion had penetrated into the whol e

- the country inhabited by the Asse Chaldeans . In

third and fourth centuries , they already possessed a h ighly developed and well organized hierarchy , with

numerous dioceses and churches , a Patriarchal See , stationed at Seleucia- Ctesiphon on the lower Tigris

and a Christian population exercising, at times , a far reaching political and religious influence over the Sas sanian dynasty of Persia and the Arabian dynasty of

ix Hira . During the fourth , fifth and s th centuries , the

A s s ro - s o n y Chaldean Church became , exte sive and powerful that it excited the fear and the hatred of the i Sassanian kings of Persia , who determ ned to exter minate it with a series of almost uninterrupted perse

- f cution s and unheard o f cruelties . Hundreds o thou sands O f martyrs gave their lives willingly for the faith o f w Christ . Patriarchs , bishops , priests , virgins , idows ,

on e h children and adults , noble and poor , vied wit the xx SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

for other in their faith and love Christ , and were mas

sacred with . tortures the like o f which was not even

dreamed of by the most cruel o f Roman emperors . And if the number o f martyrs in the Roman Empire during

o r to the first three four centuries , according a generous

‘ total of estimate , may have reached the grand that o f the A ssy ro - Chaldean martyrs in the Persian Em

~ 3rd to 7th pire , from the the century , must have reached the half million mark and perhaps twice that number Entire cities and whole districts were destroyed and their

Christian inhabitants slaughtered . Monasticism also penetrated and flourished early

- i among the Asse Chaldean Christians . The mounta ns of Assyria and Kurdistan teemed wi th hundreds of

their monastic institutions , and their inmates equalled and often surpassed the most austere and absurd asceticism of the early Egyptian and Syrian monks

o of and anchorites . Great sch ols theology and phi lo so h p y also flourished within this great Church , and i it is a well known fact that Arabian ph losophy , math ematics o f , medicine , the arts and the sciences the Middle

to Ages , though a great extent of Greek origin , pene tra te d the Ab 'baside Empire through the influence of xxii SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? with the result that within a few decades the vast and powerful Christian Church of Persia embraced the N estorian doctrine and thus separated itself from

o f the Christianity the West, becoming an autonomous

church . Hardly had this been accomplished when a new

on christological heresy appeared the horizon , that

E u t ches of y , another Syrian monk , and Abbot of Con

tin le to Eut stan o . p In his opposition Nestorianism , y ches ended by propounding the Opposite theory to

s ‘ r e was Nestoriu , by maintaining that as in Ch ist ther

but one Person , so also His two natures became so thoroughly united or admixed as to form but one com

o s it p e nature . He was deposed and his doctrine con demned by the Councils o f Constantinople (448) and of Chalcedon Finding again no outlet in the West this new

teaching began to Spread in Syria , Egypt , Armenia ,

o Mes potamia and throughout the Persian Empire , rivaling in its rapid spread Nestorianism itself ; with the result that throughout all the following centuries

ou r own - and till days , Asse Chaldean Christianity , which In the l 0th and 11th centuries boasted of AN HISTORICAL ESSAY xxiii

o not less than five hundred dioceses , th usands of

churches and millions of adherents , reaching in its

extension from Central Asia , China , Tartary , Mon

golia , India (Malabar) , Mesopotamia , Persia , Syria ,

Cyprus and as far as Egypt , became divided into two N great rival Churches , viz . , the estorian Church , and

the Eutychian or Jacobite Church .

14 u o a d as From the th cent ry, h wever , n as late o r own s o f u day , missionarie from religious orders the Roman Catholic Church centered their activities o n converting these people , with the result that ever

S ix since , and for the last centuries hundreds of thousands of these A s sy ro - Chaldean Nestorians an d o Jac bites entered the Roman Catholic Church , pre

a n d serving, however , their own national ecclesiastical

language , liturgy , church discipline and customs . At

A s s ro - present , therefore , the y Chaldean Christians are

o u or u divided int fo r big sects ch rches , with their own corresponding hierarchy and distinct church

overnment ff organization and g , di ering but Slightly

t u e in their faith , in heir liturgy and liturgical lang ag

o f c (rather dialects the same language) , church dis ipline

and ecclesiastical customs . SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

o f war to At the beginning the great , according

or b o f more less relia le statistics , the total number the

A ssy ro-Chaldean Christians in Turkey and Persia was i about seven or e ght hundred thousand , scattered o ver the plains of B abylonia , Mesopotamia , Upper

of s Syria and the mountains Assyria , Kurdi tan and

a Persi , whereas at the present time , having lost more than souls at the hands of the tyrannical

Turks , Kurds and Persians , they hardly number many of whom had to abandon their country

e er and hom s and flee into Russia , Syria and low

Mesopotamia . They are the following

- - 1 . The Nestorian Asse Chaldeans commonly

called Nestorians .

2 A r - . The Catholic s sy o Chaldeans commonly

called Chaldeans .

s s r - 3. The Eutychian A y o Chaldeans commonly

called Jacobites .

4 A s ro- om . The Syrian Catholic s y Chaldeans c monl y called Catholic Syrians .

Numerical‘ly

1 o No . bef re the war numbered circa A N HISTORICAL ESSAY ! ! V

2 No . before the war numbered circa N 3 O . before the war numbered circa

N O 4 . before the war numbered circa

im o s Owing to the staggering losses , it is almost p sible to give accurate statistics of the Asse - Chaldean e Christians at the pres nt time . When the whole tale o f destruction is told and the condition o f the coun try becomes normal (keeping in mind the horrible

slaughter of souls , the total destruction of

the churches , the burning of thousands of homes , the killing of a dozen or more bishops and hundreds of

priests , the plunder and spoliation of public , private

s ta rva and church properties , the ravages of hunger ,

e o tion , violence , diseas , poverty , dep rtation , tortures , amputation and mutilation of thousan ds still alive and

rendered helpless and in a state of abj ect poverty ,

S n ridicule and hame) , then , and only the , will the American people be enabled to form an adequate esti

o i mate the terrific losses in property and human life ,

in domestic and personal happiness , in religion and education among the unfortunate Asse - Chaldean

Christians .

’ For this reason Father N aay em s book is of timely xxvi SHALL THIS NATION DI' E ?

interest, as it will give the American public an accu

o f rate , though meagre pen p icture the horrible suf fering s of but a small portion of the Asse - Chaldean

Christians .

America and American principles of justice and lib

ert ff y , American love for su ering humanity and American charity are the only hope of stricken East

ern Christianity , and the one bright star in the once

now a a Sk ' brilliant , but, alas , d rkened E stern y

’ T M S . JOSEPH S SE INARY ,

Dunwoodie , N . Y . 1 1 2 O ct. s t, 9 0. AUTHOR ’ S PREFACE

Several works have already appeared on the atroci ties and massacres perpetrated by the Turks in Arme

- nia , Asia Minor and Syria . Eyewitness and victim o f to these cruelties , I come in my turn present my testi

to to mony . It is my heartfelt wish reveal the public yet one more prey of the Monster o f Anatolia the

one e brute whose history is of felony , pillag , destruction , murder and massacre the beast whose life has been prolonged by fifty years through the action o f the Great

to n for Powers the ruin of the u happy Christians , ground

to of centuries beneath his heel . I desire plead the cause a little people as deeply interested a s it is abandoned ; a nation descended from a great Empire and from the most ancient civilization known to history ; a race

t whose country , like that of Armenia , has been he

o f who theatre abominations practiced by the Turks ,

have assassinated its men and deported the women ,

n childre and greybeards to be subj ected , to the worst

of outrages , and martyred with cold and cruel c alcu race . In this work will be found

My account o f the massac re o f the Christians in my own o f c r t o f district Urfa , the ancient and eleb ated ci y

1 o f Mesopotamia . I recount the tragic fate my father ,

f h own o u . victim T rkis hatred , and my flight from Urfa

1895—96 In , as a child of seven , I had witnessed , in 5000 this same city of Urfa , the butchery of Christians , whose throats were c u t by their Turkish fellow - citi

. O n s s zens that occasion , thank to ome Arab mer

chants , his faithful friends , my father had escaped the

massacre .

A n account of my imprisonment and sufferings at the hands o f these human demons in the concentra tion c amp o f the Allied prisoners o f war at Afion

- s to c - Kara Hi sar , whi h I had been appointed Chaplain by the Turkish Government at the request of the Holy

See .

n o f o f s one o f h The testimo y a German incerity, t at nation whose government is n ot itself altogether guiltless

o f complicity in the tragedy .

1 Better known erha s in histor its former name p p y by , Edessa. xxx SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

cudgels of their murderers . How I should have applauded had I had the good fortune to be among your audience and hear you Show up those butchers !

Would that I could bring to light the details o f the martyrdom of the A ssyro- Chaldeans in the district o f

on o f o Djezire the Tigris and Mediat , where ver fifty w villages I kno were completely sacked and ruined , all the inhabitants being put to the sword : a district which w as fertile and prosperous and looked forward to a

s o f the B happy future , becau e fact that the agdad Rail

way was about to run through their territory . There is not the slightest doubt that not less than

A s s ro - y Chaldeans , perhaps rather more than

fan ati a third of the race , perished through Turkish cis m during the Great War , and immediately after the

signing of the Armistice .

During the occupation by the Allied Armies , in l 1919 June and Ju y , , two other Chaldean districts ,

Amadia and Zakho , not far from Mosul , which until that time had been preserved by the frenzied efforts o f o f the Patriarch Babylon , were invaded by the

Kurds , who put the men to death , and , after pillaging AUTHOR ’S PREFACE xxxi

o ff and sacking everything, rode with the women and

: girls A letter from the Patriarch , given me by his

Vicar General at Rome , Mgr . Paul David , and which

I published in the press , briefly relates the details of

this new horror .

T o —day the Situation of this little nation is indeed

precarious , surrounded as it is by a thousand fanatical

‘ and hostile Arab and Kurd tribes , which are still armed and seem contemptuous of the small Allied

O o r forces sent to maintain order . At the first pp tu n ity they will fall upon our unhappy countrymen

and exterminate the race . In desperation we launch our appeal to the pity and

the justice of the Great Allied Powers , whose aim it is

to safeguard the rights of little nations , and we pray that they will not delay in offering efficacious pro tec tion to this little A s s y ro - Chaldean people which for

centuries has groaned in slavery and oppression . Con

fidently we hO pe and trust that they will assuage its

O f misery , mindful its attachment to their cause , and i w ll at length restore to it its fatherland , its liberty

and its autonomous existence . E A A M . J. N Y

CHAPTER I

’ My Fa ther s D ea th

o f o f 1915 w as At the commencement the Spring , I in

at my parish Urfa . The Great War was still in its

early stages . The Russians in the Caucasus were

advancing with great strides , and the Christians fol e lowed their operations with great interest , for th y

preferred Muscovite to Turkish rule .

O n e a l n day , while I was p y g him a visit , Bishop

A rdaw art Showed me a map , pointing out with great satisfaction the progress of the Russians in their

march on Erzerum . This happened some days before the arrest of the leading men of the town ; and the poor Bishop had no premonition whatever of the fate

w ' a aiting him . Propaganda of Armenian treachery was

b e circulated . The faces of the Turks changed and

came more threatening . Photographs , purporting to

show Christians killing Turks , were passed from hand

to hand in the police stations , where they were Shown to the Turkish populace in order to excite their fanat 2 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

icis m . It was alleged that bombs and rifles were

found in Christian houses and churches . 1915 In March , , there began to arrive at Urfa , in

the most pitiable state , convoys of women , children

and old men who were being deported . The girls and

o ff pretty women had been carried while on the road ,

me n and the had been separated from them or killed .

To prolong the wanderings of the unfortunate people ,

and to make them spend all they possessed , they were

compelled to halt severa l days at a time . This gave the Moslem population s ufficient time to Ibes ieg e the

convoy , and appropriate for nominal prices whatever

they wanted . At the same time , the soldiers and

police , who monopolized. the trade with the convoys , charged exorbitant sums for the provisions they had to

buy .

s ealed They did worse , for at night they the walls

of the large yard in which the Christians were kept , selected various women and girls and carried them o ff o across the flat roofs f the houses . After being

e k pt for some days as playthings , the wretched crea

tures were then abandoned or massacred .

The yard where the convoys were taken soon be

4 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

:s followers of Christ . In the bazaars , the cafe , every w where , one saw them hispering together , planning

foul surprises for the Christians .

— Finally , several well known persons were arrested , and to force them to reveal the names of imaginary

' ’ 1 Cormtaaj is and to reveal the p laces where they had

hidden arms , unmentionable tortures were inflicted

upon them .

This made me S O apprehensive that I advised my father to call upon the local head of the Committee of

P Parm aks is a S Union and rogress , one Z de heikh Mus t lim , who was acting mayor , and an associa e of my

’ s father s in bu iness . To him my father confided his ef intention leaving for Aleppo with his family , but

Sheikh Muslim reassured my father , saying

Do not worry ; you have nothing to fear . In case of danger I shall know how to get you away without ffi ” di culty .

My father was comforted by his words , but I was

I still very doubtful and anxious , for , knew to the

bottom the character of the unspeakable Turk .

‘ M em ers o f s ecret o r an i atio ns here o vious for the b g z , b ly thr f h r i h vernm t over ow o t e Tu k s Go en . MY FATHER’ S DEATH 5

The continual passage of the convoys through the town caused the Christians to live in a state of great

anxiety .

On e day the Chief of Police called upon the Arme

nian Bishop , and ordered him to summon his flock to

the Cathedral , as he wished to address them . The bell fill was rung, and all the people ran to the Cathedral ,

u e ing it . Then the T rkish Commandant ent red ,

harangued the crowd , and in the name of the Govern ment ordered them to deliver up whatever arms they pos sessed under pain of suffering the same fate a s

those perishing in the convoys .

” If you obey , he added , not one of you will be

” interfered with .

The Commandant with the Bis ho tp then proceeded to

Garmu sh , a large village of five hundred Christian

b o families , Situated a out an hour and a half fr m the

town , where he repeated his harangue . Whereupon the National Council assembled immediately at the Bishop ’ s residence and discussed the advisability of

surrendering weapons . Treachery on the part of the

Turkish Government was feared , and the Council was

s A rdaw art divided in opinion . Bi hop , seeing danger 6 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

imminent , implored his flock to yield their arms , in

order to appease the anger of the Turks .

s I am ready to sacrifice myself , if necessary , aid

the prelate , kneeling before his flock in tears .

Touched by his words , his hearers decided unani mo u s l b o y to O ey , and next day carts carried fr m the

’ church to the Governor s house rifles , revolvers and

other arms which had belonged to the Armenians .

Unfortunately , a number retained their better

weapons .

Kn ow m C rm g the hristians to be disa ed , the Turks

began their foul work . First of all fifteen or twenty

prominent men were arrested and thrown into prison ,

e of and th ir houses , that the Bishop and the Cathedral , All were confiscated . papers , books and registers were taken to the Governor ’ s house to be examined minutely ; and corners of the Cathedral and the epis co

r pal residence were dug up in search of arms . G adu

o f ally , all men influence were arrested , imprisoned ,

to and subj ected long inquisitions , during which they

were flogged until blood was drawn . Special envoys with full powers arrived at Urfa

n d from Constantinople to direct the tribunals , a were MY FATHER’S ! DEATH 7 entertained as the guests of ex— deputy Malhmo u d

N edim , a bloodthirsty man , all powerful in the

A rdaw art province . Bishop , himself, and several of

his priests were soon arrested and taken to prison .

n m Panic reig ed a ong the Christian population .

As for the Moslem civilians , they markedly avoided

the Society of the Christians , and held Secret meetings

i w at night , the r Sinister looks showing that they ere I f hiding some tragic plan . approached for help , they answered that they could not mix themselves up in im these matters , and declared definitely that it was possible for them to Offer protection or shelter to a b Christian . Such action had een forbidden formally

by the Government . In fact , all Turks had been made

2 to swear in the Mosques on the Talak that they would

give no assistance to the Christians .

One evening a police agent , accompanied by several

k our w soldiers , knoc ed at door, and hen we opened ,

announced that he had come to search the house .

be Three days before , two Armenian villagers had

2 A cha racteristic Tu r ish oath b which the swearer ed es k , y pl g to divo rce his wif e if it be roved that his statement be fa se p l , or that he ha s ro n hi a h b ke s o t . 8 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

come our guests , Since they were our employees and

helped in our transport of cereals . In Syria , and b especially in Le anon , business was limited to trade in ff foodstu s , on account of the war . Urfa , being an

agricultural town , my father , among others; exported

to old cereals to Aleppo and to Lebanon . According an

i to custom , pecul ar this country , villagers in the employ o f or merchants farmers , when they come into town ,

e become th ir guests , and are lodged and fed by their

a o masters ; in m ny h uses , indeed , rooms being set

3 r apart fo this purpose .

Not knowing what was happening in the provinces , we had no suspicion of the danger we were running in

receiving these people into our house . Nor did our guests tell us of what was going on in the country a from which they had come . Nevertheless , as matter

a f of prudence , my father , before le ving for his o fice

v to the day after their arri al , suggested my mother that she should advise them to seek lodgings else

where . The poor villagers , unwilling to leave us ,

remained yet another day , and made up their minds to

3 The very same custom p revails to -day in the wheat b elt in r W st rn at ou e e St es . ’ MY FATHE R S DEATH 9

go only when my mother insisted . Next morning they

left , to return again in the evening and spend the night

with us , and had not left the house when the police

found them hiding in the corner of the kitchen . It was not until later that we learnt that the vil

— H o chin e lage where the poor people had lived , a dependance of the Sandj ak of Severek - had been

ha d entered by soldiers and Kurds , who massacred

nearly every inhabitant . A few men escaped to the

mountains , among them our . two villagers , who later came to us

They were arrested , of course , and taken to prison .

' My mother was alone in the ho u s e wh e n my father

returned at seven in the evening, at which time a

policeman called and arrested him , on a charge of hav

ing given refuge to two insurgents . It was even

ha d alleged that he relations with the enemy , and was

exporting cereals to them via Lebanon .

’ One of my brothers at once ran o ff to my father s

intimate friend , already mentioned , Sheikh Muslim ,

of the head of the Committee Union and Progress ,

o f im gave him an account what had occurred , and

lo red ffi p him to intervene . Although the o cial reas 10 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

i sured him , my brother went to the Chief of Pol ce ,

’ O f likewise a friend my father s , who a fortnight

111 a . e before , comp ny with Sheikh Muslim , had acc pted l our hospita ity and spent the evening at our house .

The Commandant pro mised to release my father the

very next day , whereupon my brother returned at a

c almed ‘ th late hour and e family .

Next day he went again to our Turkish friends , who ,

this time , declared that we must have patience for two

to e or three days , since liberate my father imm diately

a would only attract public attention , in smuch as none

of the influential Armenians had been released . These repeated promises led us astray and prevented us from taking recourse to other and perhaps more practical

methods . Several days passed , fruitful of no more

a of th n promises . Hadj i B ekir Bey , father Sheikh

Muslim , an octogenarian millionaire , who occupied

who the position of Honorary Persian Consul , and

held my father in great esteem , sent every day to obtain news and begged his son to make every effort

to save him .

A month passed , and the definite promises of the m ’ earlier period beca e evasive . My father s friends ,

12 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

of or through fear the consequences if he refused , the storekeeper handed over several hundred sacks which

belonged to my father .

My father soon learnt of the loss of his sacks ,

l n V l eW which did serious harm to his business , but of

h e the accomplished fact , he said nothing . Later requested payment for the sacks — a rather large sum

N edim to in itself . was deaf the app eal . Several months passed ! Eventually my father encountered

' m the in flu en tia him at a eeting of l men of the town ,

and , tired of waiting, asked him to settle the matter . ff This his debtor considered a personal a ront , and in

an insulting manner refused to pay . My father , out

raged , expostulated indignantly , and left him .

N o w m an a N edim who , it was this , M hmoud , was acting as host to the high officials sent from Constan tin o l p e to take charge of the persecution at Urfa . It

was his influence with his powerful guests , which was

’ stultifying the efforts of my father s O ld Mohammedan

' friends , Sheikh Muslim and the Chief of Police, to

secure his release .

Sa fw et Arrest followed arrest , and Sheik , a deputy ’ MY FATHER S DEATH 13

o f o to rOle the t wn , went Diarbekir in the infamous of f 4 instigator o a Dj ehad .

o f as The Christians Ourfa were terrified , well they

s e of might be , and in de p ration and in the hope saving

l s o f their men fo k , the women ca t themselves at the feet these officials and tried by every means in their power

Tchettas the o to soften their hearts . The patrolled t wn

to armed the teeth , and watched the Christians with sin is who to s to ter intent , pursuing those tried e cape the

o o fro-m mountains t j in the deserters the army .

A S an example of the barbarity of these T chettas chiefs I will digress here for a moment to repeat an

was . con incident that related to me by Mr Demarchi ,

of troller the Ottoman Bank at Urfa , who is a friend

m e of ine . He was attending an Open rec ption in the Governor ’ s Official residence upon one occasion when he saw one of these men in heated discussion with

o f the commandant the city, an Arab from Damascus .

A S saw Tchetta x he watched , he the bo the ears of the

his to commandant and then draw revolver shoot him . Only the swift intervention of the Governor him

’ self saved the soldier s life , and the weakness of the

4 “ A re i io u s o r ho a r l g ly w . 14 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Turkish Government is mani fested by the fact that

o f s instead puni hing the chief the Governor pacified him ,

adopting the friendliest attitude towards him , as though he himself were afraid of similar treatment ; though the

Turk continued to hurl insults upon him and all other

Arabs .

A c o mtmis s io n charged with the trial of those de tained in prison arrived at Urfa from Aleppo ; where u pon we h astened to call up on the President of the

a Court , and endeavored to gain his symp thy by every

means in our power . He told us that my father , being

innocent , would be released without delay , and he

repeated this to my mother when she , too , sent to him .

In the meantime many of the Ar menians decided to

send a petition to the Governor , informing him that m h they intended to embrace Mohammedanis , w ich

ff u had n o e ect whatever pon the Turkish chiefs .

From the date of the arrival of these brigand chiefs

a matters took grave turn . No news came from the L outside . etters , which had been sent to our cousins ,

the Roumis , at Diarbekir, the sons of the former

dragoman of the French Consulate , were returned to

”

s . us , marked Ab ent MY FATHER’ S DEATH 15

We learned later that the Roumis had been put on

a raft on the Tigris , with the first Diarbekir Convoy ,

and had been murdered en route .

The manager o f the Ottoman Bank o f Diarbekir had

arrived in great haste some days before this . Utterly

- had panic stricken , he would tell us nothing of what he

on seen . He had undergone many dangers the road , and

for two s u was remaining only day , d ring which time he

a to . concealed with Mr . Dem rchi , he hastened Aleppo

O n e day a rumor was spread that a soldier had been killed by a bullet fired by one O f the Armenian refu

gees who had taken to the mountains . Thereupon , even greater hostility began to be shown to the

A S Christians . the body of the soldier was being

a taken through the streets , those who accomp nied it

made fanatical demonstrations , and would have stoned a priest whom they encountered had he not taken

refuge in the barracks . This was Father W artan , who ’ m later, after three years i prisonment , was unj ustly

althou h the Armis tice had lread hanged at Adana , g a y be n decl r d e a e .

Meanwhile , the Turkish soldiers in charge of the

convoys returned , their fell work done and their 16 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? purses filled with the pieces of gold they had taken

from those whom they had deported , and wantonly

put to death . During this time my father was confined in the part

of the prison reserved for those under sentence . There

a he soon contr cted dysentery and , very much reduced

in strength and needing proper care , begged us to use

in flu every possible means to procure his release . The en tial Turks who claimed to be his friends were

to unwilling intervene . It was the Arabian Com

T chetta mandant from Damascus , the one whom the

’

Chief had struck in the Governor s mansion , who , at

the request of a friend , went to the captain in charge d him of the prison , and aske to remove my father to

a place of less severe confinement . b Meanwhile , the arrests continued , and ecame the sole occupation of the Government offi cials and the i f pol ce . For hours , the head of the telegraph o fice

remained at the instruments , his anxious and worried expression Sh o wing the importance of the secret f orders he was receiving . All Christian O ficials were

‘ discharged , and the Christian members of the palace

force were degraded and dismissed with contempt . ’ MY FATHER S DEATH 17

f for a The hatred o the Turks the Gaour , incre sed , e their looks became blacker and blacker , and the f ar n of the Christians increased with the passi g of time . The Turkish populace now openly menaced the i Chr stian citizens , with the connivance of the police ,

calling them traitors , adopting a threatening attitude ,

for and se eming to await the signal assault .

“ ih At night , the dwellings of rich Christians were

u b e vaded , when a thoroughbred wo ld appropriated , b or whatever else of value pleased the rob er . If the

owner resisted , shots were fired , and in the end he

had to submit .

“ We now lost all hope of seeing my p o or father i released , and I , myself, avoided leav ng the house , so intolerable did I find it to face the openly expressed

s hatred and scorn of the Turk . One day I had occasion to go to the Ottoman Bank

as on business , and went out of my ordinary route so

n not to pass the Government Building, wishi g both to avoid black looks and to spare myself the pain of

seeing the prison where my poor father la nguished .

' Although Short , my j ourney seemed long to me , and ,

5 I de nfi l. 18 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

‘ fearing insult or pursuit, I walked more quickly . On arriving at the Bank I knocked at a door on the first

o b fl or, and found myself Opposed y a sentry , who

hitherto had shown me every respect . He asked me

impertinently whom I wished to see .

“ ” The Manager, I replied .

He is not here , he said .

” a I sh ll wait for him , I answered .

O n entering, I found neither M . Savoye nor my

young brother , who was an accountant . Two minutes

‘ “ s later the guard entered and aid insolently , There

is no one here . It is forbidden to wait here . Get out ! ”

see Keeping quite cool , I told him I required to the

r Manager, whom I Should ask if he , a mere sent y , had

the right to act as he had done . My reply irritated

n him and he advanced towards me angrily . I the

’ Savo e s a w a . made my y to the door of Mr y partment ,

which was in the same building, entered and met

o w a s Madame Sav ye , whom I asked if her husband

there . She replied in the negative , and noticing that , i in view of the grave circumstances of the t me , my

presence troubled her, I told her in two words of the

20 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

’ i Afio n - - Later, n the Prisoners Camp at Kara Hissar ,

I heard of one instance in which he failed . E Maj or Stephen White , an nglishman , who had been captured on the Suez Canal and taken to Urfa

f E tian - with another o ficer of the gy Army , told me

learii in that this same Chakir, g that he had received

m n a sum of money fro his mother in E gland , tried his

a 111 best to obt in a share of it, but vain . Maj or White always alluded to Chakir and N e dim as the outstand

ru ffians ing in the massacres of Urfa .

One morning, the news spread that fifty of the more prominent pris oners had been taken after midnight

to Diarbekir . The anxiety of my home may be imagined ! Was my father of the number ? We

o ff i N o rushed to the pr son to find out . , he was still

u there , and was yet hopef l , for he had no suspicion of

the terrible fate which awaited him . Little did he dream that his wife and eight children would soon

O f be weeping at his tragic end , and he the victim a m sha eful injustice .

We ran to the houses o f the chief friends of our

family .

s ! h Have mercy , Mu lim Bey Save our fat er , your MY FATHER ’S DEATH 21

O ld ! ! associate Save your friend , your brother He

is going to be deported and we shall lose him , with

n E tears in his eyes , cried my you ger brother , mine , who

daily grew thinner and paler , wasted by the fear of

losing his beloved father . But the Chief of the Union and Progress Com m ittee . remained mute , saying nothing, doing nothing k We could not ma e out his attitude . H e was prob

o o ably beying S me order he had received . Everything,

’ f to even one s best riends , had be sacrificed for the

Committee .

n ew o During the night , a c nvoy , in two sections ,

s i r was ent towards Diarbekir , the vict ms bound a m

. On e o to arm or two hours outside the t wn , near

Ko u ru Kara p , they were shot in cold blood , and their

bodies left on the ro ad for the ravens and the wolves . Although they could not precisely know what had

a m h ppened to their enfolk , the families of these mar

tyrs experienced the wildest apprehension and grief,

and the hearts of the mothers , wives , and daughters told them that their dear ones were no more ; a fore boding which was confirmed by the hypocritical looks

the and smiles of the returned murderers , who in hope 22 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

of further bribes , came to reassure the relatives that

all was well .

More and more anxious as to the fate of our own

! w e dear prisoner , we returned to the prison . Alas

were too late . My father, a follower of no party ,

s innocent of political crime , ab orbed in his family and

e -ed his business , loved and este m by all , had been taken along and slaughtered without the semblance

w a of a trial . He s mourned even by Turks , and his

friend Hadj i Bekir, the leading Turk in the place , Shed

dOne tears on learning that he had been to death .

' who saw A person him being deported told us , two

days later, that my father was one of a group of e thirty led in the direction of Diarb kir . He delivered

to us a scrap of paper upon which the h ead of our m family had scribbled by oonlight , with trembling

: hand , the following “ l We are eaving for Diarbekir . Pay Monsieur the sum of which he has

lent me .

’ was The note signed with my father s Signature .

He had then wept , according to our informant, and said ’ N A AYE M A THOR FATHER R . T H E U S ,

MY FATHER’ S DEATH 23

I am patiently awaiting my fate . My life is of little importance to me ! But my children ! What is

” to become o f th em ? Taking out his watch he handed it to the messenger

to be delivered to Sami , his youngest child , then a boy

of nine, and requested him to keep it in remembrance

of him .

26 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? devoted Christian employee o f ours (dressed as a Be

the of douin) arrived , and took rest the family, excepting

to - h - Emine and me , Tel Al iad . The station master ,

d t another frien , put them in the rain for Aleppo .

My mother, before leaving, sent a large part of our

furniture to her cousin , M . P . Ganime . Twenty days b later it was all looted y the Turkish populace .

~ at My brother Emine and I remained Urfa , where the arrests continued several of my friends and a c

uaintan c es m q being taken and assacred . On August the 19th a police agent with some sol diers went to the house of an unfortunate Armenian to

u take him into c stody . Determined not to be trapped

ff to without making an e ort defend himself , the man , n knowi g that arrest meant death , shot and killed the

policeman and two soldiers . Armed Turks rushed

the through the markets and streets , killing all Christians

to they encountered . Some managed save themselves

by hiding . Many took refuge in the presbytery . My

who to o brother Emine , had been obliged g to the bank ,

had the greatest difficulty in reaching me .

The streets were strewn with the bodies o f the Six

s k d hundred Chri tians illed that night, and their bloo MY ESCAPE 27

u literally ran in the streets . The m rderers steeped their hands in the steaming gore and made imprints on the

walls that bordered the streets . In this frightful orgy

s o f Engli h and French civilians , some whom had been

s interned at Urfa a month previously , al o perished . Sev eral o f them who happened to be in the streets at the moment of the outburst were taken back by s oldiers to

o u their homes , lest the p p lace Should fall upon them by

“ of error . One them , a Frenchman of Aleppo , M . Ger

fian ho o ruf s . w main , had his thr at cut by the A Maltese was pursued and stoned took refuge in the house o f a

s was Chri tian and saved .

Two u hours after the firing had ceased , I mo nted to

to was s the roof see what happening in the street , and

o f noticed that the police , instead calming the fanaticism o f t t s n o . the Turks , were i citing hem renew the ma sacre

N ot until all the Christians who were discovered in the

Shops or in the streets had been killed was an order

to issued end the carnage .

In the evening, all was quiet , but no Christian dared

Show himself, and the Armenians prepared to defend

e th mselves , barricading their premises . But the cow 28 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? ardly murderers were afraid and attempted no further

r ha m . The next morning I heard cries in a little lane near ou r s an oi house where there wa l press . A moment later I saw a Turk named Mo u talib leave his house

O ff and make in the direction of the cries . Half an hour later I ~S aw him return with his dagger stained

with blood , proud of his work , laughing and shout

” 1 : H iar K s tim ing Guibi e . The victims were two h i workmen w o had hidden themse lves in the o l press .

of c The Turks , under pretence saving them , had su ceeded

out in making them come into the streets , where they

on d cut their throat , stamped their heads and dragge

their bodies along the ground . It was the duty of the Jews to drive carts and pick up the dead bodies and throw them outside the town

2 to the dogs and birds of prey .

In the afternoon , a soldier , accomp anied by the por

o f . ter from the Bank , came by order the Manager , M

Savoye , for my brother , Emine , who returned to the

“ ‘ ” I chopp ed him up like a cucumb er ! 2 This sinister duty had been impo sed upon the Jew s by the

Turks during the mas sacre o f the Chri stians . MY ESCAPE 29

e . Bank , wh re he resided There he was safe , the estab lis hmen t being guarded by the police . ’ G Towards ten O clock I saw the overnor himself ,

Haidar Bey , passing through the streets with the

o f u Chief of P lice , to Show that he had no O ficial cog i z an ce of any disturbance , and to prove to the Chris a tians that order had been restored , and th t they could

come out without fear .

M . Savoye , I should like to state , displayed the high est courage during these terrible days in the way he

helped our family in our extremity . We owe him

the warmest debt of gratitude .

Sallal , our Bedouin friend , had promised to return as soon as he had taken my mother and brother to a

place of safety , and the day after the massacre he l came to see me at the Presbytery . Being now a one , I was in danger of arrest every moment , and decided

w as to take to flight . It a hazardous undertaking,

but I was determined to make the attempt . Urfa had become a very hell ! Mu fflin g myself in Bedouin

robes , I prepared to leave with Sallal . l The town was not yet quite ca m , and Christians

remained shut up in their houses , fearful of new out 30 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

a bursts , although every one of prominence mong them b had already been executed . A out five hundred Chris tian soldiers employed on the construction of roads

On e near the town had also been put to death . alone

escaped . In giving me an account of his experiences , he declared that the Officers were keeping in their

tents young Christian girls , stolen from the convoys . He spoke in particular of one very beautiful Chaldean

girl from Diarbekir , kept as a prostitute , and passed

to from one Turk another . By a miracle the girl sur vived is - and living to day in Urfa . ’ l At seven o clock of the evening of August the t, 1915 , Sallal came , and I bade farewell to my friends ,

.

r m be including Fathe E manuel Kacha , who stayed

hind with his family .

o Hurrying thr ugh the almost deserted streets , we

the l h reached house of one of my re atives , w ere I

donned the costume of a Bedouin . This consisted of

cc ”3 - o f i a long wide sleeved Shirt white l nen , an aba ,

”4 tcheffie and on my head I wore a . As I spoke

° “ A sleeveless c lo ak of camel hair ‘ A head-dress s ua re in sha e W ith on frin e s rmo unted , q p , l g g , u ” an a a a ind o f came -hair ro wn by g l, k l c . MY ESCAPE 31

Bedouin a little , I was not likely to be recognized . Near the edge of the town we met a police agent and

two soldiers , who seemed to be waiting for us . The

valiant Sallal , who was armed with a large sword and

a revolver and was a man of great height , advanced

fearlessly . We both salaamed profoundly and passed

on , our salute being returned . A hundred yards fur

o ther on , my c mpanion remarked that we had j ust had

a very narrow escape . At the house of a friend outside the town we found

l . our two horses , and took the road to Tel Abyadh

o com The mo n shone softly down upon us , and my

panion , happy to have saved a friend from the claws u of the Turk , and moved by the bea ty of the scene , burst like a troubadour into the most beautiful Arabic

verse .

Three hours later , as we were about to halt on the

bank of a river , two horsemen appeared and rode

a towards us . S llal told me to take my horse and keep

Th e at a distance . newcomers turned out to be a

Turkish tax collector and a soldier , and after asking

s r . Sallal for new of the town , they ode on

Farther along, we met some Arabian horsemen , 32 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

’ among whom was Sallal s brother , a despotic chief

' with whom he was on bad terms . Sallal was in the

happiest of moods . While passing us his brother ,

: bent on loot , called out I quite understand ! You are busy saving another

” Christian .

At these words I was alarmed , but Sallal , always

resourceful , replied with a j oke , and the danger

passed . At twilight we came to the village where my com

panion lived , and where I accepted his hospitality for

a day , his mother and brother welcoming me as if I

were a relative . We had intended to continue our j ourney without

delay , but several Turks inopportunely arrived . They

‘ - Gu etch thought me a Kara , one of a marauding

w h Arabian tribe , then in revolt , and asked Sallal y a he had taken me under his roof . Fe ring that it might

be discovered that I was a Christian , Sallal had his

brother take me to a distant spot in the country , and

n Kai the Turks left, threate ing to report him to the

5 a m kan .

L t er r n . . gov o

34 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Bedouin spoke and understood French . He was the friend who had assi s ted to smuggle my mother and

r co m ro mi s m brothe s through , and it might be p g for me m f to re ain in his O fice dressed as a Bedouin . I

was unable to change , as Sallal had left my clerical

dress on the road , so I hid until the evening train left .

6 A for An rab had been notified , and baksheesh hid me i in a neighbor ng village , which the inhabitants f 7 had abandoned or the summer . There I waited a n lo e , and , being very fatigued , fell asleep on the

fl a oor in a tiny room , to aw ke at break of day , bathed in

e p rspiration , but very much the better for my rest and ve ry hungry . An hour later the Arab returned with

”8 khather was so some bread and , but the bread very

bad that , hungry as I was , I could not eat it .

W he n night came the Arab took me back to the

i hid stat on , where I in a building until the arrival of

a ‘ the Aleppo train . My friend , the telegr ph operator ,

rec eiv came to an understanding with the conductor ,

A bribe ( Eng ) . i A tip ( Amer can ) . ri Evidently the winter ho me o f a N o madic t be . r l Cu dled mi k. S u r-milk o . MY ESCAPE 35 ing a guarantee that I should be taken safe and s ound

to Aleppo for a stipulated sum of money , which I

‘ - readily paid . I was put aboard a cattle truck, which had not been cleaned since its prior load had been

O ff unshipped , so gave a very disagreeable odor . The train stopped and through the crack in the

doors I saw a guard approach my truck . It was the

ff r fi rs t- conductor to O e me a place in a class carriage .

c Be ause of my dress , I asked him to let me travel

- b third class , but a rakesman , who noticed us con

versing and who suspected our agreement , at Arab

m e Punar forcibly put into an open truck , during the

absence of the conductor .

At this place we to ok on deported families of Eng

lish and French civilians , going from Urfa to Aleppo .

‘

At the next stop , the first guard returned me to my

w as r compartment in the coach , which sha ed with

o some invalid soldiers and s me Turks from Urfa . The

c to o f latter ommenced make fun me , as is their custom

to s . with Bedouins , but I pretended be a leep We arrived

’ in Aleppo at ten o clock the next morning . m At Aleppo I hunted up y cousin , Faris , who acted 36 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

r fo r to to as sto ekeeper the Railway , in order ask him

direct me to where my mother lived .

I asked a Mohammedan who wa s in the station to

’ Show me where the compa ny s store w as located . He

con demanded baksheesh , and when I had complied he

th descended to point with his finger to e pa rticular depot .

F n ot to f e aris had yet come his o fic , and in accordance

with the Bedouin custom , I took up my position in the s a hade of a wall a short distance aw y and waited . He

r re c o n i z m ar ived ten minutes later and , g g me , gave

s a cry of astoni hment . I made a Sign to him to keep

o quiet . Much moved at seeing me , he aband ned all

thought of work , and placing himself entirely at my diS o sal me p , conducted to my family , who , fearing to

m d e t o be oleste by the authoriti s , had decided live in

To we a house in the outskirts o f the town . get there

to pass through many narrow and winding lanes .

s Imagine , if you can , the tears of delighted surpri e

m e with which my oth r , who had begun to fear that ’ ! I had shared my father s tragic fate , welcomed me

I had been a month at Aleppo , assisting the Chal

dean parish priest of the town , when I received a MY ESCAPE 37

i h s telegram from His Beat tude , T oma Emmanuel , the

c o f S Chaldean Patriar h Babylon , suggesting that I hould go to Constantinople as a Chaplain to the English and

of war French prisoners in a Turkish camp.

CHAPTER I I I

The Fa te of Urfa

ff The unhappy town of Urfa su ered one . of the sad

dest fates ever recorded in history . The day after my

23rd departure , August the , the Governor sent an order to the Christians to leave their houses and carry

o on their businesses . As so n as they obeyed , a second

order commanded the Armenians to leave the town .

e Knowing what this m ant, the unfortunate people

- refused to obey . Already doomed , they preferred to

die in their homes than perish in the desert . The

r government reso ted to force to make them leave , and

e 23rd the Arm nians resisted , till finally , on September , tl a pitched bat e was fought . Although it lasted a

week , the Turks were unable to penetrate the Arme

e nian quarter . The Governor sent to Al ppo for rein

' ” forcements to put down the SO - called insurgent

Christians , and Fakhri Pasha soon arrived at Urfa at

the head of an army supported by artillery . The

Armenian quarter was attacked , but the Turkish 40 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

f troops , in Spite of all their e forts , were powerless to

overcome the resistance of the brave Armenians , who ,

seeing that in any case they had to die , defended them

selves most valiantly . Several hundred of Turkish sol

diers were killed in the course of the battle . Women and girls threw them selves into the fray and assisted

' their menfolk to defend their homes , their lives and

their honor . Fakhri Pasha then opened fire with his artillery

the upon Armenian quarter, and a bombardment com men c ed o v which lasted a f rtnight . Se eral English and

French witnesses interned at Urfa at the time told me later that it was a German officer who had directed the

fire . A large number of combatants took refuge in

the American Mission , whereupon the Turks ranged

their guns on the Mission and managed to destroy

part of the building . Through the breaches thus made ,

they were able to penetrate the lines of the defenders ,

who were obliged to hoist the white flag .

b c o n fla ratio n The ombardment had caused a g ,

which Spread over a wide area , Owing to the fact that

s a many of the Armenians , them elves , seeing death p

roa chin r p g , gathered in c owds in their houses , and

42 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

main entrance , living and dead piled together ; the death rattle of those in their last agony distinctly i aud ble from time to time . o And on one occasi n , a large number of men and

women were publicly hanged , in the presence of the

O ulace rej oicing Turkish p p .

Thus fifteen thousand people were done to death

in a few days .

The A merican MiSS Ibn ar e o y , Mr . L sly , with wh m a certain number of the Arme nian defenders had taken

e to refug , was summoned appear before a courtmartial

in on the charge of having taken part the revolt . One

day , on leaving the court , they found him dead on

the road . A paper was found in his pocket in which he stated that he had no t been implicated in the mat

e ter O f the Armenian r volt . CHAPTER IV

My Pris on Experiences

o f 1915 At the beginning November , , a telegram m h from His Beatitude , Emmanuel Tho as , the C aldean

of to t d o Patriarch Babylon , suggested me tha I shoul g to Constantinople as Chaplain to the Allied Prisoners o f

out Gov War . I set , furnished with a permit from the c u o r or f Aleppo . ! V ’ Pope Benedict , after several months negotiations , had obtained from the Turkish Government permission

’ for to . priests visit the Prisoners Camp They were ,

to however , be Chaldeans .

O n i f my arrival at Constant nople , the War O fice

a granted me the requisite p pers , and on December the

15th I Afi o n - - s left for Kara His ar, a concentration F camp for English , rench and Russian prisoners . I was accompanied by a young and very devoted priest

Moussoullou who from Smyrna , the Reverend , , claiming to to be a Chaldean by origin , obtained permission replace 44 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

to the Chaldean priest originally appointed assist me , but who wa s o f unable , by reason his advanced age , to under

take the long journey from Aleppo .

It was an opportunity for my colleague to rej oin

Afio n - KaraéH is s ar his parents , who were then at , and

’ whom he had not seen since his ordination .

W e arrived at A fio n on D ecember 17th and were

S f ' met at the tation by a Turkish o ficer, who conducted

us to the camp in which we were to be interned . I p ass over here much detail of which I hOpe to

treat in the near future in a separate work , entitled

The Allied Prisoners in Turkey . b When I had been there a out three or four months ,

the 1916 that is to say , early in Spring of , three Brit

f c a t h ish Naval o fi ers esc ped . The Commandant of e i ff m camp , Ass m Bey , a Sta Colonel , was dis issed , and t replaced by the no orious tyrant , Mazloum Bey , a con s cien celess , cruel and despotic creature of the Commit

O f . tee Union and Progress His assistant , Captain

Safar, was no less cruel . Both of them took the great

in est pleasure worrying and torturing the prisoners .

Several months passed . Towards the end of Sep 1916 tember, , Mazloum gave orders for a general

MY PRISON EXPERIENCES 45

search to be made in the camp , and the belongings of f l the O ficers were searched with meticu ous care . Of

this we learnt from Dr . Brown , an Englishman , who

came to look after the prisoners .

tffis Shortly after , Maj or Ahmed Hamdi , a reserve f o ficer and a relatively good and honest man , came with Captain Safar to warn me that I was to leave the

f s camp and live in a house near that of the o ficer . I

2u d left my quarters on the morning of October the , two British prisoners being kind enough to carry my lug i gage . The new quarters ass gned to me had formerly

been occupied by Christians , who had been exiled or

massacred . s’ The evening being cool , and having a few minute

leisure , I took a constitutional walk , up and down a

s space of a hundred yard before my door, in company f with a kindly and symp athetic British naval o ficer , G Commander oad , and a French lieutenant , named

O tavie , who had fought at the Dardanelles . Being

o f desirous familiarizing myself with English , I chatted

a great deal with my companions .

In accordance with the routine of the concentratio n

camp , we returned to our respective quarters at 7 6 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

’ l r a l o clock . Five minutes ate g o ers made their usual

round , and doubly locked our doors with their large

keys .

u Absol te silence reigned in the camp , each man being

off shut from his fellows . My orderly , a faithful Indian

o Enad i pris ner , named j , brought me my dinner . As I

o f d o f o ate , I thought the hun reds pris ners whom I had

o been obliged t leave . 8 ’ At o clock , I was glancing through a Turkish

s daily newspaper, my orderly was Sleeping oundly in

- his quarters , when the lock turned and the hall door

! Opened . A knock sounded on the door of my room

Leaving my newspaper, I arose and opened the door .

N ebz et , a Cypriot Turk , who held the post of English

olitel that interpreter , entered and told me very p y , Maz

C s to . loum , the Turkish ommandant , wi hed see me

Putting on my overcoat , as it was chilly , I went

out with the interpreter , and , expecting to return

shortly , I left my lamp alight , and did not even dis

turb m y Indian orderly . l I suspected absolute y nothing, and I remember asking the interpreter for what special reason the

48 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

u r Here is o very great and most sincere friend .

O n After an exchange f greetings , as we sat dow , a

long silence ensued , until the Commandant broke it by s aying to the interpreter :

Now , bring the letter and read it .

N ebz et o read the foll wing words , which I quote from memory

“

Mon bien cher Commandant .

As I heard these words , the situation became clear

m e to . This was a letter I had addressed to the French Captain of the eight months pre vio u sl y , when the French prisoners of war had left our

' s to fo llo w Bo z an ti camp . I had wi hed them to ,in the

n e Taurus Mou tains , where they w re to be employed on the construction of an important tunnel on the

o Bagdad Railway . At the time , the camp c mmandant f was Assim Bey , with whom the senior French o ficer

was on good terms . When almost all the English and

French prisoners had left I requested Assim Bey to

allow me to accompany them , as was natural , writing as well to Monsieur ! and begging him to use

his influence with Assim to this end . At the same

time , I recollect , I expressed my regards for the pris MY PRISON EXPERIENCES 49

oners and towards their country , and also my wish to m be able to make myself of use to the . The Turkish Commandant had a grievance against

me , and made this letter a pretext for taking his

revenge .

Four months before , it is true , I had disobeyed his

orders in regard to the burial of a Russian doctor ,

who had died of typhoid fever . My church did not permit me to conduct the funeral services fo r tho se

e professing another religion , and I had tried to excus ff myself to Ahmed E endi , who had come to me with an order from Mazloum to read the last rites for this

Russian . I refused , but gave no reason for doing so ,

S o fli cer re fearing I hould be misunderstood . The

tired without insisting .

di s The next day , the Commandant expressed his

pleasure to me in person . f The same di ficulty arose on two other occasions ,

when again I refused to obey , and again evaded giv

ing my reason . I was exceedingly loath to wound

c the sus eptibilities of the prisoners , all of whom I regarded as brothers in advers ity and between whom 50 SHALL THIS NATION DI E?

I never made distinctions other than those laid down

by the canons of the church . But in the end , Com

to mandant Mazloum insisting, it was necessary give

the true explanation . Mazloum had become still further exasperated

s when , at Ea ter , on his wishing to prevent my going

ff w as to see the o icer prisoners , I wrote to him that it

he my duty to put myself at their service , and that , if f made di ficulties , I should send in my resignation to

Constantinople .

Shortly after thi s many English prisoners arrived

-el- u was from Kut Amara , and a R ssian doctor

w . assigned to their care , although he kne no English

As I had learned to speak the language a little , I

‘ - ff O n L O ered my services as interpreter . e day Maz loulm came to the prison quarters and , seeing me with

the doctor , expressed his disapproval . He told me

s that I had nothing to do with the Ru sian doctor,

which was absurd , since it was my duty to be with

all the prisoners . Furthermore , as the doctor was

unable to und erstand the patients , he manifestly

needed my assistance . MY PRISON EXPERIENCES 51

The camp was completely filled by the new pris

oners , almost all invalids , through Turkish treatment .

Owing to the great number of them , the doctor was

unable to pay them all daily visits , and consequently

left certain remedies with me , which I was to admin

ister . To do this , it was necessary to enter certain

” isolation rooms , labelled ! uarantine ! uarters . This

was made known to Mazloum , who for this reason

- bore me still greater ill will , which was intensified when he discovered that not only did I give the

medicine , but, at the request of the prisoners , wrote a

few reassuring words to their relatives . Mazloum

sent for me one day , and reprimanded me , forbidding d me to correspon at all , even with my own nearest

relations , for a period of three months .

F on of o f inally , the arrival a convoy Indian

to prisoners , these British had to be transferred

O another part f the town . I was prevented from

following them , being assigned to the incoming

Indians , none of whom were Christians , and who

Spoke a language of which I knew not one word . But

the English claimed my services , and even expressed m the wish to return to y camp . Wearied by their 52 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

m i portunity , the Commandant had them returned , but

s held me re ponsible for the incident .

Taking everything into consideration , therefore ,

Ma s lo u m Bey cherished considerable animosity

r towards me , and as he read the words , B en cher

” o ! i s C mmandant , he said Look you It his very dear commandant ! Then coming to a passage in which I asked the officer to give me some simple

information about the condition of the captives , he cried “ You see ! He is complaining that we are

- l ill treating them , so that ater on he may pose as their

to defender . He is taking notes in order write

on their behalf . He admires their courage , and well

he may , for these are the brave warriors who have taken Constantinople and B erlin ! His lips curled in

sarcastic taunts . On finishing this tirade Mazloum arose and in a threatening manner said to me :

Now , hand over your notes and those which the French Captain gave you ! I want them ! Unless

o m . you d so i mediately , I shall kill you

Those present looked at me in a hostile manner ,

54 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

h ing about and howling , eac blow seeming to bring

a r a death ne rer and neare . The Command nt , after giv

ing me about fifty blows , passed the bludgeon to the

me Captain , who in turn fell upon , accompanying his

blows with the grossest insults . When he grew tired

2 the Commandant invited K O ] A ghas si Ahmed Hamdi

to continue , but he refused ; whereupon , seizing the

club anew , the Commandant attacked me again , mean

ing this time to kill me . My whole frame was twisted

in agony . One would have thought that my poor soul in its suffering was trying to escape from my body as my screams reechoed through the subterranean gal

lery .

-A hass i t The Kol g , ouched with pity , and fearing,

he perhaps , for my life , threw himself upon t Com

hi s mandant , trying to calm him , but the maniac in

me fury continued to rain blows upon , declaring that

” wan ted he to kill me . Placing himself before the

r madman , my protecto , with the aid of Khalil Agha ,

Afio n - - the citizen of Kara Hissar , forced him to stop

by snatching the instrument of torture from his hands .

“ Maj or. O N THE RACK 55

I was then more dead than alive , my sight was

dimmed , and I was in a fever of delirium . The petty ffi o cer helped me to arise , and I again stood before

the Commandant , who leapt at me again , giving me

S ith h is w . many blows full in the face fists Then , seiz

ing me by the beard with all his strength , he pulled

part of it out by the roots , causing the blood to drip

o fr m my chin .

-A has s i Intervening once more , the Kol g saved me

Was from his hands , and I led to the room above by

o fli cer the petty . On arriving at the threshold the Commandant said Leave him on the ground like a dog in front of the

door , for he is the friend of the prisoners , the infamous

” traitor .

On ce again he began to insult me as I stood at the

door, until , overcome again by blind rage , he rushed m at me , grabbed the little of y beard which remained

and tugged at it with all his strength . The Kol

A hass i g once more interfered , and snatched me from

flo w m the clutch of the tyrant . Blood , g freely from

m . y chin , was staining my cassock

ruffia n The tired stopped and , going straight up to 56 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

Khalil Agha as if he were mad , knelt before him , and

raising his headgear, said Put your hand on my head ! Feel how it is burn ing

Arising, he burst out again into a string of insults

at my expense . When he had finished , he seated him self and gave orders that I was to be put outside the

door on the floor . Then , noticing that his hands were

stained with blood , he washed them and cried

Search the dog thoroughly .

f e m The petty O ficer carried out the ord r , emptying y

pockets and passing what he found to the interpreter ,

whose face lit up .

“ he Bring me those papers , cried t Commandant , j oyfully . If there are any written in Arabic , I know

e e and how to read them . I hav be n in Syria know

” Arabic .

T o prove his assertion he screamed insults at me

in that language . Then the interpreter and the Cap tain examined attentively the few pages which re

'n mained of my little notebook . O finding no money

° on me , he exclaimed ? a Where is your money , you dog I h ve paid you ON THE RACK 57

3 100 a L . T . during the l st year as salary . Give it to

r ! ! me , t aitor Tell me where your money is “ ! ” f Search him well he ordered the petty o ficer ,

who , putting his hands into my pockets , brought out

w . my small purse , hich he passed to the Commandant

The latter emptied it , finding some Egyptian bank

an notes d about ten rupees , which the Indian pris

oners had exchanged with me for Turkish money , since their own coinage was not current in the coun

try . Seeing this , the Commandant cried Where did you get this money ? You have stolen

” it from the English ! You are a thief !

' fo u n d in The amount my pocket came , if I remem

4 .T 1 0 . L . ber well , to about . in gold and paper This

was noted .

“ o ff Search him again , cried Mazloum . Take

his clothes .

The petty officer took o ff my overcoat and my cas

sock and turned them inside out . I remained in shirt

and trousers for half an hour , kneeling on the ground , f shivering with cold . When the petty o ficer declared 58 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

that he had found nothing, the interpreter was told

by the Commandant to go and search my room . The

a order was carried out immedi tely , and he returned

he with some coins had found on the table .

N ebz et w his The Commandant , the Captain , and

“ pered together for a few minutes , after which the f interpreter left the room , and the petty o ficer was instructed by the Commandant to take me to the bar

’

I t . racks . was about eleven o clock Passing through

several streets in the dark , we came to a large house

i in the Christian quarter . The interpreter reappeared

before us , as if by magic , and made a sign to the petty f of icer to enter the house , the vestibule of which gave

forth a nauseating smell . Pointing to an iron door

r : which was shut , the inte preter said There is someone quite near here who will” be able

” to hear us . Let us go up to the next story .

b a We clim ed a tiny stairc se , which led to a corri f u s . dor , where three naval petty O ficers awaited

Other sailors were asleep .

What was going to become of me ? What new tor ture was I to expect ?

The interpreter , still most polite , spoke to me and IN A DU NGEON 59

invited me to lie on the floor , face downwards . Two f m petty o ficers held my arms across y back . This time it was the interpreter who was to be my tor

turer . Taking a rod he commenced to thrash me , two petty o fli c ers held me and tw o others took it in turn to see which could best exercise his muscles upon me ; accompanying each blow with insults and roars O f

m ff laughter . I cannot give any i pression of the su er

ing I underwent from these blows . As they fell thick m m upon y bleeding wounds , y whole nervous system

and seemed to give way . I screamed and writhed

s shouted , my body heaving, de pite the rough hands of

excru the men who held me , finally fainting from the ciatin o g ag ny .

I n a Dungeon

Water was thrown on my face to bring me back from a condition of lethargy which seemed likely to

be fatal . Opening my eyes , I saw my executioners

’

as . before me . Five minutes respite w given me The

a humane and kindly interpreter c lmed me , saying

’ ! e Come along, sir , don t make a fuss A few mor 60 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

all ~ strokes and it will be over . It is the Command

’ ” ant s order . R eplacing his rod by a whip , he recommenced with

greater energy , until I fainted again .

On recovering consciousness , I heard the interpreter say to the sailors

Get him downstairs now .

I was unable to arise , so they dragged me the length of the staircase and threw me into a portion of the

building which had been changed into a stable , shut

re ting the door upon me and p osting a sentry . I m ained some time , lying in the dirt , groaning, unable

s h the to move becau e of my wounds , to whic even

least movement brought back the pam . When I was able to bring my mind to bear upon my surroundings e I found that I was wet through , and I notic d that the room was flooded and that I was lying on a bed W f of slime . Crawling along ith di ficulty , I reached a

corner of the place which was , as yet , free of water . The sentry at my door watched me through a little

window , grinding his teeth and hurling insults at me

all night , for on my account he had been obliged to

keep awake all night . Thus I remained in my corner

62 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

me , at the mercy of the pitiless Turk . Raising myself ,

I tried to get to the window , although the movement m caused me great pain . I saw no one from y point of Observation but some Russian prisoners at work

- in a road mending gang, and from time to time I

heard their voices .

s After remaining for ome time at the window , I e heard a noise . An adj oining c ll opened , and I saw f c . that it was o cupied by a British naval O ficer, a Mr

Skaife , but owing to the presence of the sentry I dared

e not make him the least Sign . In the ev ning my gaoler threw a bit of bread to me through my prison ! window . That was all I begged a drop of water

to quench my torturing thirst , a request which ob

fained for answer a torrent of insults . Weak with

ff th mental su ering, and with the pain from e w ounds

!m in my face where y beard had been torn out , I could

not open my mouth to eat . Only on the third day f was I able to swallow a morsel o dry bread .

Black thoughts began to assail me . I thought of

my father , who fifteen month s before , without provo c ation , and through Sheer hatred , at the instigation

of the worst brigand of the country , Deputy Mah IN A DUN GEON 63

- N e dim i moud , had been impr soned fifty days , and

i n m as then , perhaps after be ng scourged , had bee

n sacred o the Diarbekir Road . I realized that I might

the meet the same fate . The scenes of horror , and

a m ssacres I had witnessed at Urfa came back to me . The spectre of the ferocious Turk stained with human

n blood seemed to rise before me . Death I looked upo

a ff as h ppiness and a deliverance from what I su ered .

Then I thought of my mother , who had lost her hus h band , and was so soon to ear of the death of her son .

I seemed to hear the sobs of my little brothers , who had already suffered so much when my father was

butchered , and whose tears would flow again at the

news of the tragic death of their elder brother . I thought of my parishioners at Urfa — “ now scattered ;

- e - of my poor Asse Chaldean f llow countrymen ,

a ruined and massacred ; all , by that s me bloody hand of the barbarous and implacable Turk ! Another cause of torment to me was the fear that

the ferocious Commandant , Mazloum , might discover various notes I had received from prisoners regarding

- their captivity and ill treatment by the Turks . The knowledge of the existence of these notes was always 64 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

- a rehen before my mind , and left me frozen with pp

sion . I thought also of the French Commandant, to whom I had addressed the letter which had got me

into trouble , and feared that trouble had also come

upon him through me . Then my thoughts turned to

the poor prisoners , who would be grieved at hearing

of my fate , and thought to myself if , for a letter con ff taining nothing of importance , I have had to su er so

S much , what hall I have to endure if it be discovered that I have been I n the confidence of the prisoners ?

As soon as inquiries are made , they will learn that I am the son of a man who was executed on the false

a charge of h ving conspired against the Government .

As I was indulging in these thoughts night fell , and

sleep began to overpower me . But how was I to lie down in a room flooded with water ? Finding in a

corner the wooden frame of a small window , I placed

e it on the ground and stretched mys lf upon it, face

th downwards ; for owing to e swelling of my bruises ,

u I could Sleep neither upon my side nor pon my back .

off mu d? The wooden frame , at any rate , kept me the

F n oldi g my arms under my head , I drowsed uneasily ,

haunted by nightmares .

66 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

’ Skaife s telling me to come out , conducted me to Mr .

room , a tiny cellar with thick walls and a double door

of iron . It was seven feet square and had been us ed by the Christian owners of the house as an Opium

store . The former Christian population of the town

o had a mon poly of this drug, which was an important article of exportation from Afio n - Kara - Hissar for

no t medical purposes . In changing my quarters I did

forget to take the piece of bread , which had been given

to me the evening before , and which served me as a h pillow at night . There was a ole about eighteen inches square in the corner of the room opening on

' the street . Through this , I heard the voices of Eng h f lish and Frenc o ficers , and realized that I was within

their lines .

fla s to n e n The g s bei g like ice , I decided not to lie

down , and stamped up and down my cage . At length

e h tir d out , I wanted to sleep , but had nothing on whic ffi to lie . I knocked at the door and a petty o cer

. appeared with a torch , and asked me what I wanted

I requested him to bring me the wooden window

frame from my first cell , as I wished to lie down upon IN A DUNGEON 67

”5 Yassak ! s it . He refused , crying, and lammed the

door . Kneeling in the corner of the room , I tucked

. my overcoat round my legs , placed the bread on the

e . ground , and fell asle p with my head upon it

e N xt day I was tortured by thirst , not having drunk

any water for three days . I knocked on my door and

a sked for a glass of water . The j ailer showed annoy

ance , but eventually brought me a bottle filled with d liqui , which I hesitated to drink , knowing that the

A S re cau savage was capable of poisoning me . a p

tion , I drank at first only tiny mouthfuls at long inter b vals . Then , reaking my bread , I moistened a little

piece in the water and ate it . The fourth night was passed in the sam e way as the ke third , and I slept in the same fashion ; but I awo ff with a chill , and su ered so acutely from colic that I

groaned continually . Hearing me , the sentry appeared

at the door , and I asked for a doctor . The man told d id me that I not deserve one , and that I ought to die

like a dog . ! ” You traitor of a priest he cried . Then he shut

the door and vanished .

” That is forbidden ! 68 SHALL THIS NATION D I E ?

I was so weak and worn out that I could not stand .

Lying on the ground , I resigned myself to death from

’

s . exhau tion About ten O clock the door opened . Commandant Mazloum entered the cell and began to

abuse me .

”

! . Die like a dog, you ungrateful traitor he said

You Christians live among us , but you are ever

ready to bite us like venomous snakes . We ought to ” o f crush your heads and get rid you .

Raising his foot , he brought it down as if he wished

a - fin al to stamp upon me . Then , with string of his

choicest insults , he left me .

Towards midday a camp bed , formed of three

planks , was brought to me , but without mattress or

— e f s m blankets . The S nior petty o ficer of the camp , O an

T chao uche , who later robbed me , accompanied the

sailor who carried the bed , and as if to let me know

: of his own goodness , said It was I who begged the Commandant to send you

” the bed .

o This was a lie , of c urse . He then remonstrated a with me on my tre son , and reprimanded me for the

t attachment I had shown the French , towards heir

70 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?’

A S night fell , silence reigned throughout the bar

racks . I heard the sailors say to one another in low

”6 Yu zbachi tones , galdi , and soon after Captain

Safar , under whose command they served , entered and

made his way to my room . His hard and masterful

s voice demanded light , and , preceded by O man h Tc aouche who o new c . , b re a torch , he entered my ell d Other sailors crowde round curiously . The Captain

approached and saluted me amicably , asking after my

health , as if nothing had happened . I thanked him ,

m — and he made hypocritical excuses for y ill treatment , saying that it had been caused by the natural indigna

tion aroused by my scorn for things Turkish . “ w e ” At bottom wish you no harm , he said , and

had asked me if I need of anything . I begged him to

be so good as to send me a bed , mattress and some

blankets . im Certainly , he replied , you shall have them

mediately . You need not worry . You are my guest .

ame The Commandant cannot hear your n mentioned ,

e and had resolved to leave you in the cellar, but I int r

ceded for you , and insisted , saying that I should hold

” 6 h a ta in h s co e T e C p a m . IN A DUNGEON 71 myself responsible for you and should keep you in the

” midst of my men in the barracks .

He then left me , taking away the light . An hour I later, my bed clothes arrived , and was able to sleep

that night, and recover a little from my experiences .

I was puzzled as to my future , and every time I thought of what I had undergon e I broke out into a

cold perspiration .

’ After a night s sleep , I felt very hungry , having had

almost nothing to eat for several days . The evening before I had asked Captain Safar to allow me to have

o s me eggs and milk . He had said he would ask the

r Commandant , who had fo bidden anything except dry

bread . A sentry , who was relieved every two hours ,

was posted before my room , which was dark and cold , the panes of the two windows opening on to the c o r rido r being broken . The sentry had orders to watch

me closely and even accompanied me to the lavatory , to to prevent me from speaking anyone .

to f and not I asked see the petty o ficer , asked if I could

was get someone to buy me some food . The request m passed on to Captain Safar , who gave me per ission

to buy milk only , a very great favor, however , 72 SHALL THIS N A TI oN DIE ? although the sailor charged with the purchase s w in

l Kol— d ed me outrageously . The Aghasi sent me a little

to do so . money, and continued regularly h Thoug not yet at liberty , I felt that my new situa tion was a great improvement on that of the evening

before . The coming and going of the sailors was a

distraction . Nevertheless black thoughts worried me m at night, and in the darkness of y cell I continued to ff ’ su er from nightmares . After nine o clock the silence w a m s as profound as that of a onastery , only the tramp of the sentry was to be heard

About eleven I heard footsteps , my door opened ,

ac co m and there entered Commandant Mazloum ,

anied N ebz et ffi . p by the interpreter , , and a senior O cer

th I was overcome at e Sight of this savage , who so

” e much desired my death , and remain d stretched mo

n s . tio nle s s o my bed as he tood beside it As usual ,

a Mazloum began with abuse , and then rem rked ironic ally to the officer :

You see this papas ? He has come among the

prisoners to foment trouble . He is urging the Eng lish to bring charges against the Turkish Government w to the notice of the American Ambassador . He ould

74 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? ‘

m ver ff He then began to talk to e y a ably in Arabic .

I did not reply . Mazloum now closed the interview

with the usual torrent of vituperation , my visitors

-I retired , and was able to breathe again .

’ B ut Ma z lo u m s words as to my relations with the

prisoners remained in my mind . Had he discovered

the letters of protest they had written and Signed , regarding the ill- treatment to which they had been subj ected ? Had he found my own notes and papers ? Among them was a letter of thanks to me from an W e Englishman , a certain Sergeant Smith , ritten befor

we separated . I had helped him with money when

he arrived in the camp in so pitiable a state that , had

n ot he been assisted , he would have died . If the Commandant had chanced upon this letter he would probably take it for granted that I was distributing

money among the prisoners to enable them to escape .

There were also some fifty pages , which Smith had written about his captivity and that of his com

panions , and their wanderings between Bagdad to

Afio n - - i Kara Hissar . Sm th had dictated this to me to

t he teach me English , and the narrative did not praise

Turk . IN A DUNGEON 75

t As for the pro est to the American Ambassador , this

had emanated from the British s oldiers , incensed at the bad treatment accorded the prisoners of war by

the Commandant and the j ailers . This protest had been forwarded to Mazloum himself for transmission

C N ebz et to onstantinople . told the Commandant that

it was I who had put them up to this .

The prisoners had been condemned to work at

- 6 7 house building from a . m . to p . m . under the petty

of N ebz et tyrant the garrison , , a mere interpreter ,

who , with a whip in one hand and a revolver in the

other, lost no opportunity of scourging the poor vic

e d tims whenever , wearied with fatigu , they expresse

On e e the least discontent . day a prisoner named Nobl

d - revolted , absolutely ma dened by the ill treatment of

T chao u che N bz et the wretch , and resisted the . e came

up , and , after beating the man without mercy , reported

him to the Commandant , who sentenced him to work

on Sundays , a day on which the prisoners did not d work as a result of a protest , although at a later ate

this privilege was abolished .

T chao u che When Sunday came , the arrived to take

ebz e t . N Noble to his work Noble refused to go . 76 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? ‘

‘ came on the scene , but Noble remained obstinate , even

Cherr man though an English Sergeant , named y ,

pleaded with him . The Sergeant then came to me and

asked me to advise Noble to work , so as to prevent

o w rse happening to him . I went to his room and per

N e z t ff n su a ded . b e him to start , feeling a ro ted that I

o ff had succeeded where he had failed , went to the Commandant and stated that it was I who had urged

the prisoners to refuse to work on Sund ays . Mazloum lost his temper and forbade me to leave the camp either for the purpose of seeing prisoners, whether offi

cers or men , or to make purchases in the market . I

' “ a was thus g ted for forty days .

With these reflections , I fell asleep , to awake next da y , happy in the knowledge that I was going to have

T chao u che some milk . I asked the to send for a pint ,

for lack of food had greatly weakened me . It made

m a n me feel a new . After this , I had a diet of milk

for several days , when , tiring of the milk , I asked Cap tain Safar to let me have something else . He granted

my request , and , encouraged by his kindness , I asked and Obtained his consent to have my trunk transferred

from my quarters to my cell , since I needed a change

78 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

sation proceeded , and , to my j oy , found that I was opposite the house in which lived Commander Goad and

ffi The several other English O cers . house had a little

- roof terrace which overlooked the yard . At all haz

ards , I felt , I must send them a word to say that I was ff near them , and let them know all I had su ered at the

hands of the Turks .

If, some day , I thought, the Turks bring about

” my disappearance , their deed will not rest unknown .

The door into the yard was near the kitchen , and I

lacked noticed it was not . It was easy enough to

write a letter , but to get it to them was another mat

ter . Night and day I concocted plans , but a week

passed without my being any nearer a solution .

- Then fortune favored me .

Among the sailors whose duty it was to watch me

o n was e who was very simple and naive , although

— an like all Turks inveterate thief . On one occasion he got into my cell by means of the broken windows

intelli and disappeared with my larder . His lack of gence I hoped to turn to my advantage in carrying

out my plan .

Having no writing paper in my room , I took an IN A DUNGEON 79

on ch d few to envelope , whi I scribble a lines a

f ff . French O ficer , telling him briefly what I had su ered

ad Folding the envelope , I enclosed it in another , f dressed to the English o ficer , and wrapped it in an old

s new paper , taking care to weight the packet with

about a quarter of a pound of bread . To the string

I attached a piece of cardboard , upon which I wrote in English

Open , please . My obj ect was to throw the parcel onto the terrace

f a over the quarters of the English O ficers , hoping th t the label would attract the attention of someone who

would forward the parcel to its destination . My great f di ficulty was to get into the courtyard , from which I

could throw the letter . Time was passing, and at any

moment I might be searched . One night towards the end of October my simple

j ailer, who was on duty outside my room , was aston i she d to find me still awake at midnight . I told him ff I was su ering from insomnia , and lit a candle . Then f I o fered him a slice of melon , which he swallowed

willingly . A quarter of an hour later I asked him

to take me to the lavatory , and carried with me a 80 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

q i i saucepan conta ning the melon sk ns , which I said I

- was going to throw out into the yard , our usual dump

o ing place for garbage . To this he agreed m st readily , r as it was his own duty to get rid Of ubbish . When we came to the door into the yard I opened it j ust did enough to pass through , for I not want him to

w see what I was doing, and thro ing my bundle on the

d o f a . a terrace , slipped b ck hastily I he r the thud the

parcel as it fell on the terrace . The trick had suc c e e ded , and I returned , well satisfied , to my quarters ,

and Went to bed .

I n the H ospital

o f to At the beginning November , Captain Safar came

my room one morning and , adopting a confidential and

to kindly manner, said me

- A hass i The Kol g , who has a high esteem for you ,

and I , have found a way of saving you . The Com

ma s mandant has left for Constantinople , and we are

ters here . We have thought of sending you to the

' hospital , and have come to an understanding with the f medical o ficer in charge , who is always very good

and kind . He will come and see you here . You must

82 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

e examination . When the time cam , I packed my

T chaou che trunk , and before leaving , Osman (the thief) assured me as to the safety of my belongings , saying that they would be despatched to the garrison

o f . baggage depot , which he had the key

a I felt better on breathing the open air, si nce for

n mo th I had not been out of my cell . Nevertheless I

a s to e to w puzzled . This admission the hospital app ared

me very suspicious , and my doubts increased when my companion took a S ide street which passed behind the

citadel . I was reassured , however , by the sight of the

On a facade of the hospital in the distance . rrival I ffi f was taken to the o ce of the medical o ficer in charge ,

T chao u che to who handed the a paper , and told him

d no t see that I was admitted imme iately . He did even h examine me , but I had to take the usual bat on enter

ing . In the ward to which I was conducted I found

- el- some sick prisoners from Kut Amara , and was

ot pleased to see my British friends again . I Soon g

’ e into conversation with them , and learnt that a larg number of the prisoners had left the garrison for

Angora . An epidemic had broken out among them

o ff and carried several . IN THE HOSPITAL 83

W assilaki Doctor M . , who was attached to the hos

pital , sounded me , and declared that I had a strong

a k . co nstitution and was quite well , lthough wea

f Dr. Shortly afterwards the principal medical O ficer ,

L o u tfi s Mustapha , arrived , and instructed the steward

o to place me in another ro m . There , to my surprise , I found a master mechanic from the French submarine

” Afi o n Turquoise , who , nine months before , had left

Kar a - Hissar with the other French prisoners fo r

Bo z a nti W be , where they ere to employed in the con

o structi n of the Taurus tunnel . We greeted one a ex eri nother warmly , and he recounted his terrible p

en ces . After months of imprisonment at Adana he had been

Afio n - - sent to Kara Hissar , where a few days after his arrival Mazloum had given him work entirely beyond

: a the strength of any ordinary man n mely , to carry on his shoulders blocks of stone weighing from sixty to

eighty pounds apiece all day long . I told him what

I had undergone myself , and he was most indignant . The senior medical man now wished to separate me

from the prisoners , and so ordered me to be sent to a

i was room in wh ch were Turks only . One day, while I 84 SHALL THIS N ATI ON DI E ?

leaning out of the window , I saw four prisoners carry ing to the cemetery one of their comrades who had

me just died . They recognized me and saluted quite

ff On e a ectionately . of them was an Irish volunteer

a fifty years of age , named W lsh , the father of five

e children . He was very devoted to me , and s eing me

so changed , tears came to his eyes , and he turned his

head away .

I had been about a week at the hospital , when the doctor in charge told me that I needed to be in the

open .

o u I am cured now , Doctor , I said . Why do y not give me the report about which Captain Safar spoke ? ”

“ Not yet , he replied , you must be patient and

” wait some days . m . Co But , Doctor , said I , that will be too late mandant Mazloum will have returned and the report ff d will h ave no e ect . You know how cruel and espotic he is

You need have no fear , was the reply . He can

” t I . not go against the report . is beyond his power

On the following day I was transferred to another

86 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Finally , I heard that Mazloum had returned , and all

my hope of deliverance faded away , for I could expect

no good from that tyrant . Three days later , when I

least expected it, the order came for me to be dis

' - A hassi charged from hospital . The Kol g sent for me , and I was taken from the hospital to the Command ’ f ant s O fice . At first I thought that I was going to be

c set at liberty and sent ba k to the prisoners , as Safar

had promised , but it was Safar himself who gave the

order to a soldier to take me to the barracks , where I

was to be shut up . Deceived once again , I set out for

the prison .

On arriving at the door of the building, I noticed

Captain White in front of his own house . We saluted

O ff one another, and he did not take his eyes me until

a I entered the barr cks . Here I was imprisoned again

in the black room I knew so well .

Third Degree

We were only at the end of the first act of the

a dr ma . The second was about to commence . Hardly

had I laid down to rest in the evening, when Osman THIRD DEGREE 87

T chao u che came to say that the Commandant had given orders that I was not to be allowed to S leep that

night .

“ Get up , he cried , instructing the jailer not to

allow me to go to bed again . I obeyed , and remained S standing until morning . Nor was I permitted to leep

da during the y . This barbarous régime made me

anxious . I was to have been set at liberty , yet here

they were beginning to torture me more than ever . I m could not understand the ystery .

’ Next evening at about nine o clock the T chao uche came to inform me that the Commandant was asking

for me , and took me to the courtyard of the church , ’ f where the latter s O fice was situated . In the vestibule

I noticed several prisoners , who looked at me with

pity . I entered the room in which the Staff of the

w as Command assembled . It was composed of

a K ol- A hassi Mazloum , S far , g Ahmed , the lieutenant,

ebz et N and another interpreter named Dervish . These

I saluted . Mazloum fixed his eyes on me and smiled

a sarcastically . Then C ptain Safar remarked ironic ally 8 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

” 7 uetchmich bla - ff oldunuzmi ? G Papas e endi , rahat By this he meant to indicate j ocularly that the farce of sending me t o the hospital under pretence of set

had ting me at liberty been carried out satisfactorily .

Mazloum still looked at me in a threatening way . Then the fanatical Unionist cried out

s ! So he is still alive , thi dog

N ebz et pointed to a chair and asked me to sit

down . Distrustful of his politeness , I hesitated . Mazloum flew into a rage and shouted

“ h ! V a lahi akad a Very well , stand t en , seni y j yem ! ” 8 Pulling my letter to the French Commandant from

a m tr nsla his pocket , he read me ore or less accurate a k tion in Tur ish .

for am After asking me my Christian n e , surname , t hose of my father and mother, when I had left my

country , how I got to Constantinople , and thence to

Afio n - - SO Kara Hissar and on , he dissected my letter

f . sentence by sentence , to the French Naval o ficer

Then began a long series of questions .

7 “ C n r ations Reverend Father are ou uite we o g atul , , y q ll ” again ? “ I h i to urn ou o u w retch ! s ould l ke b y , y

90 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

paper and a pen , after which I wrote the answers

myself . Why do you eulogize France and show such inter

in est French prisoners , seeing that you are an Otto man subj ect ? The French are at the present moment

the enemies of Turkey . The matter is the more seri ous in that you are a Turkish official of this garrison

and are paid by the Ottoman Government .

I spoke in prai se of France because it is the coun

try to which I owe my education . Naturally I am

grateful to France for this . I interest myself in the

o f fo r prisoners France , it is precisely to do so that ” S the Government has ent me here .

Mazloum and Safar expressed their opinions to one another and offered reciprocal suggestions as to how

best to form their questions .

“ Where are the notes for which you asked in your letter All he gave me was a word of information regard

’ ing the death of a non -commissioned officer who died

” before I came to the camp . Where is the note ? ”

I have destroyed it . THIRD DEGREE 91

1 0 You were living with Langlois and the others ,

added Mazloum . You have got to tell me what they

” wrote and what they said . I do not know what Langlois and the other pris

“ was n o s of oners wrote , I replied . That busines

mine .

Mazloum j umped up , and standing in front of me , shouted angrily :

“ Hand me the list Langlois gave you , also the

’ French Commandant s notes . If you do not give them

” to me I shall kill you .

Langlois gave me nothing , and I can only repeat that the F rench Commandant gave me nothing more than some simple information about the death of a

” - f . non commissioned o ficer . The note I have destroyed

Mazloum rushed at me in a threatening ,way , but

-A hass i the Kol g held him .

“

Take him back to prison , he shouted , and see

S that he does not leep .

Back I returned to my cell , worn out , the jailer strictly enforcing his orders not to let me close my

1 ° A Fr en ch s o dier w ho u n de r s tan din T u r is h a c ted a s an l , g k , i n r re r H e secur ed man avors fo r the rison ers owin te p te . y f p g e e h n u to hi s k n o w l dg o f t e la g a g e . 92 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

eyes . Day came , and to some extent drove away the

heaviness , but I developed a violent toothache and suf fere d most horribly . At nine o ’ clock that evening I was brought anew

c on before my prose utor , but my first negative reply , he

e to was s nt me back my cell , with the usual order that I

- to no . have sleep One well disposed sentry , however ,

to a wa allowed me rest little, and in this y I obtained

’ two to hours sleep , only be awakened by the next guard to o f await the coming daylight .

’ N -s ext day I felt a little better . Toward nine o clock

1 1 T o u ch ma ra n o s O sman cha e came with the garrison g ,

’ a creature of Captain Safar s , whose habit it was to steal planks from the houses of the deported Christians . This unpleasant person had great influence with his

in chiefs , whom he was accustomed to treat a very m e familiar ann r . He had come to take me to the

’ o fli ce Commandant s , where the interrogation was to

a s be resumed . As soon we were in the street the maran o g s struck me as hard as he could with his fists, s aying : ! Give up the notes , you pig of a priest Say what

1“ M i ran . e . a g o s, ,

94 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

my reason . The barbarians , I was sure , were going to k ill me . Next day my eyes were so weak I could hardly dis ti n u i sh g the soldiers who passed before the window .

en d o f Seated on a bench , I awaited in patience the ff my su erings .

- T chao u che Before mid day Osman came , gathered i h s men in the adj oining room , and addressed them in

e k a low tone of voice . He seem d to be spea ing of me ,

3) ( f ” and I thought I caught the words priest , treason ,

“ ” “ ” in prisoners , punishment , and security of the

’ 3

. a country He dvised them to clean their rifles , and I heard the cl ick of the bolts of their Mausers as each

le h man took his weapon and c aned it , as thoug about

to prepare for an attack . In the afternoon the same

T chao u che sounds were repeated . Osman came again ,

gave some orders , and left .

Shortly afterwards , the sailors assembled in the cor rido r and , rifle in hand , fell in outside my room , where

he T chao u che t inspected them . The two or three men who had been with me from the beginning were sent away lest they should be tempted to assist me to THIRD DEGREE 95

d . escape . Others arrive soon after to take their places

I noticed that they were watching me narrowly .

One of them locked the garden gate , the turning of

the key being audible in my cell . I felt that my last hour had come ! It was of me the T chao u che had spoken to his men ! He had told them that I was a

traitor, and , as such , was to be punished . I was to be shot !

Yet, convinced as I was of the approach of death , I did not dread it . I resigned myself to it, and even felt ff “ ” was o f . that it the end my su erings At least , I

” thought , I die an innocent man . The only thing that saddened me was the thought of my relatives and their

pain when they should learn of my tragic fate . w Towards evening, a sailor came to the indow and

few said a sympathetic words to me , which increased f and strengthened my presentiment o coming death . A moment later another man passed through the cor i r dor o f . , a large sheet paper in his hand

This is the inscription which is to be hung round my ”

to . neck when I am executed , I said myself

I felt full of courage , and I was going almost j oy

fully to death . I said my prayers in preparation , 96 S H ALL TH IS NATIO N DIE ? offering up my life to God as a sa c rifice for my nation

and my kindred . I walked up and down my room in

a kind of exaltation , impatient for the coming of my

last moments on earth . I was prepared to drink the

chalice to the dregs .

Evening came , and I awaited my last Summons . About half past eight the petty officer arrived and

ordered me to go to the Commandant . On the way I

i e T chao u che passed the t m in prayer . Osman asked

me what I was doing .

u . I As I am abo t to die , I said , am preparing for ” death .

i

S s adl My words caused the hypocrite to igh y , and ! to ee . was he pretended w p After all , he a Turk

en We reached the trance to the camp , and I entered

e and took my stand before the tribunal , r ady to hear

my death sentence . The Commandant , surrounded by ff his sta , was seated at a table .

” — ? Well , he said , are you going to speak to day

I have nothing new to add , I but

before I die I wish to ask you a favor , and hope that

” you will grant it .

” Speak , he ordered .

98 SHALL THIS NATION DIE? who remained changed both in word and manner

-A hassi towards me , and the Kol g , touched by pity ,

told the lieutenant to give me a cigarette .

” ' It is all over, he said to me ; you will be able to

” S - leep to night . I could not believe my ears ! I was being deceived

O f again , and this was doubtless a last word consola

-A has s i tion which the Kol g , always friendly , wished

to give me . Or did he refer to the everlasting sleep of death ?

' T chao u che At length the , who had been present ,

took me back to my prison , asking me on the way to

bequeath him something . He accompanied me to my

cell , and , opening my trunk, I gave him some articles , m but he was not satisfied , and wanted y overcoat and m u rug as well . I refused . To y disgust , I fo nd that n most of my things had bee stolen .

I was very tired and tried to sleep , but terrible

to thoughts came my mind , and I pictured the moment when they would come during the night to take me

out and shoot me .

Eventually I fell into a sound sleep . When I awoke next day much of my pain due to insomnia and my men THIRD DEGREE 99

was to tal torture had vanished . My first action reopen

my trunk to see what things were missing . I found that

w s all my linen, my atch , clothe and many other things

s Tchaouche o f had disappeared , and I uspected Osman the theft Since it was he who had the key of the store

f s o . o ro m On being informed thi , he came himself in all

o a sk ast nishment to me what was missing . I insisted

particularly on the return of the linen , but it was f useless . A petty o ficer told me next d ay that he had

- seen Osman with a night shirt of mine .

The same day a sailor told me in confidence that I

to for noun-Tch ouche was . a a leave Constantinople A C , who a had just arrived from the capital , in p ssing my cell , said to me

’ 1 3 was ou to I to have taken y , Papas , Constanti no le p , but I have j ust been given other work , so prob

” a ou a bly y will be t ken there by someone else .

The information was quite accurate . My transfer had been decided upon . In making my preparations , the firs t thing which o ccurred to me was to send word

o n d a to the pris ners , that they might fi a means of dvis

“ Ser eant o f Mi itar P o ic M P g l y l e . . 1 3 ri s P e t. 100 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

' ing the A po s to lic D eleg atio n at Constantinople of my

departure , and so secure me its protection . I there fore wrote a letter to this effect to Commander Goad

and another to the French Commandant , asking them

to take the necessary steps to communicate with Mgr .

to Dolci , Apostolic Delegate the Holy See at Constan tinople The former I charged particularly with no tifvin g the prisoner s of certain matters concerning

my relations with them .

I managed to throw these letters , as before , from the courtyard onto the terrace of the English offi cers ’

prison , and hurried back to my cell . Being no longer

so strictly guarded , next day I washed my clothes in E the yard . I was seen from a window by the nglish ffi a o cers , one of whom c me out for a stroll on the

Makifi terrace with a cigarette in his hand . g me a

S ign to come nearer , he threw down the cigarette ,

which I immediately picked up .

Returning hastily to my prison , I sat down in a O corner and pened it . I found that it contained a

ro m i s m letter from Commander Goad , p g to do what

I had asked , and informing me that the Apostolic Delegate had already been warned of my approaching

- 102 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

n trai did not leave until nine . Mazloum had given me

one more final expression of good will , and , as he did not wish me to pass in daylight before the English ffi ’ O cers quarters , had deprived me of the pleasure of

even tu seeing them for the last time . The train left

T chaou che ally at midday . Hassan was my com

panion , and throughout the j ourney was exceedingly

kind to me , as was , indeed , in even greater degree , a s oldier named Bairam . I invited them both to take

their meals at my expense .

' I smid I On arrival at , asked the kindly soldier to

tea have in the restaurant , and , convinced of his sin cerit him y , requested to be so good as to forward , on

our arrival at Constantinople , a few words I Should e giv him for the Chaldean Vicar General . He con

an d sented , wrote in his notebook the address I dic

tated . . I then scribbled a few lines to Mgr Bajari ,

telling him of my coming to Constantinople , that I

c r ma rtialed was to be o u t there , and begging him to

do all he could to save me . The soldier took the letter , advising m e not to mention the matter to his com

. panion . I learnt later that he kept his promise

da 28th to N ext y, Tuesday, November the , be pre COURTMARTIALLED 103

P cise , we arrived at Haidar asha . I was taken by f my guards to the War O fice , and brought to the

w as quarters of the Military Commandant , whence I

transferred to a large red building adjacent . A supe rior offi cer remarked to me

Well , you have arrived safe and sound , and ordered me to be taken through a long corridor to a d large underground hall , full of tiers of be s for the use of the Turkish soldiers who lived like rats in this

kind of cellar . From this place I was taken to a bureau where some non - commissioned officers searche d

me carefully , as if I had j ust been newly arrested , a

s rather tupid proceeding, I thought , considering I had

- passed two months in prison . The senior Non Com f missioned O ficer seemed to me an absolute fanatic . As he carefully gathered together any scraps of paper

found upon me , he seemed to go out of his way to find

a pretext for worrying me . A sergeant took me next to a room lighted by elec tricit w a y , here I was to w it my time . A big peasant s oldier , who seemed devoid of malice , was charged

with the duty of bringing my meals . He also swept 104 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

the room . All things considered , I was very much

1 4 better installed in the Seraskerat than at Afion- Kara

Hissar .

t Nex day the governor of the prison , Captain Ismail

H akki , came to see me . He spoke very nicely to me , m and took me to a roo where I found my trunk ,

which had been Opened and inspected . The Captain ,

without reading them , took possession of certain let ters which I ha d received through the Red Crescent

e fo r from France , written by r latives , asking news of

d fi ht certain sol iers , most of whom had fallen in the g

ing at the Dardanelles . Two days after my arrival at my new prison the

Captain came to inform me that a certain Mr ; Victor

Varthalit y , who had been sent by the Apostolic Dele

" atio n a n u mber g , wished to see me . After asking me

of questions , his nephew asked me whether I was in

need of food or money . I told him that I had no

change of linen , and he brought me some .

w as A week passed , and then I summoned to appear x before the court martial , and was e amined once more . In the course of the sitting I was asked again whence

1 4 W a r Offi ce.

106 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

ff serious in them . Your a air is a mere bubble , which ff will disappear at the first pu of wind .

The sitting was then adj ourned . 27 On December , Mgr . Bajari had the courage to

come and pay me a visit in prison , and brought me

good news of my brother , who was now in Constanti n o le p , and about whose fate I had been anxious . He w as astonished to find me so calm , for certain evil minded persons had spread a rumor in the town that

my case was serious and that I was to be executed . i Some days later he v sited me again , bringing with

wa s him my brother, who much upset at seeing me

in prison , and who gave me news of our family and

some money . I had to wait until the beginning of February before

he I appeared again before t court martial . In the

a n d meantime I was allowed to leave my room , so ,

after three months of solitary confinement, had the happiness of finding myself once more among my fel

s lowmen and of talking with them . My companion were

Christian prisoners , all educated men , who for the most

part had already been acquitted by the tribunal , but h a . out of malice d not been set at liberty In fact , only COURTMARTIALLED 107 by heavy bribes had they been able to get themselves

transferred to a large room , which was clean and well

ventilated . I was also to meet among them a fellow

citizen of Urfa , Dr . Mirza , who during his exile at

Angora had been told off to look after the prisoners of

war in the camps . Thus the rigors of prison life were

a en i much softened for me , and I hoped for a h ppy

ing to my weary martyrdom .

Wishing to have some books one day , I asked a

sentry , who had been very well disposed towards me

up to that time , to get me an English grammar . He

consented , and I indicated a shop where he could pur

chase it , and gave him the money , as well as some

thing for himself . The man treacherously informed

the Commandant , who reprimanded me , leaving the

sentry , however , the gratuity and the rest of the

money , a typically Turkish action . My fellow prisoners gave me an account of the atrocities to which they had been subj ected at the u hands of the police . One of them , Mr . Sam el , of

Van , a professor at Robert College , Constantinople ,

after receiving hundreds of blows with a stick , had

A n been hung up on a wall , head downwards . other , . 108 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

O han n e s o l i . f M , a proprietor a tai or ng establishment

a in Pera , had been arrested because he had brother who ha d written and published works against the poli

Chaw ache tics of the Unionist party . M . , a j ournal

ist , had been tortured to such a degree that he threw himself from his window into the street to kill him

self , breaking his leg Yet another victim had been

obliged , under threat of being beaten , to remain

standing motionless , day and night , for several days . I was surprised to find in the prison the three Brit f M h ish Naval o ficers , essrs . Stocker, Coc rane and

another, who escaped from the concentration camp at

Afi o n - — b Kara Hissar ten months efore , only to be h d retaken a week later . I greeted them as t ey passe

my barred window , asking after their health . They

S were even more urprised at finding me a prisoner .

“ On the 8th of February I w as called before the

tribunal , over which presided a cavalry general , as

- sisted by the Attorney General and about ten Officers . The secretary was ordered by the President to read

my now famous letter , and translated it into Turkish . H e did this so badly that I was obliged to stop him m f several ti es and correct him . Finally , eeling

1 10 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

for himself , and that I did not incur punishment for

so doing . After a short homily , which I did not quite

a catch , the Gener l requested me to leave .

Free

I returned to prison , and next day Captain Ismail

H akki re came to announce my acquittal . It only mained to consult Enver Pasha as to where I was to

’ t go , since as a mili ary Chaplain , I came under the f War O fice .

10th d On February the , a Sunday , the sergeant tol

me that I was to prepare to leave . I was free , and l could go where I wi led . l k

Thus closed my hundred and thirty days of prison o life . As I passed through the streets of C nstanti n o le p , I felt as if I were in a dream . I seemed to be awaking once more to life as from a terrible night

mare . I took a carriage to the Chaldean Patriarchate , l where I met once more friends and co leagues , who were happy to know that I was at last free from the clutches of the cruel wretches who had subj ected me

to so long a martyrdom . FREE 11 1

It was not until two days before my liberation that my mother at Alepp o learned that I had been impris

u o ed . Her anxiety was not of long duration , for two days later she received my telegram saying that I had

been freed .

the of Notwithstanding ease my new life , I could not free my mind from the thought o f the sufferings of the

w ar o prisoners of , and sought to convey informati n to r on u esp sible q arters , but fearing Turkish espionage , dared not approach the representatives o f Britain and

1 5 . o . France Finally , I found a means f seeing a Mr

Mc L ean Sikes and a Dr . , who were interested in the

was F o f English , as also a Dr . rew , the head the Angli F can Church in Constantinople . urther , M . Savoye , a

of n friend mine, formerly a director of the Ottoma Bank

old n at Urfa , and an and valued friend , gave an afternoo

Du ardier F tea at which I found M . g , the rench Consul

and Beaudu General , M . y . I told them everything, and begged them to intervene with the Turkish authorities by

of u means a protest thro gh the American Embassy , which was responsible at that time for the interests of the

1 5 English an d French affai rs were managed at the American Em a s s su s e u en t to their en tr in to the w a r a fte r hich b y b q y , w H o lla n d to o c ha r e o f the a ffair s o f a ll thre e k g . 1 12 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Ent e nte in Turkey . Thus they might save the poor

e prison rs who were liable to perish from cold , lack of

care , and want of food . I also asked them to increase

the sum of money which they sent to the prisoners ,

n and which was th eir only m ea s of support .

c In onclusion , I desire to convey my thanks to the

‘ r Apostolic Delegate , A chbishop Dolci ; to my dear friend Latif Bey,a Chaldean member of the Council at the Court of Appeals in Constantinople ; to Daoud

You s sou fani o f ° Bey , former Chaldean Deputy Mosul

o f e e on influ all whom interv n d my behalf , and brought ence to bear on th eir friends in order that I might be set

t at liber y .

1 14 SH AL L THIS NATION DIE ?

Half o f the pri soners have been killed by the ill

treatment inflicted by the Turks , he said , and if the ”

o ne . war lasts another two years , not will live wh I then asked him y the German Government , which ,

n f not of having ma y o ficers there , could be ignorant the

o f not . savagery and brutality the Turk , did intervene

“ “ o f i s Because its silence , I told him frankly, it

” i f r respons ble o all that happens .

“ You s are right , he admitted . I , my elf , cannot

s so under tand its apathy, and feel indignant about it that

to I am almost ashamed call myself a German . The Ger mans could not prevent a general rising on the part of

e e o the peopl , but this systematic and continued pers cuti n

. to they could have checked When I return Germany , I shall raise my voice on behalf of these unhappy Chris ” tians .

o f At my request , he willingly gave me a short report all he knew about the condition o f the Christians in

Turkey .

’ Father Dangelmonier s Tes timony

i war During this terr ble world , every nation has suf

” fered o one or more r less . There is nation , however ,

one c n fl and rather race , whi h has bee peculiarly af icted , ’ FATHER DA N GEL M ON I ER S TESTIMONY 115

whos e very existence as a racial unit has. been threat

e r . ened . I r fe to the Christians Of the Orient Let us not here discuss individual responsibility for their mar t rdom in few y , but merely , a words , speak Of what they

' x i have suffered . , and what the r future may be By Christians Of the Orient we mean all the Cath olic and Orthodox followers O f Christ in European

k who are Tur ey, together with those scattered through

out . Anatolia , Syria , Armenia and Mesopotamia Before

war the the Christians in the East, inclusive Of the

Greeks , numbered over three millions . During the last two years two millions Of these have been massacred by

k or the Tur s , have perished in misery during deporta

to t tion . Most Of the survivors are condemned dire wan , and m not any, if assisted , will die during the coming w inter .

10 Except in Constantinople , Aleppo and a few other c alities which were spared , the persecution commenced by the deportation Of the rich and influential male Chris

tians from the centers where they lived . Escorted by s o to out- Of- -wa oldiers and p lice , they were taken the y

: w s the e fol spots and all put to death . This a procedur lowed in the towns . 16 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

In the distant villages , the Kurdish tribes could be relied

to upon assist . They burnt everything and massacred all

but those women and children whom they wished to keep

for o n their w use .

Every rich and influential Christian ma n havmg been

an n done away with , order came from Constanti ople

not to i molest the families Of the Syrians , Jacob tes and w . s as Chaldeans Thi order , alas , which only partly

too fo r obeyed even in the cities , came late the country

i r o d st icts , where almost the wh le Christian population

t had already been put o death .

o ma the s. One y say , in district where the massacres t ok

Gre orian s place , there remain Of the g and Armenians

o s o . nly some thou ands , mostly widows and rphans This

means that more than a million have disappeared . The Chaldean Catholics have lost their three Bishops1 and

wo - o n t thirds Of their people ; the Nest rians , more tha

one hundred thousand men and the greater part Of their

Bishops , and the Syrians all their moneyed men and

those Of influence . Having given the authorities an

enormous sum , the Jacobites at Mardin were not

1 C C ho ic s a s a matter Of fact ost five The haldean at l , , l h u r s bi s h pfi th rou gh the p e rs ecu tio n Of t e T k . l g g

118 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

nails by a cord stretched out in the form Of a cross .

Some days later he was given his liberty by an orde r

e s from Constantinople . I heard these horrible d tail from

the priest himself .

At present there remain thousands Of widows and orphans who have escaped by a miracle from the claws of a nd who now to the Turks and Kurds , are returning take refuge among their Chri stian brethren . Morally

t and ma erially , they are in a terrible condition . There are still young Christian women being violated by Kurds and Arabs and sold to the highest bidder in the bazaars as if they were cattle . And hundreds Of Chaldean and

Syrian families are utterly without means Of support .

m Off s The Turkish ar y has carried all reserve Of food , and famine has begun to make itself felt among the

who e Arabs and Kurds , , in consequence , are pr ying upon

u . or unfort nate Christians Without shelter , food father

n- land , the poor , dow trodden victims are taking refuge in th e to . towns , where they will starve death

Diarbeker Offi In , Mardin and other regions , Turkish

cers nightly send their orderlies to Christian houses. to

ff or R an carry O victims f their debauches . ight d justice

no r . longer exist , as far as Christians are conce ned They THE FUTURE 1 19

o r are outlaws in Turkey , and anyone may kill them bring about their disappearance without a single voice e being rais d on their behalf . This is the present sad

Of f situation Of the Christians in the Orient , the truth O

of o which thousands pr ofs can be furnished .

The Fu ture

for The future is no light matter the Christians .

s to to Unles they Obtain liberty live , and bread eat , they will all die Of hunger and cold in those regions through

d . which the murderers have passed . The Turks o what

on~ ever they wish with them . ! uite lately they have c

fiscated so on u the whole corn harvest , that each pers m st

the k Th ask his bread from Tur ish Commandant . e lat ter chases away the petitioner as soon as he discovers

or a dearlv that he is a Christian , , at best, makes him p y

do for o n to to . the m rsel throw him , as a g

A Bishop of Mardin said recently

In my town there are more than five thousand

widows and orphans whom I have to feed as best I can .

t s not e for i If assis ance doe arriv the w nter , four thou

O f e I sand the poor creatures will be dead n xt year . t is 120 SHALL THIS N ATION DIE ?

for to on impossible human beings live roots , especially

” after having undergone so great a martyrdom .

What is the duty O f Christians enj oying the in es tima ble boon O f liberty ? Surely it is to give alms to these

s widows and orphan Of the East , whose martyred parents have gone to Heaven ! There is still time to save thou

o f sands of them . It only means organizing a system

a relief as quickly as possible . Let us hope th t the

Government Of Turkey will be forced to take pity upon

these unhappy people and let them live . And let us

o not hope , ab ve all , that Europe will delay in sending

” them help .

H I S B EATIT DE THE CHALDEA PATRIARCH OF BABYLO U N , N

122 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

- O f ff Of her wanderings , and Of the unheard su erings to

s o which she w a s subj ected . The recital vividly recalled her sufferings for she had esc aped death almost

— miraculously that she sobbed bitterly .

The Depositi on of Madarne Dj alila

W e learnt one day that my Uncle Fathalla and his brother George had been arrested at Sairt by order Of the Government 1 915 was 1 . This at the beginning Of June , We sought

fo so anxiously r the reason Of their arrest , which far

w e e as could j udge from what had already happ ned ,

i n othin definit seemed to us quite arbitrary . Obtain ng g e

f we from the O ficials , questioned a Chaldean medical man

’ D erd ess who was on Stafl named j j , the Of the Military

‘ D eudet Be Mi itar overno r o f Van had een ex e ed i y , l y G , b p ll to w ards the en d Of May by the Ru ssians an d the A rm enian s and A s s ro Cha deans Of Ha ari a n d fl ed to w ards the so u th y l kk , , r s sin the river B hta En terin S air with so ldi rs c o g o n . g t e “ ’ ” whom he himself c all ed The B utchers B attalion ( Kassab

T abou ri he a e o rders fo r the m assac re Of the Christian s . ) , g v O n 25th Of Jun e he laid siege to Bitlis and he extermin ated er in hr s ev y s gle C i tian . Th ha dean dio c ese o f Sairt com ris es exclusw e o f the e C l p , Ch dean s Of the to wn mo re than thirt vi a s n ot to count al , y ll ge , a large numb er Of other villages inhabited by A ssy ro-Chaldean

aco ites o f who se n u m er we a re i no ran t. J b , b g All hese ro s erou s vi a es were i la ed oo ted an d u rn t t p p ll g p l g , l b , h i ei t h wo rd The o l o wi tho s e who dwelt t ere n b ng pu to t e s . f l ng DEPOSITIONS CONCERNIN G MASSACRES AT SAIRT 123

the Hospital , some distance from Chaldean quarter Ain

- in - Kha w a d a Salib . My father law , j Mansour , asked the

doctor if he knew why ou r relations had been seized .

” DO D erd es s ‘ not worry , j j replied , at present the Government is in need Of reapers and is commandeering

the services Of men in every part Of the town . Your

t relations happen o be among them . A certain number will be selected : the strongest will be sent to the fields

” and the remainder will be sent back to their families . Knowing the feelings Of the Governor towards the

reassu r Christian population , the explanation , far from

ou r N ot to ing us , only increased anxiety . daring leave ou r s w e home , sought information from certain sure is arm a lmo s t complete list w ith the numb er Of Chaldean inhabitants Sairt Mar — C'hm oune 300 Sadagh Ha rteven a 200 Mar - Go u rya D er - Ma r-Yacoub 500 Gu edianes 500 Beken d 500 Ha dide A in - D'a re 200 Redw an 500 B erke 500 D eho k 500 A rc hkan es 500 Ketmes Galway e 500 - Der-Chemch 200 Go redj 500 Piro s A rto un Al- ht ni 0 ( ta a e ) . 5 0 T en ta s 500 Der -M az en 300 T ellimcha r D er r- Rabban 300 T elnevro 500 Charn akh 200 Ben ko f t 200 A to um ( Alfo kan ie ) . The a b o ve nam es an d figu res were given m e by Vica r General B a ari who elo n s to this art o th c n r j , b g p f e ou t y. 124 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

s o ources . We learnt that part Of the pris ners had been

the housed provisionally in military hospital , and part

in the barracks .

Realizing that evil might fall upon ourselves and our

we relatives at any moment , lived in a state Of unspeak

our own able terror . Certain indications as well as

r forebodings revived ou fears . We were quite panic stricken and the least thing served to upset ou r nerves .

We learnt at length , a fortnight before the tragic

s in event here narrated , that the Kurdish tribes the neigh bou rhood t he e in Of Sairt, t rror Of the Christians these W regions, had attacked the town ith the intention Of

c plundering and massa ring the Christians . The Kurds armed and mounted under the command

Of their Aghas (Chiefs ) numbered about three hundred .

' Part of the band had already entered the town . The mere intimation Of their arrival caused us to lose our

for we heads . We took it granted that should meet the

fate which , as a matter Of fact , awaited us . We had

one . but thought , that Of saving ourselves Our first act was to dig as fast as we could hiding places beneath ou r houses in which to deposit whatever Obj ects Of value

v to we possessed . We also worked fe erishly provide

126 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? the terrible measures which were even then being

prepared .

As nothing happened for some days to j ustify our

e w e to f ars , decided return home . Immediately contra dictory rumours began to be spread throughout the

town . Some said that the Kurds had come back ; others

that the Russians had arrived .

e f ff A w ek later a Government O ficial , Selim E endi , a

’ i -in -law fr end Of my uncle s and Of my father , chanced to ou r . o pass door Seeing him from the wind w, my

— in -law wa father asked him what s happening .

” ou to The only advice I can give y , he replied , is remain concealed at home ; for it looks as if matters

” are coming to a head . The situation is grave .

e s The Archbishop , lik a good hepherd , while keeping

our on our e up courage , put us guard and xhorted us

to o f with words Of infinite tenderness , make use every

r s as possible means to safeguard ou live . He himself w to be the first to feel the rigours Of the barbarous régime which was to be inaugurated against the Chris

tians . Police came to his residence and arrested him b by order Of the Governor . Only y means of another bribe to the Governor did he Obtain permission to DEPOSITIONS CONCERNING MASSACRES AT SAIRT 127

remain for the moment where he was , being placed under strict supervision O f several members O f the

police force .

two Of was The house had exits , the chief which

guarded by the police . As a precaution the Archbishop

O f had summoned the Agha Tanze , a village at some

’ hours distance from Sairt . The Agha , who was most

to to friendly the Christians , advised the prelate save

e to s a e himself , and assist d him , disguised as a Kurd , e c p with some Of his men by means of the second door

to leading the Cathedral . My brother , Father Gabriel ,

’ who wa s was to the Archbishop s secretary, asked leave

with him , but refused .

Osman Agha w as not the only one who Showed these

m s s hu ane and friendly feelings toward the Chri tians .

A nother functionary who greatly liked them, was the

one -Rezzak who so Mayor , Abdul , even went far as to

arrange with my father , certain Of the political leaders o f to the nation and Abdul Of Addai , collect from the

Chaldeans. a certain sum Of money with the Obj ect o f

to enabling them save their lives . His friendship for

r o was us b ought about his d wnfall , and he replaced by

ff who a certain Hami E endi Of Sairt , a cruel fanatic , 128 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

hated the Christians . In him the Governor found an invaluable colleague in carrying out his bloody and k dreadful wor . During the afternoon Of the day following the flight

Of the Archbishop about fifty armed Mussulmans o f the

u r town laid siege to o house . They knocked at the door

t no one to first , but seeing tha opened it , attempted force

. F to it ailing in this , they began batter it with blocks

Of stone in order to break it open . Mansour , my father in -law to a who ac , went forward dmit the attackers , ,

o c mpanied by four Of the police, invaded the house , and

to commenced sack and pillage everything . We , women

out ou r s to and children , terrified Of live , gathered

n -in—l w o o . a gether in e r om My brother , Moussa , and

his cousins Aboud and Behnam , brothers Of Naaman

Efl endi . , concealed themselves in the attic , which had

one to o . but small opening the ro f Kerim , my other

- - in law was . brother , ill with typhoid fever Our savage

to visitors seeing the sick man , drew their daggers kill

’ Kerim s s we him . Attracted by crie threw ourselves at

to the feet Of the murderers , begging them spare the

N O was poor invalid . harm done him , and the band left the room and went Off to sack Whatever they could find

130 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

we to . T Once more fled in terror the terrace roof he,

was door forced and the murderers , entering the house ,

’ first made for Hanna s body and stripped it Of all its

’ - lil clothes . (Here Madame Walies Dj a a s account was

interrupted by her sobs , and she wept bitterly . )

e The Mut ssarif (Governor) lived near us , and at the

was u ff time he seated with the notorio s Hami E endi , the

of our Mayor the town , at a window which overlooked

‘ two house . The men watched impassively all that hap

ou r we pened . Turning eyes towards them implored

to o o s . them save us , but they remained c ld and moti nle s

o f A week later , tired hearing us weep and cry unceas

“ fu to ' do gly , the Governor came us and said Why

4 we have gathered fro m eyewitn es s es. the names Of the p rin cipal butchers who dir ec ted the ma ssacres Of S airt and lo oted the n in h h ean b elo g gs Of t e C ald s . H mi B rn a i i e o ve o r Of S rt . l y , G H am i B h mm a h i d e w o co n ded t Po ce. y , e l

sam n i a r i Effe d , the M yo . Ei l Efi en cli . Of cers fi . Emin B as ri . 2 ll Eff Fathu en di . i d s 1i H ad i j b i M o u sa . j h M erc ants . i r him Far do Ib n Ib a . j i I i r c in rd A n H ad i Oma a ou f Fa o . z z b j , s o h d r M olla K e e . l s M o la Elia . r H adj i Ib ahim Hassan e. n s Hamid Hagha an d his four so . a h r H amdi Ibin Ha dj i M ma d Effendi and o t e s .

DJALILA

132 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

ff o crowded together , su ocated by the heat . The lo ters

ou r we having taken away even beds , all slept together

’ on or . n ff s the flo Some friends , Naama E endi s sister , brought us some mattresses when they discovered ou r

plight .

to All day long bodies Of men went from house house .

TO better protect themselves from the wickedness o f

o these roving bands , w men , girls and children gathered together during the daytimein groups O f from fifty to one o one hundred . We j ined another by means Of the

r flat oofs and passed the day in silence, awaiting death

at every moment , all but dead ourselves with fear . At

to we re nightfall when the marauders ceased roam , crossed the roof to ou r own houses and tried to gain

some sleep .

o son ur A certain Y ussouf , Of Kas Chaya , d ing this time had concealed himself in the Chaldean Cathedral .

out Driven by hunger , the unfortunate man left his hid

on ou r ing place e night and came to house , where his

sister Miriam was . That very night a band Of perse

cutors to o . arrived . We all fled the ro f in terror Yous

for s . souf , fearing his life , hid himself under a mattres

o f r who was rs One the b igands , following us upstai , DEPOSITIONS CONCERNING ASSA CRES A T SAIRT 133

discovered Youssouf . He pulled him from under the

s a mattress , threatening him with death . Yous ouf br vely

S o : made the ign Of the cross and cried al ud Jesus , ” Mary , into your hands I commit my soul . He asked to son m see his little nephew , an only a ong seven sisters ,

kissed him tearfully and bade us farewell .

wa s bo F With us t here also a y Of twelve , called ard

who on j alla , had escaped death the first day , and whom we o r out exces had hidden with u men . Worn by the w out . too as sive heat he had come and j oined us He , ,

to seized and began cry , screaming

’ to out Oh , they are going kill me . His sister called to him

DO e not be frightened , d ar , you will be happy in

’ Heaven . The scoundrels then took the two poor

Christian boys outside the house , and shot them before

its very door .

ou r two Some days before deportation , Chaldeans Of

‘ a rich family in the village Of Berkep had come to take

our refuge at house , having fled from the fury Of the

who or Kurds had invaded their village . Seven eight soldiers followed them in . They menaced us with their ” : rifles , crying Show us your men . 134 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

After a long search the victims were found and re

lieved Of all their money and Of a golden cross whic

one Of them wore around his neck . They were take

was sho into the middle Of the courtyard , where each

for through the head and chest . Their bodies lay tw

we n days in the yard . Finally notified o e Of our neigh

who fo r The bours , sent the municipal authorities . latter tied ropes to their feet and dr agged them away

l m r eav Ou . like animals , g courtyard covered with blood

who to A Chaldean woman named Mariam , belonged

’ s who was mur the Governor s hou ehold , and herself

to we d dered later , came see us and told us that shoul

n — b to u s soo e deported . This woman Often came give

news of the situation .

- w e f e Before were taken away, O ficers and civil polic

“ to w visited us at frequent intervals , ordering us Sho

our so them valuables , that they might know , they said ,

re what things had been stolen , and thus Obtain their

to turn . They also promised save us from being de

was to o we ported . Their real Obj ect disc ver what still

to . had , and take it from us

On the eve Of ou r departure a woman named Suzanne ,

- o we from the village Of Mar Yac ub , having heard that

136 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

’ ”

ou ? . Don t y know they asked , with surprise He

wa t unfor knew then that he s going o his death . The tunate out o priest turned pale , took a p und in gold and

to ff d gave it them . With tears I O ere them in turn a

o f to ghazi (a small piece gold ) , begging them release

. was him They answered that this impossible , since

fo r Hamdi Bey had sent him . When I persisted they

struck me and chased me away .

w The poor priest as taken to the hospital . During the night those near heard h1s cries and groans for they

C n n For scourged him cruelly . He repeated o ti ually,

’ ” of ff the love Christ s su erings .

o who wa s Am ng others heard him my cousin , Yous

’ souf s h who r . daug ter , Saide , lived ve y near by

u who Off My daughter E doxia , had been carried by

r e the Turks , told me late that the latter som times spoke

“ : DO ou Of her uncle , saying y remember that hand

‘ ’ s who out For of ome priest called the love Christ ,

was ? ruffian when he beaten The , he blasphemed even

’ N ed iba who was in the middle Of his tortures . j , also

for too n Off a there , she had bee carried , told them th t

to my daughter was his niece . The latter began cry DEPOSITIONS CONCERNING MASSACRES AT SAIRT 137

and the Kurds threatened the child , telling her that if k she continued they would kill her li e her uncle .

One Sunday mornin g in July they gathered us to

we gether , women and children , in the barracks , where

da w passed the night outside in the open air . Next y e

were assembled in the courtyard Of the Hospital , where

some days before the men had been grouped . They wrote down ou r names and deported us together with

who a convoy Of women had arrived from Bitlis . We

were over a thousand , women , girls and children . The

few Six last named , with a exceptions , were under years

a e w e ou r we o Of g . When left homes had brought s me

n clothes but o blankets . Four soldiers accompanied us .

to our on We were condemned make j ourney foot , and

who e o SO those by r ason Of age , were incapable Of d ing ,

were massacred on the journey .

we to Guazere o f When came the village Of , bands

our Kurds fell upon us and snatched away money , food

who a and clothes . A woman servant Of ours carried

be bundle containing our food , after having her own

longings stolen , was thrown into the river which ran

along the edge Of the village . After crossing the water we were lined up while the soldiers searched us and 138 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

ou r . took money and j ewelry Like the Kurds , they

threw themselves upon us , chose the girls and women who - were pretty and ill treated them .

-in This fate befell , among others , Salima , my sister law Reskolla Aboche ; Naima , daughter Of Chammas ;

’ Naima , my uncle George s daughter ; Latifa , whose

was Fathalla father , my other uncle ; Kerima, daughter

O f Betro s si Kas Chaya , and her cou n Emelda , daughter

o Of Chamas Y ussef . Three days after the commencement Of the journey a soldier named Taher Tchaouche led his horse up to

me , holding it by the bridle . He demanded my little girl

o Eud xia , who was then but eight years Old and who

was with me . I refused , and he said

D no for h O t fear her . She will be all right wit me

” and I shall give her back to you safe and sound .

t her I began o cry and scream . He snatched f rom

d n him me by force , mounte , placed her behi d and

spurring his horse , disappeared deaf to my entreaties .

o r on for We continued u j ourney foot several days ,

passing from one village to another , our babies in our a out rms . Finally worn with fatigue and the heat Of the

DEPOSITIONS CONCERNING MASSACRES A T SAIRT 139

bu rmn we to g sun , came the end Of another stage , and ,

a s . night came upon us , fell into a deep sleep

n ow SOr e the ad We were at , a larg village under

- ministrative authority Of a Kaimakam (sub Governor) ,

where we halted all day . The Kaimakam sent a tele

gram to Mardin , asking what he should do with us . i The Mutessarif , or governor Of Mard n , B edri Bey , o rdered him not to send us back to Mardin : he was

to keep us there .

for u This was equivalent to an order o r massacre .

We set out again over mountains and through valleys by w h inding roads . One Of the women with us gave birt to - on wa a still born child the y . The barbarous soldiers

to on ff . obliged her march , despite her su erings The

n unhappy woman died o the road .

From the to p O f a high mountain we saw at a dis

O f tance hundreds Kurds , men and women , on the

watch for their prey . Our guards led us into the

famous valley Wadi Wawela . There the Kurds and

their women fell upon us like wild beasts , and picking

up large stones , began to bombard the convoy . The

female Kurds also stoned us , and carried away what

v ff e er e ects they found upon u s . A Kurd came 140 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

towards me , and surprised to find I still wore a dress

O ff t and shoes , tore them me , struck me with his fis s

O and made ff .

As I ran I saw a poor woman , who was quite naked ,

had been wounded in the side by a dagger thrust . She

' was covered with blood . As she ran from these human beasts she held up her intestines which emerged

through her terrible wound . Absolutely terrified , I

fled , carrying my baby in my arms . At length , over

a n d come by emotion by fear , I fell to the ground

d O ff trembling . A Kurd passe me carrying a girl he

a d O f Betro . S o u s had seized She was y , daughter Kas

to : Chaya . He came up me and asked “ Are you a girl or a married woman ? ”

”

so n r . Here is my , I eplied , showing him my baby

“ ’ : in A soldier called out Don t take the wo en , kill

them , take the girls only . The Kurd replied that his

I de arted Sa o u d . prey was a girl , and he p with poor y The soldier picked up a large Stone and threw it at

o . me . It struck me n the head Stunned by the blow

m ‘ I fell face downwards , and y child , which had fallen

from my arms , commenced to scream . I fainted and

o remained senseless f r some time .

142 S HALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

n va c ed towards me to kill me . An Old man who was

with them turned them away , and so saved my life .

‘ When they had gone he returned and suggested taking

hi s me to home , but for this service demanded pay

‘

. ment . I told him I had no money , but his eyes fell upon my child and its pitiable condition touched his

“ ff K e heart . Taking O his a tt ke (j acket) he gave it to

: me , saying

Cover up your child and wait . I shall come back ’ l soon . Returning short y afterwards he invited me to

accompany him to the village . This I did , stammer

O f ing words thanks . H e took me to his house and

looked after the child and myself . His wife with her o w n a hands treated my wounds for several d ys , and

c I , for my part , did what I ould to make myself pleas

ant and to render them service . The village where the

O ld man had his house was Situated near Mardin ,

’ where my mother s aunt lived . Her name was Cath

erine , and she belonged to the Kendir family . B ut I

dared not ask my hosts to send me there .

‘ A week had passed when , one day , feeling very

homesick , I went into the stable attached to the house ,

a dark and isolated building . Throwing myself on my DEPOSITIONS CONCERNING MASSACRES A T SAIRT 143

w hile . I knees , crying bitterly the , fervently begged the Blessed Virgin to protect us and to help us to regain

da my relations . The very next y a woman who had

e been d ported from Sairt , and who similarly found

herself in this Kurd village , discovered me and told me that she was leaving fo r Mardin with some ten

other deported women . I had the courage to ask my

. d Kurd protector to let me go Touche by my tears ,

he acceded to my request . I thanked him and j oined

the others .

on We started foot , accompanied by some Kurd

“ women . After walking some hours we arrived at i Mard n , where I lived by whatever little work I could

et g to do , and by the help which my brothers Theo

phile and Phillippe sent me from Constantinople . A year later I left Mardin with my daughter Eu

doxia , whom I had found and brought back from the

O f Kurds , going with the family my cousin Naaman

' Effendi to Aleppo . There I lived for more than twelve months with a cousin who looked after me and

fed me , although he was by no means rich himself , and

was burdened with the care O f a large family .

CHAPTER I I

HAL ATA

The s tor o H alata dau hter o H anna a Chaldean y f , g f ,

of S air t

H alata O f 55 r Of om Madame , a woman yea s age , wh

m S o f I met at Constantinople , had come fro airt ,

H er Madelain which town she is a native . Sister was ,

e Of Hikare r Of a moth r the Abbe , Supe ior the Semin ry

l in on . Made a at Charfe , Mount Lebanon died at

o n 2u d 1918 Mosul the of October , , as a result of her ff su erings during the pe ri od Of her deportation . Ma

Halata who was for son dame , in mourning her and a

of great number her relations , visited me at Constanti no le fo r p , at my request , and several hours gave me ff the details Of her su erings . She was SO overcome that

she wept throughout the interview . Before making notes Of her experience I asked if she would guarantee to give me nothing but the absolute truth .

“ God s be my witne s , she replied , that what I shall

” o u o tell y is nly what my own eyes have seen . 146 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

’ H ala ta s Tes timony

m 1 It was the ti e Of Ramazan . The Government had enrolled from among the Moslem population the fam

2 ou s Tchettas corps known as . With the chief Moslem

Tchettas personages Of the town at their head , the

camped outside the town . The very day after I went

3 wa ' I a to make bread . On the y s w that the Christians

4 were being arrested , among them uncle George P h Chammas, M . atho and many other C aldeans Of note . I

to son bo hurried home tell my Abdul Kerim , a y Of

e eO f seventeen , to remain within doors b caus the dan

was ger . He , however , disobeyed me , saying that he

o f i a e S O to . mil tary g , and had nothing fear He went

o ut an d was arr ested at once .

ho e Those w had b en arrested , in fact all the Christian o men of the town with ut exception , were gathered to

gether in the barracks where their money , and even l their c othes were taken from them , so that they

1 The Turkish mo nth o f fasting which p recedes the feast Of the same na me . 2 A kin d o f Militia organized by the party o f Union and Pro gress fo r the express pu rp o se Of carrying out the depo rtations an d massacres . s E ach fa mily in this country make s its b read in co mmunity

ovens . ‘ r i n re ationshi A title o f respect not n ec essa ily mplyi g l p .

148 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

His mother Elie , who was later at the time Of the

to h deportations put death , elped by her sisters, car ried o ut his bloodstained body and placed it in the

courtyard .

Of As I have mentioned before , the men the convoy

e Z er abe r ou r w re all killed in the y valley . F om roof we could hear the shots and see the flashes continuously

throughout the night . After killing the unfortunate

Christians the Tchettas pulled the bodies one upo n

o n another, cast them into ditches , and piled earth in

top of them .

H r H l t u s t in to t rs I as ked her i s he had e e a a a b r ea . f

n th odies hers el s ee e b f.

” N O ff , she replied , but Hame E endi gave me the

1nn en details . I wish I couldhave seen those dear oc t ” “ h l . s O iI d victims , those martyrs , she added I have cut a lock O f hair from the head Of each and kept it on

” my heart as a relic .

n in s h ok own And o ce aga e br e d .

Next morn ing the Moslem population Of the town accompanied by gendarmes and soldiers invaded our houses and commenced to loot them . They killed all male children of from twelve to fifteen years Of age ’ H A L A TA S TESTIMONY 149

who remained in the town , as well as any men whom

they discovered hiding .

H l s o o ent Then s he s aid H ere a ata pau ed f r a m m . B efore these things happened I was a very strong

o the . las t tw o w man , but during years I have become

e o ne Of v ry thin , wandering sorrowfully from part the

country to another . My heart is broken , for I have

f TO lost my Only son and most o those dear to me . add to my misfortune one Of the rascals broke my shoulder

with a blow . Many Of our men had hidden themselves in wells and

, were shot there . Others were killed in the streets , m stripped to the skin , and by eans Of ropes dragged

o on along the r ads by their feet , their heads bumping

w . the stones . I myself saw all this with my o n eyes

Nowhere could I glance Without some fresh evidence

Of Moslem cruelty . Hell itself had opened in our

n Chaldean quarter . W e looked o the Turks as very

demons .

o u r They entered houses , pillaging and breaking

Off everything , finally to leave rej oicing, carrying what ever they pleased . Terrified Christian women and girls fled weeping and screaming in despair to the 150 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

o Gov roofs . Some , tearing towards the h use Of the ernor , screamed

Have mercy on us fo r the love O f Go d. From this day forward our homes became the prop d erty Of the brigands . Turkish women began to len t a hand and doubled the cruelty against us . We ga h

ered together in tears in groups O f thirty o r forty .

One day the Moslems a ssembled all the children Of from six to fifteen years and carried them O ff to the

headquarters O f the police . There they led the poor little things to the top Of a mountain known as Ras - el b Hadj ar and cut their throats one y one , throwing

their bodies into an abyss .

I as ked Madame H alata whether what s he was telling

s not ex erated me wa agg .

“ I call God to witn ess that it is less than the

” reality , she replied .

A Turkish woman named Saiha saw the putrefying

O f bodies the Christians outside the town . She came to find me and said :

“

o d . Oh , the sight Of those po r naked white bo ies

It had such an effect o n me that I could neither eat ” n o r Sleep .

152 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

we remained until the evening, when the soldiers ordered us to come out ; and conducted us to the bar

u s o n racks , pushing and striking us the way . H ere to o u r consternation we found thousands of Chris

who n ei hbourm tians , had been brought from the g g

s was Chaldean village . Among them a priest , Kas

’ Gour iu s who g , had been dressed in woman s clothes and

wa s h veiled , as also another young C aldean Of twenty

five s v a , named Na ri . They were disco ered , separ ted

from us , beaten brutally with clubs , and then taken

outside the barracks to be killed . B efore leaving us the innocent victims bade us farewell, Nasri ki ssing

the hand of his moth e r w ho screamed and wept . ffi We spent the night in the barracks . Police O cials

o u t and soldiers passed in and , and in the most savage manner snatched the prettiest girls from o ur midst .

s B ecause of this , next day when the oldiers came to

lead us outside the town , women smeared their faces

with mud to appear ugly . As a matter of form o ur

to executioners distributed us bread , as black as pitch ,

so uneatable that we prefe rred to leave it .

men Our conductors led us , poor defenceless wo , along the country roads with every possible cruelty . ’ H A L A TA S TESTIMONY 153

They thrashed us with whips , and many died victims

r r w to thei barbarity . The road was st e n with the de composing bodies Oi women and children who had

preceded us . We wept unceasingly because of our ill

o f o u r treatment at the hands the soldiers , hunger and

ou r thirst , and the sight Of children who , tortured by

o f the lack food , screamed piteously begging us for

bread which we could not g 1ve them . The sight of

the numberless bodies which we trod under foot , and

the stench with which they filled the air made us faint . 1 6k We could not breathe . We knew not where to 0 t o escape sights of indecency .

we In the morning left the town Of Sairt . At mid day we came to the river Gazere and in the evening

to that o f Bachour . As we had with us a number Of

to little children , who were unable walk , we asked to

be allowed to hire mules . Some animals were brought

6 to for we r us and each paid five o six medj idies . I

o one m unted with my goddaughter . After hardly

’ an hour s ride a soldier struck me a blow on the shoul

' der with a stick , and made me get down . My com

° I n all at this tim a A e mon e e ou t m ri an . , b c y 154 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Betros who panion , Maria , the mother Of Assad and , A . S are now in Constantinople , was killed as she rode they cros sed the rivers Gazere and Bachour many

o ou t m thers, worn with carrying their children , and

in absolute despair , threw them into the water . n When ight came and darkness enveloped us , the

soldiers began their terrible work . Coming among us by the aid O f lighted torches they chose the more

“ beautiful of those who remained and led them away ;

o 1 0 passing them on later to the Kurds . Fr m 5 to 200 o f the more beautiful Chaldean girls met this terrible

fate , among them the four daughters Of Sede Cham

-A bo h mas b c e . I myself saw them killed after they had been h b violated in my presence . All women w o were una le to to walk were put death .

fo r Seeing these abominations , and fearing my

to T chao u che daughter, I went the (sergeant) , and

knowing a little Turkish , I begged him to accept some

to the money , and let me escape with my daughter mountains and go to Sheikh Asso in the village of

T elan o r o e . Five six other w men also bribed him ,

and accompanied me . On the mountain side were a

156 SHALL THIS NATIO N DI E ?

Next day we saw a Kurd shepherd o f the village Of

Bekand whom I knew and who had frequently come

to my house at Sairt . He recognized me , and , seeing

' m lamentable out not y state , cried and covered his face

. to who to see me thus H e took us the Sheikh , ,

o a t uched with pity at our condition , ordered bre d and

curdled milk to be given us . He also found us some v old garments with which to cover oursel es .

Having allowed us time to Sleep , Sheikh Asso sum mo ned us next day and said he was going to send us

“

Bekin d . be to I am forced to do so , he added , cause to give hospitality to Christians would be to

bring me into grave displeasure with the Government . I shall give you four men to take you to your destina

tion . When you get there give them each a little

” money lest they kill you .

o ut . We set again A Kurd horseman appeared , dis

a - mounted , clutched daughter of Issa Chore named

Challe and stabbed her in the breast with a dagger . The poor girl fell back on the burning sand bathed in

. o her blood She died two days later after a l ng agony .

The horseman wished to kill us all , but was prevented

in d O f o u r by our escort . On our arrival at Bek one ’ H A L A TA S TESTIMONY 157

Turkish guards went to the village and warned a

co n Christian woman , Amina , who had been forcibly

to . verted Islam , and who came to meet us She gave us some money to pay the guards and took us in for wh w . o as the night Her husband , Sopki Hamza , a

soldier , was at the front . Amina hid us in a stable ,

O f but her Kurd neighbours , who got wind the matter,

informed the Mudir,who had us arrested . The Mudir

reco gnized me .

” Why have you left the convoy ? he asked us .

” B ecause the Kurds wished to shoot us , I replied .

? ” Where are your clothes (We were in rags . )

” The Kurds took them from us , I told him . He then called four gendarmes and ordered them to take us to the place where the Chaldeans of B ekin d

had been massacred and kill us there . Looking on

death as a deliverance , we did not even move to ask

him for our lives . The soldiers seized us with our

’ children , eight persons in all . After two hours march w o f e had almost arrived at the place slaughter , when a sol dier in the distance called out

Return , the Mudir has sent for you . 158 SHALL THIS NATI ON DIE ?

On our return to the village we threw ourselves at

’ the Mudir s feet begging him to spare us .

“ ” You owe to your lives , he told us , my brother ,

Effen d1 H alata Sabri , who knows , and who learning that - I had sent you to your death asked me to spare

you .

‘ i v We rema ned a week in the illage , living on alms

and lodging in a stable . A new governor had come to on Fehmi Sairt , e Bayram Bey . Learning that I

could cook , he sent for me . My daughter had stayed

a to e with Amin . I went Sairt and immediat ly j oined

o the househ ld of the governor , and my poor com panions who had expressed a desire to accompany me

obtained shelter elsewhere . The Turks , learning of the presence o f Christian women in Sairt decided to

e . n d kill th m One Of my companions was stra gle , the i other being stabbed . I myself saw their naked bod es

o . lying abandoned in the street , c vered with blood

Archbishop Addai had also been pursued‘ by the

. e Government Some Kurds , how ver , subj ects Of

s of the s O man , Agha of Tanze , chief tribe Hadide and

’ A tamis s a o f ro , great friends the Archbishop s and p tec to rs Of the Christians , disguised him as a Kurd and

’ H A L A TA S TESTIMONY 159

got him away by a secret door of his residence . For some days he remained with his friend the Agha , but

a regiment learning of his flight , attempted to trace

him . Knowing that the Kurd chief had concealed him they summoned him to surrender the Archbishop ,

. set fire to his house , and threatened him with death

The Agha fled with his family . The Kurds who

remained , tired of the struggle , were obliged to indi

O f cate the hiding place the prelate , whom the sol

diers seized and killed with eight shots . I saw his

Episcopal ring on the finger o f an Officer . The Arch ’ e bishop s secretary , Father Gabriel Moses G orge Adamo , was a to rrested , beaten and savagely done death at the f same time , as well as a Chaldean police O ficer named ff Yacoub E endi .

Before the arrest of this priest the parish priests o f several villages in the environs of Sairt took refuge

1n the church Of the town , flying from the massacres

in the villages . Among them were Father George ,

o f o f parish priest Berke ; Father Hanna , parish priest

Sada h F h YO-ussef who g ; at ers Moussa , Thomas and ,

‘ o f Gu ed an es had charge the Church at y , and Father

s o f - Michael , parish prie t Der Mar Yacoub . They 160 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

were all seized and massacred . Seven days after their

o f F who arrest the poor priest Sairt , ather Azar , had

e refin e hidden hims lf in a well , was killed with every

ment of torture . I remained six months in the service of the Gov ernor at Sairt , with whose predecessor I had also

' worked . I t w a s the latter who had ordered the mas

sacres , but he had sent me home a week before the

tragedy . The Mohammedan populace was j ubilant at the

extermination of Christians in the towns . Mullah

O f Elias , who lived in a house near that the Governor ,

u u and other personages s ch as Mullah Kheder , M llah

Ahmed and Mullah Taher , participants in the mas

the sacres , told me that people of Sairt would no longer allow a single Christian in the town ", and that

if ever one dared to enter he would be killed . Some

o u r times I passed before great cathedral , now a stable

filled with manure and utterly changed , but the sight o f it upset me and made me weep . The Chaldean cemetery likewise had been dese

crated , the tombstones had been uprooted and many o f o the graves pr faned .

162 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ? am in the midst O f Kurds and go from village to vil

lage to get a crust of bread . At the present moment

. an d I am at B erke I have to walk barefoot , am f e . Refik cloth d in rags E fendi , who saw me , took

o n O f pity me , and being an Old friend the family , sent

‘

no t . me to Sairt, wishing to see me beg in the villages

I do what work I can get in order to live . I cannot

tell you how utterly miserable I am . Have pity upon me ! Am I not your daughter ? When you get ' my

letter, send me a little money and a shawl with which

' to cover my head . I must resign myself to my sad

l o t I . , waiting with mpatience until you send me help

e fi R k Effendi is doing all he can to assist me . If he

ou can get me a permit to travel , I shall rejoin y as soon

. f . as I can B ut alas , it is very di ficult How are you ,

? e o f o mother, dear Send me some n ws y urself at

once .

Your unhappy daughter,

RAHEL . A RIEL A AM O ECY TO T HE ARCH BI S HOP. OF SAIRT REV B D S . . G ,

KARI M A ( AGE D 13) CHAPTER I I I

K arima ( aged 1 3 )

Certain Moslem citizens o f Sairt came to Constanti nO le 1918 p in , bringing with them some Chaldean girls

“ who had been abducted from their famili es . B eing short Of money and unable to provide fo r their vic

. of tims , they desired to get rid of them One the

number was Karima , aged thirteen . Learning that

she had relations in the city , they sent her to them . She returned barefoot and clad only in a chemise and

a . bathing dress , in which costume I photographed her

Latif B ey Tabib , a prominent Chaldean , and a mem

o f ber the Court of Appeal at Constantinop le , inter

who viewed the child , gave him the following account

>1< >1= >x< >t< At the time of the massacres I was j ust ten years of D erd is age . My father, j j , was an employe in the

Government administration O f the State Monopoly of f o o f . Salt , a branch that the National Debt Our

family was composed Of my mother (Jane) , my three

o brothers Kerim (the eldest , aged eleven) , Youss uf 164 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

old and Latif , and my grandfather, an man named

George .

o f Four years ago , at the end the spring , our house in the quarter Of Ain—Salib was attacked one day by

s twenty bandits . Despite their prayer , my father and

grandfather were stabbed to death forthwith , and my

and — m mother , brothers yself carried away to a place A they had chosen . fter murdering my relatives , and s throwing their bodie into ditches outside the town , the Kurds took me away to the village O f Z ew ida with

other Chaldean girls of my own age . I w a s kept there

fo r a year . At night some o f the Kurds insulted me .

I dared not resist fo r fear Of being killed .

' A year later I returned to Sairt with a T u rkish la dy . B elieving he would take pity upon me and give me

something to eat , she had me taken to the house of

: Ferid d o u r . Abdul , the man who had sacke home

Ferid . Abdul , however, sent me away A Chaldean lady who acted as nurse in the house of a Turk named

T ew fik , with another Christian woman called Mah I m bouba , interceded for me that might be e ployed

there in carrying water .

a One day , while I was c rrying my pitcher to the fo u n t a i n a s o ld i e r n a m e d Ab ri u ll a h a w a t e r c a r rie r

166 SHALL THIS NATIO N DI E ?

during the three months of this terrible j ourney , both

from hunger and from Fattoum and her children . On arriving at Constantinople the Old woman handed me over to another Turkish lady who happily knew a rela

Chorize to tion Of mine , Zeki . At my request she went

see him , and he received me into his home , where I still

remain . Thousands of Chaldeans were cruelly massacred in

o f are my part of the country . Many the girls in the

hands o f the Turks and Kurds .

The names o f my murdered relatives areas follows

t T ew fik Bo ulo u s an d My mo her , her brothers and , her

sister Hilane ; my three brothers Kerim (the eldest, put to death at the instance O f the ferocious Abdul

Ferid o ur nd , who looted house) , Yousuf a Latif

D erd a n d Pitio n j j is my father , his brother and sister

Khatoun , grandfather George ; lastly both my grand

’ mothers Rahel on my mother s side and Suzanne on that

Of my father .

o f All the Obj ects value which we possessed , such

- as watch bracelets , gold chains and earrings , were stolen by Abdul Ferid w ho is n o w at Sairt .

STERA A N D W ARINA

168 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

The D epositi on of S ter a

our The Kurds came and attacked village , sacking and

plundering whatever they could find , and killing all the

n inhabita ts ; among others , all my relatives . My sister

O ff and I , remaining unprotected , were carried by the

’ an d to marauders taken Aine , a mountain spot a day s

L on ou r u s journey from Sairt . ater abductors took

to from village village .

One day when we were at Sairt I was present at a

wa s His horrible scene , the chief figure in which Grace , h Mar Addai , the C aldean Archbishop Of that town . He

wa s e . n in a pitiabl state , pale and thin The soldiers bega him by jeering at , pulling his beard and striking him with

in their rifle butts , firing their revolvers into the air

n o f e . fro t him . They th n took the Archbishop outside

n v . c the tow , and , having slain a ser ant Of his prote tor ,

n on Osma Agha , killing him with a fatal blow the head , the butchers cut Off the head o f the Archbishop in order

to to Show it the Governor .

My sister and I remained with the Kurds , after which

we were sent away to a village named Gawate . The

for Governor Of Sairt searched us there, and when he

n ew t found us , kept us in his house . Our mas er soon THE DEPOSITION OF STERA 169

after left for Mosul where he remained some days . His wife seized thi s opportunity to visit her relatives at Kar

our u via kouk , and took us with her . On ret rn Mosul , w e for left Constantinople . When passing through

Ale o where we t we pp f made a s op , were guarded by a

servant girl while in the streets .

One day while taking my usual walk with the servant ,

s this time without my sister , when pa sing the entrance to a street in the Saliby quarter , I noticed a crowd

C to th emerge from a building . uriosity led me ask e

s rea on .

“ out was They are Christians coming Of a church , I f in ormed .

u This utterly surprised us , beca se I had always been told by Turks and Kurds that Christians and churches no s e a of longer exi ted . I then b gan to t ke good note

n ot to the streets through which I passed , in order lose

n myself if I went out alo e . On returning to the house

I made up my mind to take to flight

Next morning the servant girl wished to make me go out e to , but I pret nded be ill , and she went by herself .

Profiting by the unexpected solitude , I took my little

we ran Off sister by the hand and , free as the birds , , 170 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ? making directly for the street where I had Seen the

n Christians coming out o f the church . I e tered and

to l wa s e n spoke the priests , tel ing them that I a Chald a , and that the Turks had kept me a prisoner since the

to massacre of my relatives . They took me the Chal

to dean parish priest , Father Michael Chaya , whom I

to told my tale . The latter confided me a family Of

to Aboche was Sairt related the family, with Whom I

acquainted . Meanwhile the most extraordinary happenings were

’ ' On Th hole wa going in the Governor s house . e w place s

ho for . w upset by the general search us The Governor ,

not to e w o r did want los us , communicated the ne s Of u

out we flight to all his bodyguard , giving that had stolen

we a hundred pounds from him when left . He dared not admit that I had been carried Off and treafed like a

” we slave . Happily were well hidden in the house which had ff us not O ered hospitality , and the police did suc

ee c d in finding us . We were saved .

172 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

died from sickness and exposure . Several hundred , ren

.

mad em tv dered by thirst , threw themselves into the p m e reservoirs , com on in this desert country , and ther died , while a large number Of others were killed by the Kurds

on to and thrown in p Of them . Thirteen reservoirs were

i n w filled n this manner . Several thousa d Christians ho remained were surrounded on e day by five hundred

one nd armed Kurd horsemen and hundred a fifty police .

Having gathered the unhappy wretches together In a place edged with the long dry grass which grows so

- u abundantly in the semi arid region , the persec tors set

o ef fire t it . B ore doing this they plundered their vic

of tims all they had .

- The unhappy people , terror stricken at seeing the

e flames approaching them , realized that th ir end had

who wa come . Those made their y through the flames

were met by an equally deadly rifle fire . Thus were

o f exterminated some thousands human beings , all

- indeed that remained of the above mentioned convoys .

After this awful holocaust , Kurd women and children arrived with sieves and sifted the ashes of the dead to

was rac see if they could find gold , since it a regular p

74 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

was all come f rom Mardin , and I acquainted with most

s Of their relative .

fi t e son At rst I tried o console th m . Then my fell in

K almo ni t love with u and asked my consent o their union .

e who I put the matt r before the beautiful girl , , however , declared that She would rather die than marry a Mos

a timee in lem . Sever l reasoned with her , but vain . I

s then threatened her , saying that I should kill her unles

m on was s i . she accepted y , but it all qu te useless

da was n o one the One y , when there in house, I had

e n them all stripp d and placed in o e room . Then I began

to threaten them .

’ Yo ha ot to u h . ve all g marry Kurds, I told t em

s h I wore at them , threatening all with deat unless they

to to listened me , and on their continuing refuse ,

. to to assaulted them Next , frighten the girl I wished

e to n f h so e O er . giv my , I shot thre companions Kal

s mouni , quite impa sible , encouraged her companions ,

to SO flow exhorting them resist . Seeing much blood , I

was o c . a little t u hed , and spared the others

to K almouni to Coming back the beautiful , I continued

o : threaten her . She , however , b ldly insulted me , saying A SCENE OF HORROR 175

‘ You are a coward to treat women in such a way . Y ’ ou are unworthy to be called a man .

to . Furious at her words , I drew my revolver kill her

’ ou so a our By the bread y have Often e ten at house ,

’ d no o t . she cried , kill me as I am

- she In her modesty , being unclothed , begged me at

to to least allow her die with her back to me . Kill me

’ no he w s . , she said , as faced the wall At her words I

e h sitated ; and , remembering my Old time friendship

to n with her family, decided spare her . The , fearing that the brave girl would on e day ruin my reputation by

how recounting I had treated her , I shot her in the back

” and killed her .

A S cen e of H orr or

on One day I found myself at Amuda , a station the

Bagdad Railway near Nisibin . There I met in the house

Of a Kurd a very beautiful girl from Nigda , named

L eucinta h h to w o . S e n g , had been deported belo ged a

o very good family , and sp ke French perfectly , having

finished her studies under the care Of the French nuns .

She gave me the following account Of her experiences

“ one As Of a convoy, I came with my father and 176 SHALL THIS NATIO N DI E ?

to -el- one was mother Ras Ain , whence , month later , I depo rted to a spot in the desert with fifteen thousand

others . A crowd Of Tcherkess , Turks and nomads fell

s upon us and massacred the convoy with their sword ,

clubs , daggers and other weapons .

An Arab snatched me from the hands of the brigands f . r s c o and saved me Late , eeing a chan e making money ,

1 2 he sold me for five pounds and an agal to a Bedouin

o f o f chief the tribe Shammar , whose headquarters were

o was a in the environs f Nisibin . I given the Ar b name of A ouche was o f yy , and my face tattooed with all kinds

s so to symbol . After staying there some time , I re lved

- e escape , and succeeded in leaving the village uns en .

r to b I took the oad Mosul , walking night and hiding y, f . o w out by day After three days this , orn with fatigue ,

o r saw u men dis without water bread , I a gro p Of in the

for tance , and took them wandering Arabs . On coming up with them I discovered that they were Christians who

s was were being deported to Mo ul . The convoy divided

s two o f s y into three part , which were de tined respectivel

ri m n Ame can o ey . A headdress In the shape o f a crown made of several loo se in o f coars hair r gs e .

178 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

the unfortunate people near me moving in agony . I had

o f e to wa o f lost a great deal blood , but tri d find a y sav

o f n ot ing myself , and being buried under the bodies

r which rained down upon me . Eve y time , therefore , that

Ci wa s. to a corpse crashed into the stern , I obliged hoist

e mys lf upon it, lest I should be buried under the ava

o f ho o lanche those w followed . The poor w unded vic

n n tims were struggling, and I felt them quiveri g u der m e . s Their moans and groan made me shudder , but the

s to ve in tinct preser oneself is strong . d Toward evening, the butchery being over , I foun

to of s m on myself at the p the ci tern , al ost a level with

. m the ground There I spent the night , losing blood fro

t my wound and unable o get out.

da a ss ers to Next y p by, moved by curiosity , came look

‘ c old Ba rib w into the isterns . An Arab o f the gga ra t e sa

to w s o . son . a me and took me his tent I married t his ,

h h for wit w om I remained some time , when he sold me

3 e to son o f eighteen medj idi s a certain Hussein , the

o f who w as o to o to mayor Of the village Amuda , ab ut g l e . u Ras Ain The latter married me in his t rn , and I i ” am still w th him .

About THE RAILROAD OFFICIAL FINISHES HIS STORY 179

When the unhappy L eucintag told me her story it wo r

, to n f o f ried me very much thi k that , though an o ficial

a n o to to the B gdad Railway , I had power come her

no r to i that o f o f own assistance , any other my religion .

' Th Railroad Ofli ci al Finis h s Hi tor e e s S y .

At Tel Halif I encountered another girl named Hay

hanouche who to g , had been forced live with a Turkish

Captain who commanded a labor battalion engaged in the

construction Of the Bagdad Railway . She had been given

Mohamedan Khadid a the additional name Of j .

coniro e The girl had belonged to a y Of wom n , girls and children which had arrived on the banks of the

The Tigris at a point between Dj ezire and Mosul . order for the massacre o f this convoy had n ot yet been given

f -el-Zor by the government o Der . Nevertheless as soon as it reached the river the soldiers separated the rich from

to the poor , took the latter aside and put them death , in order to frighten the richer victims into yielding their

e money . Only a thousand survived , and thes were despoiled by the soldiers o f most o f their possessions an d

abandoned . 180 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

no o f Twenty days later , longer having any means sub

s of to sistence , the unhappy victim the deportation began

s s . sell their clothes , and the little they still pos e sed

‘ of They finished by killing the beasts burden , and even

went so far as to resort to cannibalism .

ff to One girl , seeing the su erings Of her parents , said them :

Do not die o f hunger ; kill me and eat my fles h !

Hunger and thirst caused such atrocious sufferings that they fought one another for pieces of flesh torn

o of o who r from the b dies th se had died , and afte roast in m ate . g them , the

CHAPTER VI

The Massacres of Diarbekir

m Co n Hanna , a Chaldean , came fro Diarbekir to

s ta ntino ple at the beginning of the winter of 1918 . He

r a had been p esent at the m ssacre of Diarbekir , and his brother and relatives had fallen victims to the bar

b arity o f the Turks . The following is the account he

e gav to Mr . Latif Bey Tabib , a prominent Chaldean

m : of Constantinople , by who it was transcribed

’ H anna s Tes timony

Hamid Bey was Governor Of Diarbekir at the begin

ning o f the massacres . Among the more important of his cruelties was the shooting O f the poor Chaldean

Carabache o n villagers Of , near Diarbekir, the charge of having fled without permission to the Vilayet of

Erzerum . h Now this was absolutely untrue , the poor wretc es not having left their houses since the issue of the

decree mobilizing the soldiers . SO concentrated and numerous were the volleys that the bodies of the vil 182 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

lagers were blown to bits . To complete the atrocity , other Christians were obliged to load the Shattered remains into carts and transport them to the cem

h in eter . t e y The Governor , Hamid Bey, and civil

spector, Nadj i B ey , witnessed the execution with every f evidence o satisfaction .

- Be Owing to an order from Constantinople , Hamid y

1915. left his post precipitately in March , His sudden departure gave rise to a very natural fear among the

the Christians , and they urged the Archbishop to ask

Governor the reason . The only answer he received was

You n will know later o .

R Dr . echid B ey succeeded Hamid . The newcomer

’ o t ok his quarters at the Governor s residence, having

o f T chetta s as his guard a body forty , Circassians like

himself . Rechid B ey ’ s first care was to organize a militia

Of composed of local men prominence , some of whom vvere

l . Rechid Bey, the Governor .

’

2. Be o . Bedri y , Govern r s Military Secretary

184 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

Mehmed .

H fiz a e .

Abdul Latif .

Mardilli ff Emin E endi .

H afize son Terrad , of j Youssouf

Emin Agha ,

Yahia Effendi “

Tyrants o f the Chaldean village

f T harokia o c .

H ed o Kassab j , a butcher by trade , executioner of convoys .

26 . . Cheikho , his brother 27 b . Kassa Hadji Suleiman , a butcher .

28 . Seerdli Bakal Hayo .

29. Serradj Yo u s so u s Agha . 0 Al ff o . 3 . Zaza E endi

Having called a council of all these scoundrels , the

t Governor issued a decree that wi hin three days , under

heavy penalty , Christians were to deliver to him what

ever arms they had in their houses . Each gave up

every weapon he possessed . A large quantity of arms a nd dynamite were brought from the Seraglio and

barracks . Photographs of these theatrical prepara HANNA’ S TESTIMONY 185 tions were taken and published in pamphlet form as

a means o f propaganda . The Christians were then subj ected to appalling tortures to oblige them to admit that they had arms concealed in their homes . Their nails were torn out and they were shod with iron like

s hor es . The second act of the tragedy commenced with the carrying O ff O f those soldiers who were Christians . A proclamation was made to the effect that soldiers who had a pro fe s s I O n or trade would be employed in the

o to t wn , and that unskilled workers were be used for

the construction o f roads . The skilled men quitted

their homes to take up the work assigned them , and the fifteen hundred assembled for road work were mas

sacred a month later . N o t on e escaped death . The s u 1915 -D ouroun la ghter took place in July, , at Kara j

’ - t and Kara Bagh ; wo hours journey from Diarbekir .

The murderers were the police of Diarbekir ; promi nent among whom were the smuggler Emin Gazal and

Tchaoush — Khalil , a fruiterer Of Tahta Kale . Among the Chaldean victims whose names I know are the following : Keriakos Tadj er ; Boutros N edme

son o f Amsih Boutros , the ; Stephen Hadad ; Hanna 186 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

Bou reud i o f Vierim son o f j Sairt ; Hadj i , Joseph , a

Shamoun son o f of watchmaker ; , Stefane , headmaster

o f Rizkalla the Chaldean School the Province , and , a

r fruite er , etc .

Those who had not been sent to the work o f road d ff mending were arrested in their homes , han cu ed and

to Tashnak to taken the Café . Prior their being led

Off to s — like sheep the laughter house , they were

inspected by the Governor . Then with the more prominent Christians o f the district they were thrown into prison to the number o f about seven hundred .

o f Feiz i One the bloodiest of the murderers , Bey , being determined that all the Christians should be

slaughtered , went with Rechid B ey to the telegraph

Office and sent a wire tothe Central Office O f the Com mittee of the Union and Progress , demanding exter

mination o f the poor wretches .

He obtained the necessary order by pretending that d if the Christians were not punishe the Turks , who had taken fright and barricaded themselves in the

. mosques , would not dare to return to their homes

1 The presence o n the Tigris o f several kalleks had

Rafts .

HANNA’ S TESTIMONY 187 given rise among the Christians to considerable u neasi w ness . The Turks , ho ever , hypocritically explained that the K alleks were to be laden with corn for the f province of Mosul . The falsity o this statement was d soon prove , for one dark night the seven hundred prisoners j ust mentioned were embarked and taken

towards a place called Pelikan , where they were hur riedl y landed , being assured that they would be taken

an d toD ez n e . safe sound j , and thence to Mosul As soon as they had landed a heavy volley killed a

large number, and a trick was employed to exterminate f the rest . The o ficer in command gave out that this

volley w a s due to a mistake .

! o n ! Let no man lose his head he cried , March

The survivors , taking him at his word , obeyed , but hardly had they started when a second fu sillade wiped

o ut . i the whole convoy Falling upon their vict ms ,

u d o f the exec tioners strippe them everything . The

o n e booty was a rich , for before their departure , the

Christians had been told to take with them all their gold and silver in order to meet the expenses of their

long j ourney . The rapacious cruelty o f the murderers even caused them to telegraph for monetary assistance 188 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

to the relatives Of the victims , a trick which brought

the brutes more money . After this hecatomb the assassins returned to the town to c omplete the seri e s Of crimes they intended to perpetrate upon the remainder of the Christian

population . They began by dividing the Armenian

and Chaldean quarters into zones , to each of which

was assigned a guard of exe c utioners . The houses

e a n d O ld in each quart r were invaded , the men and

women ordered to leave at o nce with their children .

N or was the injunction forgotten that those who wi shed

a e no might pay for carri g s . Those who could t

mounted o n donkeys . Kurds of the villages which were the personal property Of the notorious Churki

Bey were charge d with the formation o f these sinister caravans . The poor vi c tims were advised to t ake with them all the household Obj ects and utensils they could

o . carry , as they would need them en r ute They did not have to wait long before they met their

o sad fate . A large part f the convoys were massacred

in the villages of Churki Bey , and the rest near the

bridge Of the town . Their property naturally remained

o f in the hands their murderers .

190 SHALL THIS N ATI ON DIE ?

n Kalla . The loot pillaged and stolen from the u fo r tu nate victim s was collected in certain large Christian

houses before being divided among the brigands . A large number of pretty girls were carried off and sent

to . s the harems Archbi hop Sulieman , the Metropolitan ,

1500 3 t t sent L . T . o the bloody Rechid o preserve the

lives o f those w ho remained o f his nation . All he could obtain was the concession that a small part of

o f his community , instead being massacred , were sent to n o f Fiskia e a spot near the tow , where the men wer

’ employed in road mending . Needless to say , the Arch bishop himself had to pay for the ration of bread issued

to the workers . The churches in the Chaldean villages ‘ were all

d . sacked , plundered and reduce to ruins Those which were spared were turned into hospitals o r stables .

Govern-or Rachid is said to have sent to Constanti nOple eighty bales of loot taken from the Christians .

The remainder he gave to his friends , among whom

Feizi Zulfi were Deputies and .

MICHAEL A N D H i s BROTHER

192 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? found that all who had been shut up had been mas

sacred and thrown into the river .

r The Turks then p oceeded to collect all the women , d girls and chil ren whom they intended to deport , and formed them into convoys which were sent along the

Mardin road .

e o My mother , sist r, little br ther and I j oined

four convoys of three hundred people , among whom

O ld . were twenty men We marched along , anxious a n d worried . When far from the town the blue uni formed soldiers and turbaned Kurds who accompanied

us began to sharpen their daggers before our eyes .

Then they rolled up their sleeves and commenced .

Ten minutes sufficed to cut the throats of the o ld men

ff . who were the first to su er Next , by way of a

O f change , the soldiers took ten the prettiest girls and

put them to death . They fell upon the dead and

robbed them O f their clothing . Women and girls were placed in groups Of ' ten ; twenty -five yards from o n e

d . another, kille and thrown into a cistern Not even

the O ld women were spared . Ten of the prettiest girls

were kept back . A consultation was held between the

Kurds and the soldiers , and the latter decided not to MICHAEL ’ S STORY 193

slay the children , but to hand them over to the Arabs

and Kurds O f the neighbourhood . Word was sent to

off them . They came , made their choice and carried

their prey . It was my lot to Obtain as my master a B edouin

Arab named Ahmed . The Turkish sergeant had chosen

another boy for him , but he had Shown a preference

W a rdes s ess for me , and took me to his village , , which lay beyond the railway station Of Derbezye near

n Mardin . With Ahmed I remai ed three years , look ing after his camels and guiding his cattle when they

n was s were moved from o e place to another . I dre sed by my master in a white robe like the Arabs Of the

district , and went barefoot . At the time when the

O ff B edouin acquired me he was well , but later he suf

fered somewhat from poverty . His daughter took

“ - from me a cross and prayer book , as well as certain

small belongings which I had with me . The prayer

book she tore up , the rest she kept .

’ My master s Wife was very kind to me , but I was

not happy with them , and ten days after my arrival

tried to run away . A B edouin woman saw me and

to who ran tell my master, recaptured me . He even 194 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

d fired his revolver at me , and the shot graze my head

dress . He did not wish to kill me , but only to frighten

me and prevent me from running away another time .

I was given very little to eat , merely some black

o f bread and a little milk . Tired living like this , I

began to worry my master, begging him to let me d leave , saying I had relatives at Aleppo , whom I shoul

like to see .

to He was deaf my appeal , but said he would send me back to my people at the end O f the war . At

length , one day , wearied by my petitions , he seemed to k to change his mind . We were ta ing some goods

c two of Nisibin . There the Arab recognized by hance my

Bo ad i uncles , Alias and Joseph y j , who worked on the h Bagdad line , and told them that he had wit him a

nephew of theirs . He asked them to take me away

then and there . My uncle , Alias , wasted no time but accompanied the Arab into the desert and entered the

tent . H e came towards me , but I must have been

he . much changed , for did not recognize me at first I

an d . knew him , however, embraced him warmly After

’ a - we for s ying good bye , left Nisibin , the Arab s

‘ A dla c o min m daughter , , g so e distance with us in order

196 SHALL THIS NATIO N DIE ?

house , found my father and carried him away to

prison . Mother and I began to cry . Some days later a warder came to tell me that my

to . father wanted to see me . I went him immediately

Father kissed me fondly and cried , asking me how

mother and my little brothers , Michael and Suleiman ,

were , and how they were bearing up . He cried again

and I did what I could to console him . When I had k been three hours with him , a policeman too me away from him upstairs to a room in an upper story which

overlooked that in which my father was kept . Through a window I saw policemen go into his cell d Executioners , armed with clubs , and soldiers who use

the butts of their rifles , struck my father terrible blows

o n They hit him the head and made him cry out , and

then gave him many blows with their daggers . They

put out his eyes with a knife which had a Sharp point .

a n d and cut his stomach open . I wept cried for a time and then I opened the door and ran away .

I rushed home , crying, and told my mother what

to had happened . She became hysterical and began

tear o u t her hair . My little brother ran to tell all our

to . relatives the terrible news , and all began mourn LITTLE W AlH IDA 197

for Mother , foreseeing what would be in store us , soon

for to . made plans us flee Like a brave woman , she

gathered all her children together , and by crossing from o n e terrace roof to another we finally found a

safe place in whi c h to shelter . In this way she saved

w re us from death . When the storm had passed e turned hom e and found that all our furniture had been

stolen .

to Not being able live in an empty house , and hav

o r ing no money other resources , my mother had to take service in Turkish families at Diarbekir in order

. not to support us But earning enough to feed us , she was to d o f to n Petioun obliged sen some us my u cle ,

at Aleppo .

CHAPTER VI I I

The Massa cr e of L idj a

Naaman Effendi is o ne o f the survivo rs of the large and well -known family Of Moussa Guerguis Adame of

Sairt . His brothers , cousins and uncles were all mas

to sacred . He himself escaped death owing the fact that he was the manager of the local office of the

1 Administration o f the Public Debt in the Cata of

2 i r n n L d a o f M A ha e . ow j , in the Sandj ak aaden g He is

A l f r a t e O . e o o pp I am ind bted to him the following account o f what happened at L idj a at the time o f the

massacre .

L id a j , which is governed by a Kaimakam , is a town o f about twelve thousand inhabitants , a seventh of

’ whom are Christians . It is situated eighteen hours

j ourney from Diarbekir . 1915 In the spring Of , the Kaimakam, Anisse Bey ,

a recruited a militia among the Turkish population , p

Adm nistra i is rict i t ve d t . Subd isional re ion f h r iv g s o t e Vilayet o r p ovince . 200 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? pointed O fficers and put the regiment through man

s oeuvre .

A few days later the Turkish Government ordered all arms in the possession of Christians to be collected in the

of o h church , the name each wner being engraved upon t e

on r u . weap s , unde the pretext that it would be ret rned

e " t Thes arms were then distributed o the militia .

One day on a given signal sentries were posted be

o f fore the doors prominent Christians , patrols

to mounted guard prevent resistance , and all Christian officials were dismissed by the Kaimakam . The following day fifty Of the more important Christians were summoned before the Governor and

ou t o f imprisoned , chiefly sheer hatred , but also to

e e . xtort conf ssions The torture , known as the

”3 Falaka was inflicted until blood was drawn . This

consisted in beating the soles of the feet . Some had h their hands pierced , particularly w erever they bore

tattoo marks symbolical o f Christianity . The finger

nails and beards o f others were torn o u t . I learnt

d o f these etails from relatives the victims , who dis

B astinado .

202 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

It w as his habit to release prisoners for two or

e re- e thr e days in order to arrest th m later .

w as o f C s Thus the town cleared all male hristian ,

o even to boys f ten . The neighbouring villages were

one o n e T chettas who surrounded by by and Kurds ,

e s arrested the men , bound th m and cut their throat in i the ravines and caverns , after plunder ng them in the h usual w ay . The C ristians of the region w ere of the

Armenian or of the As se - Chaldean or Jacobite

o f o s denomination . Some the villages wh se inhabitant

e : F m - were put to the sword w re ou , Chim Chim , b Dj oum , Tappa and Nag le .

After the deportations and massacres , if a Christian

was found in the town , having succeeded in hiding

and so escaping the slaughter , he was immediately put to who a his death in the street by the populace , c rried body as a trophy through the variou s quarters of the

town . In the fields outside Turkish urchins play ed football with the skulls and bones o f the Christians . After all this butchery the Turks took a month ’ s

of . rest . It was the Feast Ramazan As soon as the

recom month elapsed , however , the deportations menc ed with even greater vigour . THE MASSACRE OF LIBJA 203

o ff This time women and children were carried , put

o to death witho ut pity and thrown int the river , the girls being taken away by the Kurds and the Turks .

Children who became exhausted from fatigue or hun ger on the way were left o n the roadside where they

s k a soon died . The more beautiful girl were ept for week by the Turkish Officials in town and then pass ed

n to o their friends . It is interesting to note that the former Kaimakam

Of ‘ Lidj i , who had refused to carry out orders to organ

w as ize the massacre , recalled to Diarbekir after the formation Of the first convoy . He was told that he

was to be promoted , but on the way was put to death

‘ by Orders Of his superiors fo r lack of enthusiasm in

his work . The Kurds buried him by the roadside and the executioners on their return to the town gave out

that he had been killed by Armenian revolutionists . I

passed his grave with my family some days later .

was The same tragedy enacted at Henne , a village

’ s six hour distant , and administered by the Government

L id a at j . It had a Christian population of four hun

r dred families , all Of whom were in very easy ci cum

O f stances , many them having made their fortune in 204 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

America . Here the same scenes took place . All the

o r o r men , two three hours after dark , at daybreak ,

were seized , bound , plundered and then taken to a dis

tance and massacred . So many ropes were required for the work that a public crier gave orders that the

e townspeople were to provide a stipulat d quantity , the

f s o wa s d O ficial rea on being, h wever , that it neede in

of for the transportation provisions the army .

The women who remained alone after the seizure Of

s s of their menfolk , a sembled in their houses in group

w or t enty thirty, trembling with terror . In the evening military patrols entered under pretext o f making requisi

o ff tions , chose the prettiest girls and carried them

by force .

o f Before the organization the militia , its future

Diarb ekir ~to head , Ibrahim B ey , had come to , return ,

o f D by favour Of Rechid , Governor iarbekir , with the

rank Of Commandant . Absolute Obedience in matters

o f r civil and religious was to be required the soldie s ,

not but when they enrolled , the populace had the faint est idea o f the tasks they would be called upon to

perform .

After massacring the convoys , the Turks returned

206 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

r Even the sick were not spared , but we e snatched

. from their beds and dragged through the streets , their relatives in great distress accompanying them to give

all possible assistance . The pitiless Turks would not allow the poor wretches to die at home even .

4 o i Turkish matrons acc mpan ed the female convoys,

asking mothers to entrust their children to them .

Moslem women then robbed the poor little things o f

their clothe s and abandoned them by the roadside .

4 Lad y .

Z H I S GRACE T H E ARCH BI S HOP OF D JE IRE ,

M a rty r ed by the T u rks

208 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Chaldean s o r Jacobites were also subj ected to the same

measure .

o f o Meanwhile Sabit B ey , Governor the town , bet ok

o n h himself to Erzerum , where , a pretext that t ere was

an epidemic of typhus , he closed all the schools . From

Erzerum he returned as far as M ez re on a Friday so me

days later .

2 Taking up his quarters at the Seraglio , he held a

council which lasted for over an hour , during which i time Christians were forbidden to enter the build ng .

I happened to be with friends in the courtyard O f the

s . church , where I had hidden to escape military ervice While there I noticed armed soldi ers making their ’ ff rounds . Towards nine O clock I saw them le ading o

an Armenian whom they had arrested . In the even

n o f ing my little brother Yohanna , a boy seve years

age , came to see me at the church , saying that my

father was asking fo r me . L eaving the church , I discovered to my surprise

that all the Christians I met were in great alarm . I arrived home to find my aunt and othe r relations weep

Keshishe ing, and learned that my uncle Barsom , a

2 o vernment H se G o u . WHAT HAPPENED AT KHARPUT 209

s . tradesman , had been arre ted My father , white as a

sheet , and very much upset and worried , was speech

a did k less in a corner . N o t until an hour l ter he brea

silence . h I was in the market place , he told us , w en the

Governor came with the Commandant to Government

u . House . There they had a long disc ssion A quarter o f an hour later the market place w as surrounded by

the militia , who picked out all Christians over fourteen

years of age , arrested them and put them in prison ;

among them my p o or brother Berso m . I managed to

s f t to k save my elf with great di ficulty , hanks Kevor m Agha , who foreseeing that a general arrest was i mi

me . nent , advised to flee A few minutes later he him a self was rrested , savagely knocked about and taken to prison . From a distance I witn essed also the arrest o f two Bo hos Marderos Chatalbashe brothers , g and ,

Tasho w Abraham and many others . I myself as twice

but ho arrested in the street , Providence willed that I s uld

” be set at liberty .

’ Next day about eight o clo ck a public crier a n no u nced from the tor; of the citade l

e no Christians , know that he who do s t Open his 210 SHALL THIS N A TrON DI E ? shop as usual will be courtmartialled and condemned

? to . death . Why are you afraid You run no risk Take courage ! ”

My father having little confidence in the words o f

o f the public crier feared to Open his shop . I thought

going myself, but changed my mind , and my uncle ,

s . taking the keys , went to open the premi es

Before many hours had passed we learnt that all t radesmen in the market place had been arrested .

During the day police agents and soldiers came to o ur house with a list O f names on which figured that Of

my father whom they intended to apprehend . My mother went to the door and declared that all the men

al were out . As a matter of fact we had l fled by the ’ d roofs to the Bishop s residence , where we foun Bishop

r m . e Mansour in his oo , praying Since our presenc

t migh cause his arrest , we left his house , my father

u Chatalbashe taking ref ge with Minasse Agha , and my cousin and I concealing ourselves in the house Of

Ashour Effendi .

Some time later my mother arrived in tears to say that the soldiers were coming every few minutes to

worry her , declaring that at all costs they must have

212 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

to Speak to them , but their relatives were permitted

to bring them food . As the Turks said that they only required the Ar men ians A s s ro - , the B ishop (of the y Chaldeans) , with

O f tw o prominent members his congregation , Elia

h A rakel to Effendi T as o and Bedik Zade , went see the

Governor, the Commandant and the Deputy , and begged them to spare his flock since they were not

n Armenians and belonged to o political party . B edik

Zade , a very influential Moslem , who was present , asked the Governor with tears in his eyes

Why do you treat this unhappy people in this way ? They are absolutely guiltless !

The Governor and his friends then promised to refer

to the matter Constantinople , and obtain pardon for

A s s ro - the y Chaldean community . Some days later a favourable reply did come from the central authorities

A s s r - and thus the y o Chaldeans were spared . In spite

o f the order , however, the Governor failed to release

the fifteen hundred o f our c o - religionists who had al ready been apprehended with the Armenians and taken

to . t Mezre All , without distinction , were put o death WHAT HAPPENED AT KHARPUT 213

s till . in outside the town . Happily my father was

prison at Kharput . After these events the public crier announced that the Christian inhabitants of each quarter were to quit

the town in turn and take the road to Urfa . The

- Asse Chaldeans were to leave on Wednesday . As

“ ” 3 was was my father Moukhtar , he released from

com prison to assist in the census of our quarter . On its

letion - p , notwithstanding the order that the Asse Chal

rein carc erated . deans should be spared , he was The public crier repeated the order for the deporta

a nd ft -S ix s tions , and the five hundred fi y Armenian and A s sy ro -Chaldean s in prison were released to ac

‘ Company their families into exile . By good fortune the public crier announced one day that the Chaldeans

o f u r co m could remain behind. The happiness o

munity can be imagined . There were rej oicings every

o u r where , and leaders visited the Governor and made

him a present of L . T . 500 in gold . At the same time they begged him to transmit the order o f the central authorities for the sparing of the Asse -Chaldeans to the suburbs in which a great many o f them lived

3 Head o f his u r a ter i . meth n ik n A d n a d . e so i e a erma . q ; , g l l , w r 214 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

" We next went to see the Mudir of o ne Of th o se

e suburbs , who had come to town and ask d him in view o f A ss ro- H o ! the order to spare the y Chaldean villages . p in f e to w . g gain his avor, made him presents He prom

do o n ised to so , but returning to his village the bar

a barian put everyone of them to de th , even to the f . o women and children In the little town Adyaman ,

o f hardly a trace the Christians remained , all of them having been hacked to death with axes and thrown

into the river which watered the locality . The priests in particular had been tortured with indescribable

O f o f savagery . The following are the names some the places inhabited by the A s sy ro - Chaldeans : the

o f o f Aiwtos town Malatia and the villages Chiro , and

Guarguar . n Three months after the tragedy j ust recou ted , the

- Governor being absent , all the Asse Chaldeans were

i m 5 rearrested on e night and sent to the K r is i Konak .

Abdenno ur A knock came to our door . It was , a fel low Christian who wished my father to come to his

house . This he did , and on his return he told us that

r Mayo . Th R d a e e e P lac .

CHAPTER !

Ra e L oot and Murder ! p ,

One aftern oon a month before I left Aleppo in May ,

1918 . , I paid a visit to the Chaldean Vicariate While

I was there a lady entered wearing the uniform O f a

.

Red Crescent Hospital Matron . She saluted the

‘ a nd n o t parish priest , , knowing Arabic , spoke in 1 French , serving as interpreter .

The lady , a Chaldean from Diarbekir , was the

o f Hard i o f daughter Zeki j Daoud that city , and had

j ust arrived at Aleppo from Caesarea . She told us of ff her deportation and long wanderings and su erings , and in the course of conversation I learnt that she had

O f Of A nto un relatives in Aleppo , members the family

1 ff - O f E endi Roumi , ex Manager the Regie at Mardin , o n e of my friends . I took her to the house of this gen tleman to , who was surprised see her at Aleppo , and whose wife was happy to be able to Offer her hos

i a lit p t y .

ana er o f o ernm n r s c c M e t ro e tie such as to ac o sa t et . g G v p p , b , l , 2 18 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

l eavm Learning that I was soon g for the capital , the lady wanted to come with me in order to rejoin her

. n relations Conseque tly the parish priest , Madame Roumi and I set about trying to Obtain her a traveling

permit . In this we succeeded , and I left with her for

Constantinople . I noticed that whenever we passed through a railway station and saw a police Officer she

to . trembled , fearing once more fall into their hands

' On o u r arrival at Constantinople she gave me the fo llo w m ff g account of her su erings , which I here faithfully record

The De osition o Madame H a biba Turko hlou a p f g ,

Chaldean L ady

O f It was during the afternoon Saturday , July the

18th 1918 , , that we were informed that all Christians were to be deported from Trebizond . We were at

’ Totz at the time , a village three hours journey from

Trebizond , whither my family had fled during the

bombardment O f the town by the Russians . Very

to T rebi much upset by the command , we returned

zond the next day , and were granted four days in which to make our preparations fo r deportation .

220 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

T a shn aktz ag an Committee were collected and placed

- on board a motor boat , treated with great harshness , and told that they were to be taken to Sinope or Co n

s tantino ple to be tried by courtmartial . All were men

of position . Once well out to sea , they were thrown

en d overboard and drowned . We learnt of their sad when some days later we found about four hundred

3 of their bodies o n the seashore . This awful tragedy threw the inhabitants into a

condition of indescribable terror . In their desperation some burnt their houses ; others threw themselves into

wells , and many committed suicide by j umping from

roofs and windows . Not a few , some women among

them , lost their reason . They knew , poor wretches ,

e . th at their turn would come inevitably , and that th y would be put to death without pity

H ekimian We ourselves were advised by Madame ,

whose husband was an army doctor , to leave our child

with the American mission . She promised to look

after it well , since , being the wife of a soldier , she d e . had the right to r main We followed her a vice , I

3 A numb er o f b oats set out fro m T rebizond in thi s wa y e i h m n The in ar a retu ned a fe ho urs l ater pack d w t e . y v i bly r w m t ab so lutely e p y . THE DEPOSITION OF MADAME HABIBA 221

O f in person leaving my little Dico , then a baby fifteen

months , at the mission with a sum of money to defray

the expense of his keep . On the night Of this fatal day some Turkish mer chants came to our house and had an important secret W interview ith my husband . The mysterious confer

a ence lasted h lf an hour , after which my husband came

“ to me and said : W e have found a means of saving

” ourselves ; by embracing Islam :

His words made me speechles s with anger . Never

! YOu shall I become Mussulman I cried . are free

to deny your faith if you will .

' All my family tried to persuade me . My husband ,

quite broken down , asked me tearfully

” DO y o u want to be the cause o f our losing all ?

I arose much moved and went to see the Turkish h merchants in the adj oining room . T ey in their turn

tried to convince me .

Come to your senses and save your family , they

urged .

no w . ”These men are in Constantinople Their names are Osman L o utfi and O sman Effendi K eurz adé . 222 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

I told them my final answer was that I would rather

die than deny my faith . I leave my husband free to adopt your religion , I I added , but , for my own part , refuse to become a

Mohammedan .

Reminding us o f What the Turks had had to suffer

r r at the hands of the Christians , according to thei sto y , the men departed after warning u S that the former would certainly and cruelly revenge themselves upon

the latter .

21s t On Thursday , June! early in the morning, we learned that the houses of the Christians had been sur rounded by the soldiers I n order to prevent all inter

communication between them . From this we realized

o that the hour of our sad fate had struck . F reseeing

S d e that we houl be deported , we made our pr parations

. accordingly . M eanwhile the order came for us to quit m our homes . We left the house , and y husband , hav

ing a presentiment of what was to befall us , cried like

a child . Friends of the Committee of Union and Prog

4 Th rs da l st u all streets were uarded soldiers On u y, J ly, g by w ith fixed bay-omets a n d the c arrying o ff o f the A rmeni an s from . . an T reatment Of the Armenians i n the O tto their hou ses b eg . (

. m ir Lo rd B r ce . man E p e. y )

24 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Those who composed the convoy were searched

before it set out . Even small penknives were taken

from us on the ground that they were weapons . The

‘ rufii an s told us that these Offences to our modesty were nothing c o mpared to what the Bu lg arl an s had

o done to th eir w men .

Orders were brought to the effect that the officers in charge were to get us to Dj ezire in the Province

of Diarbekir , and to do it within twelve hours . This

meant that we were to be killed on the way , since it was manifestly impossible that the j ourney could be e accomplished in that time , Dj ezir being more than a

’ month s march o n foot .

On the Road to Calvary

’ We left Dég ui rmendéré at four o clock in t he even d ing , in a torrent of rain . Our convoy numbere over

We were escorted by soldiers , who herded us

A u ah like a flock of sheep . In the lead was Captain g

B ey , while Faik B ey brought up the rear of the sad

procession o f terror and death .

’ - Four hours walking brought us to H adJI Mehmed . It was still raining when we halted at a small café at ON THE ROAD To CALVARY 225

the path which leads from Trebizond to Erzerum . There we were separated from the men and gathered

together in groups . I entered the café with Madame l Mari Arabian , a woman who had also left her chi d s at the American Mi sion , and there we passed the

night . She was in a condition of complete nervous

collapse . During the night I saw her raise herself

with a start , and , unbuttoning her dress in a mechan c i al way , present her breast to the baby she thought h S e . had at her Side Almost delirious , she then sighed

and fell asleep , making a movement as if she were

- kissing her child . This touch ing scene of motherly k tenderness upset me so much that , thin ing Of my o w n baby , likewise confided to the care of the mission ,

n I could o t refrain from weeping . The men who had been seized at Trebizond and

u in the A stvazatzin on l st sh t up monastery at , May , rej oined us at this point and were added to our con

h O voy . At eight in t e morning we started ff again

and gained a road between two streams , some hours

from Hadj i Mehmed . Some o f the younger prisoners in despair threw themselves i nto the water and were drowned . Midday saw us at Yessir Oghlou . There 226 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

were a few carriages there , and by means of bribery the few children with u S were put into them to be sent back and placed in charge o f the American

Mission .

’ u we ‘ - At fo r o clock left Yessir Oghlou , numbering

d then about six thousand men and women , and reache

Boklou- on or Khan foot . At this place three four women lost their reason owing to the description the

d o f ff sol iers , with exquisite cruelty , gave the su erings

t ~ in s ore for us .

Hateful as these butchers were to us , we were obliged to care for the comfort of the two officers in ff charge , o ering them every kind of food and drink

which we possessed . L ’ eaving at eight o clock next morning , we contin u ed o ur e fo r j ourn y all day on foot , rain falling an

hour and a half . At three in the afternoon we arrived

Z e hané o O f at g , a teleph ne station at the foot a snow

capped mountain O f the same name . Our guards

wished to compel us to pass the night there , but the

Officers of whom we took so much care listened to o u r incessant petitions and allowed us to pass the night in the Shelter Of a village an hour ahead . Here the

228 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

a c co m a n l ed Gaiz ak Trebizond , p by Madame Arabian

8 i n l . K e er a . 500 and Madame , who had each given L T

to accomp any her .

n i d h r w f We ot ce t at ou t o o ficers had disappeared . The soldiers turned back and ordered the drivers o f the d s . ot out an vehicle to stop Fearing some danger , I g

to do . advised my husband likewise , but he refused

Twenty soldiers surrounded me and ordered me to get

in again . They pushed me , dragged me by the arms and

ot even threaten ed me with their bayonets . My terror g . m o f . See the better me , and I became violently ill g me

one o f wa in this state , the soldiers , by y Of helping me ,

1 to made me rej o n the convoy . I had walk , and became

a o f h separated from the c rriages , the occupants w ich

were robbed Of their money by the soldiers .

our Daldaban Of On arrival at , after a march three

we s who a on hours , were a sailed by urchins , , se ted gar

s s den wall , threw tones , dung and every kind Of filth

at us . Women stoned us , screaming in their hatred

ou ! You Get along, y Christian pigs are being prop erly treated now

i n Amer can mo ey. ON THE ROAD TO CALVARY 229

As we came to the foot Of the mountain we noticed

was Tchettas who that it occupied by the , brigands ,

to ou r wa s intended take lives . With them the Mutes

’ 9 - of Gumush-I Iawe sarif , a place half an hour s journey

. ff Tchettas s distant, with his sta . The , aided by soldier ,

u f closed in pon us , and the commanding O ficer ordered

f s the men to be separated from the women . The O ficer , who had disappeared at the time the occupants of the

n ow carriages were being plundered , reappeared , and , f alling upon us like hyenas , separated us from the men

o with the utmost vi lence , even using the butts of their

rifles .

O ur ff su erings and misery were at their height . After all the privations w e had undergone ; the bestial sights

we n at which had been prese t ; the violations , murders

we we and massacres had witnessed , were physical

wrecks , and our whole nervous systems broke down .

The separation of the men from the women wa s the la st w . a s stra We plodded long like cattle , brainle s , stoically

to or God to ou r waiting be finished , begging end sad

existence by death .

o r out o f The savage separation , rather sorting , men

D e ut — overno p y G r. 230 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

s for h and women gave occa ion a thousand scenes , eac

ha d more cruel than the other . When the male flock

our been herded at some distance from convoy , the

for brigands , ready their Work Of slaughtering Whole

ou r Christian populations , approached us and searched

for baggage and belongings rope and string . With these

to cords they tied the men in couples , arm arm , and led r them away . Frozen with horro , knowing that they

to we our . went their death , tore hair and many fainted

Our dear comrades continued their dreadful j ourney to

o f r the place slaughter , whe e fifteen hundred were Shot .

n o But ou r martyrdom did t end with this . It had

. of but begun The butchers , proud their work , returned

” in our direction . Soldiers drove us along like beasts

we into wild , open country , where , in some places ,

N o r h e us noticed ruined houses . did t ey even giv time

to ou r . o w e take belongings The cowards , kn wing that

no were at their mercy, and that voice , however feeble

ou r u to could be raised in defense , s bj ected us the most ff awful su erings . The blows we received were nothing to s the thrusts , which flung us down , brui ed and w u . o a s wounded , pon the ground One pers n , whose leg

wa s to broken , actually ordered arise and continue the

232 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

- s out if run breathless and terror tricken of a garden , as they were being pursued: (It will be remembered that these women had paid a large sum for pe rmission to

l . h . S e e eave the convoy) When reached us , Madam

Kalarian was o f was at the end her strength . She ready to s w t ff fall from tarvation . All e could find o O er her f was a piece of dry bread . This being insu ficient to

s one. o f re tore a woman in her state , my companions

ff a . O ered her her bre st . This the poor woman took grate

u o f fully, and this restored her strength , as it wo ld that

f for a little child . We were greatly touched . The O ficer ,

o f a a fear being compromised , had released M d me Kala

who rian and Madame Arabian , had fallen into the

o f who h hands the Governor , had put them throug a

f s series o questioning . He had them shut up in a room

who to the with police agents , had subj ected them most

Ke hanoushe u so - shameful outrages . g , the yo ng called f wife Of the o ficer , had been kept by the Mutessarif as a d prostitute . The poor chil was only fourteen years o f age .

One hundred and fifty girls and ten teachers belonging to a group of young women confided to the care o f the

American Mission , had been deported from Trebizond ON THE ROAD To CALVARY 233 with a number Of boys from fifteen to nineteen years o f f age . Four days afterwards some o the more handsome

Off girls were chosen and carried . The remainder ,

together with the boys , were shot down there and then , or r othe wise done to death .

’ 8 t wa s At o clock the convoy left the desolate spo . It now o f composed only women , all the men having been

t to we n o ff f c u . t r p death Lest had su ered su fi iently , Tu k

n ish and Kurdish wome and children accompanied us ,

o f ff with all kinds bu oonery, chasing us along the Sides o f the road .

we - Eventually reached a mill , after a three hour

. was n o us march Captain Aghah Bey longer with , hav

u s ou r ing left when men were taken away . The lieu

who u s tw o tenant, had rej oined , however , came with

T chettas “ and searched us all . I was the first victim . I

320 on - in-l . . a 200 w . . had L T me , my mother had L T ,

- in - 200 . . u r and my sister law L T , in addition to o j ew l e r . to y All this money belonged me , but I had dis tributed it among my relatives in order t hat it might be

L ie t n . u e carried more easily Having taken everything,

x s e ant Falk Bey , in derision , gave me si ty para (thre

for to pence) expenses , and promised return me my 234 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

wa not money at Erzindjan . In this y , he said , it would

s who be stolen by the brigand , infested the country

we to through which were pass .

r we to f During the sea ch , had suf er a thousand cruel

o ur ties , receiving the usual blows with rifle butts , and

ou r o f e hair being torn from heads . One my form r

pupils at the school at Trebizond , where I had taught

1911 to 1913 two from , before my marriage , had her

m e plaits co pletely torn out . Several women were entir ly s tr1 ed pp , under pretence of being searched . Many

swallowed their gold in order to use it later .

s to Early in the proceeding , when they came search

me , they said

u s n was When your h ba d being bound , in order that

ut to ou he might be p death , he admitted that y had all

on ou to m ou so the money y . He told us take it fro y , y ou had better give it to u s if you wish to save his

life .

o It was only a trick t Obtain my money .

n we in In the eve ing, after the search , left the mill , a

o f n ot we disgusting state dirt , having washed since left

on Trebizond . Sleeping the bare ground and thinned by

we . privations , were veritable human rags

236 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

the their handkerchiefs from windows . They wished to

a w as to communic te with us by letter , but it impossible

get near them .

e fo We were crowded into larg yards kept r cattle .

we was n Suddenly heard a bang . It the explosio Of a

. for bomb Lieutenant Faik told us , our consolation , that they were killing some men after the German sy s

was to o f tem . This line men up in files ten and fire one shot through all ten ; and also to gather a number Of

n men together in a room and the destroy it with a bomb .

“ ” ou The explosion y have j ust heard , he remarked , ” means that a good number have been executed .

w e Terrified , and expecting the same fate , wept , tore out our to disfi ure hair , and , hoping thus g ourselves ,

r o f even ou eyelashes and eyebrows . The madness

of s despair had taken possession u .

On the Mountain of S ebicore In the morning at 8 O ’ clock Faik Bey appeared and

u hazirlansin called out , Haide , merchandise and left

u de ortedvilla ers women with nearly five tho sand other p g , ,

0 . m n 1 . children and Old e . At a m a panic arose in the

r ha i se W e are Off. Get ready the me c nd . O N THE MOUNTAIN OF SEBI CORE 237

i . convoy . Cries Of despa r were heard everywhere We d believe that the slaughter had begun . Like a frightened

we a on herd , sc ttered each Side Of the road , running into

the ploughed fields . I was plodding through the sticky soil. when I discovered that in my wild rush I w as

n . 1 tramping u der foot a poor little baby . shall never

of forget the screams the unfortunate mite . Several infants had been abandoned in this way when their

o m thers had to take to flight . Some , indeed , foreseeing

a Off had ro their tragic end , to st ve a lingering death , p vided themselves with poison .

The soldiers chased us with bayonets and obliged us

to we to . assemble again , saying had nothing fear In our we to terror found it impossible believe them . We

learned eventually , however, that the cause Of the panic was the pillaging o f the poor pea sants who had j ust

u s j oined , and that their cries had caused the trouble .

a Many in despair during the p nic had swallowed poison ,

of some whom died .

we ou ou rne ~ an d In this state Of terror continued r j y ,

o f Sebico r came to the mountain e . It took an hour and

to Two wh o . f a half climb it hundred o the villagers ,

s brought up the rear with their carts , were fir t despoiled 38 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

and then killed by the soldiers . Likewise several per

sons , after being plundered , were murdered and thrown

f we s down the slope O the hill . When reached at la t the summit o f the mountain a troop Of fifty soldiers from w the barracks which guarded the Erzindjan Road , thre themselves upon us and relieved u s o f the rest o f ou r

s . a belongings , scarf and utensils They tre ted in the

a o f ne same w y the villagers the w convoy .

During the night the soldiers profited by the o c c m asion to steal women and girls , with who they went

O ff into the mountains .

8 . Next day at a . m we restarted , not , however , by

the mountain path but over the rocks . Although hun gry and dying of thirst we were no t allowed to drink at a spring we passed; Our feet were swollen and

. arr1v1n began to bleed , as we were barefoot On g at

’ the foot O f the mountain half an hour s j ourney from

in Erzindj an , we stopped in a meadow worn out and

O f ff o u t : capable su ering further, we cried

Kill us all here . We can do no more . We do

” not wish to live . We want to die . Our appeal was

’ the unheeded , and we passed the day and night where

“ we were . Turks from the neighbourhood came to

240 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Further o ut on the plain we saw those who had

ma nifi been deported from Erzerum , all the men in g

cent tents . Near them , and well treated , were their

horses and their wagons . Sobs were heard throughout our convoy as we saw e these men aliv and comfortable , while our husbands had been killed and we ourselves reduced to so ter

rible a state . The men Of Erzerum soon came to us with large

s O f distrib sack bread , meat and cheese , which they uted . as t Kos among us I w given wo loaves by M . ro f , an employee of a branch depot of a company formed at Trebizond by my husband and two other

merchants . I recognized him and it cut me to the heart to be obliged to accept alms from one O f our

former employes .

Many women in despair made their way into the town and gave themselves up to the Turks to become Wives o r

Off to servants in their harems . Others were taken

o f Gov houses ill fame , which had been opened by the

c ru or since the deportations .

Next day , towards evening , we heard a noise in the distance and found its origin to be the convoy com ON THE MOUNTAIN OF SEBI CORE 241

ing from Trebizond , which had left a day after we had , and which now j oined us at the cemetery . In its ranks were many girls who had been left with the

- - in . American missionaries , among them my sister law

They told us that they had suffered on the w ay the same treatment and atrocities as ourselves . d We left the town at 7 p . m . and halte an hour and a half later between the mountain and the Euphrates . At eleven Kurds fell upon us and stole whatever we

o ff . still had , once again making with women and girls ff During this time Faik Bey , indi erent to what was

happening under his eyes , was occupied two paces

away in preparing a meal , two girls from the convoy at his Side

In the morning some o f the women and girls who

he had managed to escape from the Kurds , rej oined t

in convoy before we departed . On the way we saw

numerable bodies in the Euphrates , at this place the river to a width O f over thirty feet was tinged with

blood. The Sight terrified us .

T chettas o n k At midday ten followed us horsebac ,

and , carving a way through the convoy with their ff O o of . a n huge knives , made with s me the girls Ag i 242 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

the unhappy convoy became a prey to panic . Some

v r threw themsel es into the rive , but , afraid to die , swam back . Others hid themselves in the mountains

and rej oined us when the brigands had disappeared .

One woman , at the end of her strength , cried out in Turkish

Allah sen Yerish ! 1 4

At these words a soldier took a large stone and

e thr w it at her head , saying

Kiafir h , K enzir , Gaour, allahin Var issa seni kour ” t 1 “ ta sin .

B efore we reached K a makh at the bridge o f Adj em

Keu rusu u of p , the M dir Gemerek arrived , dressed as

T he a o a c tt . He gave full power and liberty f action

to the police agents , who thereupon began their foul

work upon us . The Mudir himself carried O ff Gay ane

Go to hia n of g , a girl who was related to my husband ,

whom Faik Bey made him a present . I remember

,

of . particularly , also , the mother six children Some

' of the soldiers carried her off to ill treat her . She

” M o d come Thou to our hel ! y G , p ‘5 “ hav a You vile infidel ! You dog o f a Chr1st1a n ! I f you e ” d l t him come and de iver ou . Go , e l y

244 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

utter terror a nd without food or drink . I had lost

O f -in— -in -la w sight my mother law and sister , but dared n ot look for them for fear o f being s e1z ed by a soldier .

Early in the morning we took to the road again . To appease our hunger we pulled up weeds and roots

s o u r and ate them , while to taunch thirst we threw ourselves like a flock o f sheep upon a muddy little

babbling rivulet , whose waters were heated by the

ray s of the sun . Again we started after a few min

’ u tes respite .

Corporal Mehmed then demanded Of us my sister in - law that he might work his wicked will upon her,

r ceiv threatemng to take her life if we refused . On e ing ou r definite refusal he said :

I shall know where to find her . Give me a piastre . The cartridge with which I Shall kill the wretch will ” cost that much . As Mehmed was momentarily occupied with other matters we profited by the delay to disguise my s ister in - law as a peasant , covering up her head lest he

should recognize her . It must be remembered that all who lingered on the road were put to death . The vicinity through which A RAY OF HOPE 245

we were now passing was littered with corpses , frag

ments of human bodies , leg bones and putrefying

’ o f O f skulls , indicative the passage other convoys

n before o u r ow . At nightfall we reached a mountainous place where the soldiers alarmed us by telling us that we should

T chettas how be attacked and killed by the , adding,

u S ever , that they would protect if we gave them

money . I got up in the night and , under cover of the

darkness , made a collection . We gave the money to

“ the soldiers and continued our j ourney in the morning .

A Ray of H ope

Mez u e - When we arrived at g p Tchai , between Egin m and Kharput , a spot between two ountains , the

gendarmes fired their rifles into the air, and even on f or . the convoy , simply their own amusement A troop ” T ch tt Of ten e as called Mangha , under the command

a of their chief , Sa di B ey , nephew of Ahmed Riza B ey ,

appeared on the mountainside . A soldier chosen by

Saadi B ey , as public crier, announced that by order f 1 6 Of the Minister o the Interior, tho se women who

t that time Ta aa e A l t B y . 246 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? knew a trade were to separate from the others and go

to K amakh . Fifteen other women and myself were

engaged as dressmakers and sent to the town . Many others cried and begged us to get them engaged by

— r interceding with the Kaimakam , Sub Governo , but

they were asking what was impossible . I left the convoy with regret and parted from my relations with

1 7 tears . We made the j ourney in a Single night , being forced to run almost all the time lest it should be seen

- that women O f the co n voy were re entering the town . K m kh At a a we were handed over to a rich Turk ,

who Halil Bey , a Deputy of Erzindj an , had become

T chetta s o f chief of the brigand this region , who were charged with th e duty of killing all the men of Erze

kh rum and K a ma . H e gave us a room in his house

where we slept four nights o n the boards without

r bed or blankets . We gained o u livelihood by sew

ing , being subj ected to daily mental torture by the anything but assuring news which was given us as

to o u r fate .

Three days after our coming to K amakh there

’ rne N ormally a three days j ou y .

248 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

O f Of the Archbishop Erzerum , with the Skin torn from Th his face . e Deputy had perpetrated the horrible outrage up o n the Archbishop to revenge himself because he said the prelate ha d slighted him on the

o f to K amakh occasion a visit paid . The Archbishop in passing with him through the streets of the town

had preceded him . This the Deputy considered a

lack of respect .

The Deputy had in his house seven large chests O f d empty cartridge belts . All the bullets had been use fo r and the - the slaughter of Christians , ex D eputy

of kept these trophies as a souvenir his exploits . The

e chests had be n sent , it was said , by the Committee

s of Union and Progre s , and the wife of the Deputy showed all this to the guests with pride . During the

“ dinner o n e O f those who ha d been invited declared 1916 that in February , , all the Christian soldiers work

1ng 1n the trenches had been brought to a place two hours from K a makh and there put to death .

This is not the last o f these horrifying details . Here is another characteristic act Of goodnes s on the part

of a magistrate . The maj ority of the sick children abandoned in the town were wandering through the A RAY OF HOPE 249

f streets in search o f a morsel of bread . The Judge o

K a makh said t hat they were ragged and unpleasant

to see and had them all thrown into the Euphrates .

As regards ourselves , among other trials we were solicited every day to become converts to Islam and

marry Turks . One morning th ey insisted and threat

o f . ened us , and half us were sent back to the convoy

Being in some danger myself , I fled and took refuge

in the house of the Deputy . I knew that he would d protect me , as I had rendere him many services with

my needle and in the management o f his household .

During our stay at Kamakh every time a convoy passed my companions and I covered our fac es with our veils and approached to see if by chance among its

s an our own s victim there were y Of relative .

O ne t day a group Of soldiers came o the yard . We approached them and heard groans from the flat roof f above . On mounting thereto we found a young O ficer ill

from typhus , lying in the snow , his limbs frozen and gan

reno u s . g He was a chemist from Constantinople ,

A rmen a e named k Papazian . D lighted to see Chris

tians again , he begged us to save him . Every even 250 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

ing , he said , Turks came and threatened to throw him f into the river . In spite o the great danger we our

selves ran , we decided to save the young man , and ,

’ taking a woman s dress with us , went to him and

n o f robed him in it , bri ging him away to the stable a

Turk whose wife was an Armenian . She begged her

husband to take him in , and for twenty days we

tended him . H e recovered from the typhus , but gan

the grene having spread in all his limbs , poor man died

in atrocious suffering . The Turk had agreed to keep him on the premises in the hope that som e day his guest might be able to

do . him some service Learning Of his death , and fearing that it would be discovered that he had given

o pr tection to a Christian , he called upon us to take r the emains away immediately , threatening us with

the police . We implored him to wait until dark . At

d O f dusk , with a woman friend , I carrie the body the

poor Christian into the yard where we lived , which

' was adjacent to that in w hich he lay . During the night we dug a grave eighteen inches deep and buried

young Papazian , saying some prayers over his grave

252 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

M31 L ittle Dico Notwithstanding my own preoccupations and suf ferin s T rebi g , I had never forgotten the baby I left at

a m zond . A month after I came to K a kh I began to

write to a Turkish doctor called Mehmed Aouni , who had gone to the American Missionaries and had taken l l my itt e Dic o into his home and adopted him . I a

to r wrote him without eceiving a reply , then sent tele

gram after telegram , but without result . The doctor

remained deaf . One day I learnt that Aouni had left l for Constantinop e , taking my child with him .

16th Erzerum fell on the of February , The

d K amakh Kurds attacke the town of . The Turks ,

e however , spread the report that it was assail d by the

Christians , who were abetting the Kurds in their mis

o deeds . This caused our pers ecutors to red uble their

rage against us . Mussulmans , flying before the Rus

o K amakh sians , to k refuge in , and the panicstricken i inhab tants began to forsake the town . Meanwhile

o f the Red Crescent was installed there , and tired life and worried to death I decided to put in a p etition to be allowed to enter the Red Crescent Hospital as a

i T O the Russ ans . MY LITTLE mm 253

: nurse , hoping little by little to be able to reach Con s t n tino le ‘ a p and see my child again .

ff o f My request was granted , and I j oined the sta h t . the institution , Of which I became later e matron I did everything I could to have other Christian

” women with me , and was able to engage ten whom I either picked up in the streets where they were dying o f hunger o r whose release from prison I brought about A month and a half after I entered the hospital

orders were given to remove it to Caesarea . We left , wea ring Turkish veils in order no t to be molested by

’ the Turks . Our Sixteen day s j ourney took us

through districts which , formerly flourishing centres

peopled by Christians , were now only ruins . I counted more than twenty such settlements of which the chief

o - s Kod - h were : Kor u Tchai , Zara , Siva , jy Hissar , S ar

the Kishla , the tomb Of women and girls of Samsoun ,

m . Ge erek, and others

at h we We arrived length at Caesarea , through whic

to Zind irdere one passed reach j , a village hour and a

wa r half beyond the town . Here before the a young 254 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

.

. r m Swiss lady , Mlle Ke ber , had opened an i mense

w as of O orphanage , which the home five thousand b y S .

She left for Switzerland at the beginning o f the Euro

for o pean War , and her former pupils the m st part were

r s o f o exte minated by the Turk . Most the furniture f

w as s the establishment tolen , and the huge and comfort

was s r able building tran formed into a hospital . Docto

Burhaneddine the in , head Of Red Crescent Hospital ,

of which I worked , and which I have been made matron ,

u eu treated us with great consideration . To ched and coura ed one to g by his kindness , day I expressed him my astonishment at seeing a Turk treat Christians so well at

s such a time as thi .

r rI ed s m Su p S by the boldnes Of my state ent , he replied

It is the Red Crescent S ociety which compels us to

u be affable towards the nurses ; but I am a Young T rk ,

u and , if it rested with me , I sho ld have exterminated

r not every Ch istian , even all the children as well , until one remained A fortnight later this miserable Young Turk doctor

was charged with having stolen L . T . He left

n

MY LITTLE DICO 255

Salaheddin for was . e Constantinople , and replaced by Dr

Bey .

’ Burhaneddin e s After Dr . departure , I learned that he ,

we to u s to as if belonged him , had promised his friends , that we might serve as playthings in their Bacchanalian

o as on orgies . As s on I heard this I put my Turkish

o f - veil and boldly went to the house the Sub Governor ,

o f we whom I apprised the facts , declaring that should be obliged to put an end to our days rather than give

o r o ourselves to these brutes . Luck and u courage al ne

ou r f for - Saved us in di ficulty , the Sub Governor , being

’ : we hand in glove with the doctor s friends , could hope n o good from him .

I wa s consumed with a lingering desI re to see my

- w a . to es s child again I longed cover him with kiss . It

‘ for r him that I lived and endured my marty dom . While ,

c indeed , I had taken service with the Red Cres ent , it was only because I foresaw that this institution was a

stage by which I could reach my little Dico , whom I

to o wished snatch from the hands f Dr . Aouni .

Despite the fact that the doctor had written to me in the month o f June — the only letter I had received from

— c o f him that my hild had died dysentery , and that he 256 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

Tchoroum had been buried at , my maternal instinct told

m . s me that y baby lived Nevertheless , doubts sometime

overcame me .

S who was on wa to The Governor Of ivas , his y Cae

w on e to as . sarea , invited day dine at the hospital He

for few to chatted with me a moments , and seemed take

an interest in my fate . I told him my history , and

him to begged save my child from Dr . Aouni .

’ s o was Sezai Bey , the Governor br ther , at this time

TO Assistant Director at the Prefecture o f Police . him

i 1 r h m to . the Governo wrote , instructing order Dr Aoun

to surrender my child . Sezai Bey gave the necessary

who orders , and the police requested my mother , lived

to bo i at Constantinople , come and claim the y . Dr . Aoun

o o refused t give him up . P lice agents broke open his

as d ! door and took the child by force . He w save

I longed more than ever to return to Constantinople

and take my baby in my arms , but certain duties kept

me at the hospital . Many convalescent patients needed

n hun my help . At this time the institutio had fifteen dred beds and was one of the most important hospitals

behind the front . One day, Enver Pasha , passing through ou r town on his return from a review o f the

258 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

to o who o f and handed me over the Govern r , , instead

t e ff to o . O ering protection , wished give me his fri nds

On account of my obstinate resistance , he had me thrown into prison on a charge o f having become a mem

o f e c remamed o ber a s cret so iety . There I , with ut

s e e1n money and helpless , despairing of g my child

e again ; for I did not xpect to live . I became seriously

ill .

Mem re His sa rian con A young tradesman named p , a

to o f D en ab Chehabeddine vert Islam under the name j ,

' a ssistan ce o f Demird ian with the Dr . j , whose other name wa s Chevket wa o f Mahmoud , found a y sending me a

- bed and some money . Twenty three days I had been in i w o . prison , hen , aided by Ar f Hikmet , f rmerly M

A rchak Moscovian , they succeeded in obtaining me my

liberty .

to s I returned Caesarea , and with some companion ff hired a room in the Christian quarter . At first I su ered

a who a little from priv tion , but a Lebanese priest, had

A ntoun been exiled there , Father Hadj i Boutros , helped

me a great deal . He assisted my companions and myself to to f t diffi live, and , thanks his ef or s , I overcame my

lties cu . MY LITTLE DICO 259

o f for a Still full my plan seeing my b by , I returned once more to the charge and forwarded request after

h s o f s . reque t At lengt , I demanded permi sion the Min istr o f to to y the Interior go , as I said , see my relatives

A was s at leppo . It Con tantinople , however , I had in d n view . Being a Chal ean , the ecessary permit was

a eventually sent me by the ministry , and I left Caesare 1 18 on 17th 9 . the April ,

Yo u know how I came to Aleppo , and left there with

o u 17th y for Constantinople , arriving on th e of June ,

1918 o to w as , a date ever mem rable me , in that it the third anniversary o f my separation from my darling

Dico .

My martyrdom had been long and hard . In the

t God ha d deportations I lo st many most dear o me . willed that I should be spared for the supreme task Of

o saving my child from the hands f his kidnapper .

one Henceforward , I have but obj ect in life , and that is

n to bring up my so .

262 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

a very brave and virile race . The Turkish Government tried from time to time to subdue and disarm these

o f people , but the soldiers The Sick Man invariably

returned decimated in numbers , and disarmed .

When war was declared,the Asse - Chaldeans mis

trusting the good faith Of the Turk , and hoping the day l had arrived when his rule would be broken , j oyfu ly

I I n retaliation j oined the ranks Of the allies . the Turks arrested all those o f the race who were away from their

as mountain fastnesses at the time . Among them w the

of Shimoun who was young brother Mar , in Constanti no le p , and him they executed

For several months they were kept busy keeping at bay the regular army of the Turks which attacked them

in numbers greatly superior to theirs .

They fought all the tribes o f Kurds which the Turks 1915 hurled at them , and until the spring Of defeated them in every instance ; but in that year the Governor o f

Mossul , Haider Bey, gathered together an immense army in a last attempt to crush the Asse - Chaldeans o f the

’ as o f hills . His army w composed regular troops

Of the Turkish army reinforced by the massed tribes o f

who the Kurds , attacked from the south , and by an IN H A K K I A RI AND PERSIA 263 auxiliary army o f regular troops who attacked

from the north .

After several months o f fighting against immensely

o our superi r numbers , brave warriors were surrounded

Off and cut from all communication with the Russians ,

ho to not w being unable break the blockade , could send them supplies o f any kind ; so that before long their

’ ammunition gave out and the country s food supply ran l very ow . The vanguard did actually manage to force

w as the Turkish lines , and the world once more a witness o f what is described so graphically in the Bible ; an en tire people moving from the land o f their birth to escape

the Oppression o f the infidel . The Turks and Kurds fell

upon them , and kept up an incessant guerilla warfare , never failing to kill any unfortunate child or woman

ho or SO w left the lines through fatigue sickness , that

o f the people lost heart, and the lines communication f becoming broken , the enemy had little di ficulty in split

ting up the exodus into many parts .

o f Large numbers the people were slaughtered, and

the remainder , after terrible hardships and indescribable

ff on - su erings , reached the Russian lines the Turko Per

A ss ro Sian frontier , and j oined their fellow citizens , the y 264 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

o f who on o f O urmia Chaldeans Persia , were the plains , lm S a a st . , and Khoy !

These plainsmen to the number o f about de

to cided j oin the allied army, and indeed had been f 1 14 fighting with the Russians since the autumn o 9 .

They fought under the command o f Generals Tchern iza

ff A ndrewiski Simin off and L ewenowsiski bo , , , until the 1 1 year 9 7 .

When the Bolsheviki obtained control o f Russian a f

w ar a fairs , and discontinued the ag inst Turkey , the As se - Chaldeans were officially requested by the Allied

Governments to take charge o f the Turko- Persian front

deserted by the Russians . This front extended from l k to O ushnou to S oud bou a . Serai Bashkala , and from j

' The importance Of this r equest can be the more easily “ appreciated when it is remembered that the Obj ect in

as o f w as n ow View w the safety the British army, which open to attack by the German and Turkish forces should

a o f O urmia they succeed in crossing the pl ins Khoy , and l Sa dou s . The British lines at the time extended from

Kirmanshah to B agdad .

In six different engagements the Asse - Chaldeans de

o f feated the combined forces the Germans , Turks and

266 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

In time , however , their munitions and supplies fell short m and the repeated pro ises , made to them in messages

n brought by aeroplane from the British headquarters , ot

- being fulfilled , the Asse Chaldean army experienced f grave di ficulties .

3oth o f 1918 out on Until the July , , they held ; but

e at that day they turned south with th ir families , and

tempted to reach the British lines . The Kurds and

: one- a Turks fell upon them , and fully h lf were killed

during this terrible retreat .

to The British army advanced meet them , and escorted B b the survivors in safety to agu a .

Out Of this entire nation which so warmly espoused

o f Ba uba the cause the Allies , less than reached g , the remainder having either died on the battlefields or

during the retreat .

o f Following the withdrawal the Russian army , the

Asse —Chaldeans who had fled into Russia at the time

f to o the first exodus , were reduced the very lowest

straits , and were in dire want .

In order to seek aid from the Allies , delegates were

to was one o f sent Paris , and it from these delegates

E REV L Z RG S T H . A AR GEO E

268 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

a o f to comp nies Russians , put the Turks flight and made

f r seventeen prisoners , amongst them a Turkish O fice

our grievously wounded . This left no doubt in minds

that Turkey had had the intention , even before the f war o . declaration Of , attacking Russia The same fact was of revealed in the subsequent battles Mavana , where

Lieutenant Baioff and several Cossacks Of the detach

D arbache Dioudaé ment were killed , Sangar, j , and Toura

ui s the Montagne Of J f .

When Turkey officially entered into war with Russia

- in the month Of November , the Asse Chaldeans were

to considerably worried as their future .

1 1 T Fir t Fli 9 5 . he s ght

2nd o f 1915 On the January, , Enver Pasha, at the head of two Army Corps Of Turks cut Off the right Wing o f of ossessIOn the Russian Army, south Kars , and took p

O f o f rika the town S a mi che and the whole Of the railway .

The Russian detachment , which formed the left wing,

r to on D onl a um received secretly the orde fall back j f ,

to at known the Christian inhabitants . The next day

a s o O ur ' dawn the countryside w c mpletely evacuated .

- o Asse Chaldean v lunteers , attacked everywhere by the THE FIRST FLIGHT 269

- Kurdo Turks from the east , defended themselves vali

l o r ant y under the leadership Of their intrepid c mmande ,

Raphael Khan .

From the direction Of Urmia one heard the cries and lamentations Of the Christians abandoned by the

o f a Russians , and left to the mercy the Moslem f na i i m t c s . o Of the Persians, Kurds and Turks Ab ut a third o f our Christians from Urmia and Salmas had time to In o f flee the rear the Russian army, and made towards

the Caucasus mountains , when hundreds Of women and

children perished by the roadside . It was in the bitterest

o f part winter , and the cold , the snow and the mud ren

dered the roads impassable in many places . Mothers aba ndoned their children in order to be relieved of their

burden ; children , fallen into the snow and mud cried

ho after their parents w were lost . A French mis sionar o f L azarite y , Georges Decroo , Superior the Mis

to o f sion at Salmas , devoted himself entirely the care

. on o these poor refugees On horseback and fo t, return

o ing Often many miles in the mud and in the sn w, fetching bread and clothing to distribute among those in

the worst plight , this brave and indefatigable priest gave 270 SHALL THIS N ATION DIE ?

no or D oulfa himsel f rest , day night , and at j he sold his

f or horse to buy bread the refugees .

A S for the A ssy ro - Chaldeans who had remained at

e Salmas and at Urmia , mor than twelve thousand had been massacred by the Persian inhabitants and by

— e the Kurdo Turks . Fourt en thousand found refuge in

five the American Mission , and thousand in the French

for Mission at Urmia , and remained there captive four

months , until the return Of the Russian troops .

In this interval the greater part o f ou r combatants

S ou r died in the trenches . One hundred and ixty Of valiant volunteers fought fo r several days in the village o f GOgtape where they were defending a population o f more than persons against Kurds sup ported by both Persians and Turks

It was then that Doctor Packard Of the American

one o f ou r i un Mission , accompanied by nat ve doctors , dertook to leave Urmia to intervene on behalf o f the

f s population o this village . He wa preceded by the

flag o f the United States as he approached the Kurdish

A S o f ou r con chiefs . a result his parley, volunteers

to to sented lay down their arms , and j oin the

272 SHA LL THIS NATION DIE ?

seven hundred others . The bodies were thrown into

pits where they were torn by birds Of prey .

The perpetrators o f these horrors then returned to

Van Khosrowa laden with rich booty plundered at , where

D a j vdet Bey boasted without shame to the Rev . Father

Gormachti ue n Bernard q , Superior Of the Dominica Mis

Khosrovva o sion , that he alone had brought from b th gold and precious obj ects worth more than

The village Of Patavou r was pillaged by the Kurds o f Ismael Agha Simco who lived there during the occupation o f the Turks at Salmas

O urmiah 500 A ss ro— At more than y Chaldeans , amongst

a them a Bishop and five priests , were brut lly dragged by the Turkish troops to the French Mission in spite o f - the prayers Of Mgr . Sontag, Apostolic Delegate , and conducted to the Toura Diou dae where they were mar

tyred .

Gul achan one At p , more than hundred and fifty young men were led to the village cemetery and shot by the

‘ Turkish and Persian soldiers . Three hundred persons ,

men and women with their children , were burned alive

in the church at Ada .

S O fanatical were the Mussulmans that they paid the THE FIRST FLIGHT 273

Turkish officers for the privilege o f killing the Christians

themselves . Whilst the refugees were crossing the bridge over the

c o f river Arax a woman , harassed with the fatigue hav ing a child on one arm and a heavy package Of clothes on to o f the other, and wishing disembarrass herself the

was latter threw her load into the river . What her dismay in perceiving that She had j ust thrown her son in place o f her burden !

was of It in the month April , that is , over. three months

re- later when the Russian troops entered Salmas , and

a little later Urmia . Immediately they gave orders for the burial o f the Christian corpses throughout the coun

- for . try Side , and cleaning the streets At the same time they forced the Mussulmans to give up within twenty— four hours all the Christian women and young

girls retained in their harems .

That part o f our Asse - Chaldean nation composed Of h several tribes governed by the chief called Meliks w o, for some centuries , have led an almost wandering and autonomous life in the ravines and mountains in the

o f t vicinity the Persian frontier, had often o sustain sharp attacks and disastrous conflicts with the Kurdish 274 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

ki ri Hak a . tribes from the district Of Their quarrels ,

out o f o f or which arose , perhaps , a question pasturage , the ownership o f flocks of sheep brought thither by one or not the other , ended more Often than in bloodshed and

the destruction o f entire Christian villages .

These massacres were only arrested , in fact , much

1

o f . later , through the intervention Russia and England

o f wa r ou r At the commencement the , those Of tribes

o f from the mountains Turkey , took arms against the

For Turks at the request o f the Russians . more than four months from April 1915 these heroes sustained attacks from Kurds,and fought heroically against

the regular army of the Turks , which had come from

A s ro Mossul in four battalions with artillery . The s y Chaldeans were expecting“ reinforcements from the Rus sian Army Corps which had been promised them by

General Tchernoz ouboff commanding the troops from

A z rbei n e d a . too j That aid arrived late , however, and

a a gre t part Of the population from Tkhuma , Barwar ,

Amedea and from the neighbourhood Of Zakho , Botan

to ho and Sairt were put death . Those w survived strug

1 I n 1895 du rin the Christi n ma s sa r , g a c e A ssy ro Cha deans o st their i es l l l v .

276 SHALL TH I S NATION DIE ?

a o f On their arrival at Salmas , the st te the survivors

s wa lamentable , and the Russians , authors Of these trage

at to dies , had little desire first burden themselves with these unhappy victims whom they had engaged in the

r s L ara iste who wa . It wa again the brave p Decroo

as who ameliorated their sad lot. He it w proclaimed

r everywhere against the Russians , telegraphed and w ote on to several occasions the Russian Grand Duke Nicolas ,

o f Caucases eo Viceroy the , saying that these unhappy p ff ple had su ered through the fault Of the Russians , and that it would be an inj ustice to abandon them at this

j uncture . He collected the sum o f roubles and so

saved the people from famine .

The town o f Khosrowa was strewn with corpses .

Streets , gardens , pathways , fields , were filled with them .

M . Decroo turned into a cemetery a large field near the f o . church at Savra , where he had charge a mission

The convent o f the Sisters o f Charity was full to over

flowing with the dying .

One evening this brave missionary saw a young girl

on stretched in agony the ground . He took her, placed

o f her in the courtyard the Sisters Of Charity, and went

to k for to on see dead leaves her lie , and to cover her OU R SITU ATION 277

from the cold o f the night . Scarcely , however , had he

filled his arms with dead leaves , than he felt with his

f t o who hands the cold bodies o w dead refugees , had

sought a bed in the leaves .

It would be impossible to recount all the horrors that

to overtook these starving wretches . Forced eat even

o f to s the cats and dogs the village , they were glad trip the trees o f their bark to satisfy their hunger . Some months later the Russian Administration Of the Red

to Cross took their case in hand , and managed save the

few remaining refugees .

Our Situation in 1 91 6

o f 1916 con Towards the beginning the year , with the

O f - Shimoun of sent Mar and the national council Salmas , the Russian leaders and the French Officers organized into

Ass ro- groups the volunteers in the y Chaldean army , the

right wing of which was commanded by David Shimoun

o f Shimoun i ayia , brother Mar , and the left w ng by Agha

Petros Elie .

This army crossed Bash - Kale and attacked the Kurdish

H akkia ri o f chief from named Suto , the Intendant Sheikh

- Abdul Kadir . They defeated the Kurds and returned 278 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

o f with considerable booty in the Shape merchandise , 1914 sheep and cattle , which had belonged originally in

- who t A s . o the e Chaldeans This famous Suto , came

o f O u ramar from the town , in the fertile country drained

one of the r by the great Baba , the tributaries Of rive

was 1915 o f H akiari Tigris , in the Attila , and burnt and pillaged over forty villages o f the Asse - Chaldeans o f

H akiari and put to the sword some from Tek

huma , Tiari , Barvar, etc .

Some hundreds o f Asse - Chaldeans from Salmas and

U rmIa - enlisted voluntarily in the Asse Chaldean army,

A ss ro and excelled in military exercises . All the y Chaldean battalions were formed by the commencement

1917 l n Of , from which date began the saddest era the

o f our on Rus history nation , and that account Of the sian revolution which destroyed the discipline o f the

out soldiers , and rooted patriotism from their hearts .

During the Russian revolution the whole o f the Cau

Khanikina to Ravandouz casian front wavered , from e,

Mar avar Ta r avar - g , g , Bash Kale , Van , Erzeroum and

. was Trebizond It at this time , moreover , that the Allied representatives arrived at Salmas and at Urmia in

to . th order discipline the Assyrian army When, in e

280 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? the plight o f ou r Armenian neighbours was equally as

f ou r own s o two di ficult as , that there remained but

e alternatives . Either w must follow the Russians and

ou r or e take refuge with all nation in the Caucasus , w must hold to ou r engagements with the Allies to defend

or the Caucasian front against the Turks , and live die

in the attempt .

For our the first alternative , national Assembly wished to quit Urmia and Salmas and to send all the Chris

to of tians the Caucasus , but the representatives the Allied

e Gressi on Pow rs deterred them . Thus Captain , acting behalf o f England ; Lieutenant Gaspela o f the French

Chardi n Military Mission , sent by his chief Colonel g y ,

. f f . o and Dr Canj ole , Chief Medical O ficer the French

on Sheidt Military Hospital , acting behalf Of France , Dr. ,

- iki ine . N t the American Vice Consul, M , Russian Consul ,

K ar off who was r and General p , stationed at U mia with ff 200 i f his sta more than Russ an O ficers , called together our of our National Assembly , composed all chief people

o f Shimoun o f under the presidency Mar , the leader the

- l H akkiari to un Asse Cha deans from , and asked them

dertake the defence o f the Turkish front abandoned by OU R SITU ATION 281

ressi the Bolsheviks . Captain G rose and said that he

or ani s m C o f had j ust come from g g the aucasus front,

to which a part, from Trebizonde Erzeroum , would be

to guarded by the Georgian army, from Erzeroum Van

- by the Armenians , and from Bash Kale, Salmas , Enzel ,

W u rmiah Suldonze to Savouch-Boula h b , and g y the

A ss ro— To y Chaldean soldiers . the latter he promised ,

mu should the armies be victorious , money , equipment, nitions — , reinforcements and self government . An agree

ment was drawn up and signed by all the representatives .

The Russians had left us eight guns an d several

- machine guns and ammunition . The French gave us

f to Lebel rifles , whilst several French O ficers, gether with the few Russian officers who had remained

d our - behin , set about organising Asse Chaldean army , the numbers o f which had grown to more than

One half o f the army was commanded by Agha Petrus K Elie , and the other by the brave Malik hochaba from

Tiari .

1918 of was The year , full glorious battles , at the same

o f time full terrible distress , sacrifices and massacres for our people . 282 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

The M as s acr es by the P ers ians

Our A s sy ro - Chaldean nation accepted the demand o f

withou t an olitical a ct to the Allied representatives , y p p

to safeguard its future . She wished serve the cause o f the the Allies unconditionally , and she entered into

war with a j oyous heart .

Before commencing the recital of our military en

a ements to g g , however , it would be as well say a word on we the treacherous treatment which , as a nation , had

o f received , from the most remote times , at the hands

the Persian government .

- o f A zerbeI d an The Governor General j , like the Crown

Prince Of Persia , resided at Tabriz , the second largest h town after Teheran . The Governor w o administered

i

‘ O urmiah for the reater and Salmas , inhabited g part by

’ - Asse Chaldeans , would bribe his chief and , together

with his satellites and paid servants , would periodically visit the districts under his charge and pillage the Chris

s a tian , making them p y large fines without any cause , on merely trumped - up pretexts ; putting them in prison and exacting from them large sums o f money in order

to . impoverish and ruin them He had , in other words ,

to simply bought his appointment in order amass wealth .

284 SH ALL THIS NATION DIE ?

to the to death by the Persians , before they fell victims

- Kurdo Turks .

Let us now retu rn to the commencement Of the year

1 18 The v o f a 9 . Go ernor Urmi and Salmas , a man

I d lal- ul- a named j Mulk, perceiving the Allied represent

t - tives o be organising the Asse Chaldean army , began

to send unfavourable reports on the situation to his com

’ as B01 mander at Tabriz . It w at this time that the

shevik leaders had given the order for the evacuation o f

a the Caucasus front by the Russian troops, and th t the

Asse -Chaldean army had given their pledge to the

Allied representatives to take their place on the evacu

o f I d lal- u l— ated front . The Governor Urmia , j Mulk,

for o f seeing his Opportunity , sent the members the

Asse - Chaldean Committee and told them to lay down

not o all their arms , and be deceived by the Allies , ab ve

by the mad English . Our people replied that they had

she nothing against Persia, except that appeared in

O f her capable defending the Christians , even own sub

ects i - j , aga nst the attacks Of the Kurdo Turks, and that the events and the massacres Of 1915 were in themselves f su ficient proof Of this . The Governor replied that he

himself would accompany them to M ossul and demand THE MASSACRES BY THE PERSIANS 285

o f ou r the protection o f Khalil Pasha . The chiefs

W was nation , however , seeing through the ruse hich

r not and planned for thei undoing, would hear him ,

refused to leave the Allies . It was then evident that the government o f the province Of A zerbeidj an was asso ciated with Turkey in giving aid to the German agents

ho o f at Tabriz , w were working against the cause the

o f our Allies . Thus , at the beginning February, both armies at Urmia and Salmas " were attacked at the m same time by Persian soldiers and Cossacks fro Tabriz ,

z i n belonging to the A erbe dj a brigade .

M ar— Shimoun w rote at this time two letters to the Gov ernor o f Urmia and the Governor —General of Azer beid an to to j at Tabriz , be communicated the Crown

t o - him n Prince of Persia . In these w letters Mar S ou de clared that he harboured neither suspicion nor hostility towards the government or the inhabitants o f Azer beid jan , and that he would defend this nation , which had

on o f taken refuge Persian soil , against the attacks the

Kurds and Turks . He asked o f them hospitality for the

winter, until the spring, when he would leave the country

to R or and return with his people ussia elsewhere . 286 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

For reply one s aw every time four or five Of our soldiers either despoiled of their arms or killed out

i not right n the bazaars o f Urmia . The Persians did even stop at this ; they collected en mass e and surrounded the Christian quarters with the intention o f massacring

to o war the people, in order take their part in the h ly

l i r which had been procla med a u key . Seeing no other of a ou r means s ving Christian people from annihilation , the leaders o f our army received the order to defend

o f themselves . On the morrow the town Urmia sur

we o of rendered , and were masters Of the wh le the

- him n r plain Of Urmia . In the meanwhile Mar S ou e

to Gov paired Salmas , ignorant Of the design Of the ernor o f A zerbeid an who to j , had given secret orders

- — o f Ishmael Agha Simco , the terrible chief the Kurdish

S chakaks to -Shimoun tribe Of , invite Mar under pretence

ff to Of an O er Of reconciliation in order assassinate him .

havm - Shimoun Simco, g succeeded in convincing Mar that he himself was a friend o f the English and that he had undertaken to defend for them the Turkish front from

Kh nassour to -Kalé to ne- a Bach , invited him Koh Shaper

- himo n re to collaborate over the undertaking . Mar S u

300 . how paired thither with horsemen The moment ,

288 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? were carried Off by these enemies Of Christianity and

retained in their harems .

u o f At Diliman, several h ndreds women were stripped of their clothes and forced to march up and down the

’ t one stree s in groups . There they were given hour s

h to becdffre the grace in whic Moslem , alternative being

for t death . All immediately fell to praying strength o

die . All were martyred .

Other groups who had fled in the direction o f O urmiah

on wa o n were arrested the y , the men Shot , and the y u g

women carried away . One little baby was seen playing

’ with the blood which flowed from his mother s breast . ff Other little children , su ering from hunger in the val

r leys , climbed the hillsides and sought again thei mothers

o lying dead by the wayside , ast nished that they would not awaken .

Urmia sustained the brunt o f the attacks from the

- for Kurdo Turks and the Persians eight long months .

After fourteen battles ou r little army at last beat the

o f o f Turks , in spite the superior numbers the enemy,

no o n which were less than ten times greater than their w .

The bravery Of these sons o f A ssy rIa and Chaldea has

been recognised by the Allies and by the entire world . THE MASSACRES BY THE PERSIANS 289

The enemy himself has learnt to respect this ancient

r F r fo . o nation , oppressed though it has been centuries eight months our nation served as an advanced-guard to - o f the Allies in the north west Persia, repulsing the

F r o f . o attacks Kurds , Turks and Persians a year and

to ho a half they were strategically an aid the British , w ,

during this time , were moving across Persia from Kir

to k manshah Hamadan in the direction Of Ba u .

l oth o f 1918 Towards the Of January this same year , , an English aeroplane brought us a letter in which the

Commander-in - Chief o f the British troops in Mesopo

o f tamia said , We are aware all your exploits and your

or bravery against the Turks . Resist yet three four days

we . more , and will arrive with help We are at

Kalé Bid ar Two Sahin , , and j . weeks passed

n o f without any indicatio the promised help , and dur ing this time we were attacked from the north by Ali b Ihsan Pacha with his soldiers , from the east y

Khei ri Bey with Turks , from the west by the Kurds , and again in the east by the Persians commanded by the

Ma ddul- Sa ltané who was of famous j , actually a prisoner

the English . 290 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

n Our General , Agha Petros , the took with him

o f Khei ri Suldouze horsemen , overcame the forces Bey at

he - Kalé and turned in t direction Of Sahin , beyond which

T on 2nd . wo lay the British army days later , the August ,

g o f tlfe -out the remainder army, worn , decimated , without

of munitions , again beat the Turks towards the east

a Urmia and fell b ck with more than men , women and children In the direction of Hamadan where

other British troops were known to be . The Christians who to o f remained at Urmia , the number were massacred by the Mussulmans o f the country and by the

Turks . Amongst these martyrs were Mgr . Sontag, the

- Audo Apostolic Delegate , the Bishop Thomas and several

priests . Some hundreds Of women and young girls were

Off - carried by the Persians and the Kurdo Turks , under

whose power they must still be . The Sisters Of the m French school at Ur ia , having taken refuge in the

o f church the Mission , were dishonoured in the very

sanctuary itself , by the Persian soldiers from A rchad

H im n . . o f a ou . r y Dr D Israel , a member ou National

was Committee , hanged at Urmia by the order o f the

t who Turkish Commandant Khei i Bey, moreover, shot

all our wounded who were lying at the American hos

292 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

i from O u rm ah to Hamadan . The comforter and guide o f heidt was . S the refugees at this time Dr , the American

- f r na el . U rfo tu t S O Vice Consul y this man , helpful and

on powerful , succumbed the march and died at Sahin e Kal .

At Hamadan the Anglo - American committees set about

ou r - out r succouring scattered and worn efugees . About

- not were concentrated at Bakouba , far from Bag

in dad . The remainder were scattered about the dif ferent a a vill ges Of Persia , Kirmanshah , Ham dan , Kaz

vin , Becht, and Tabriz . were in the Caucasus ;

to Tiflis that is say , at , in the surrounding

Kontais -Vet ol villages as far as , at Elisa p , f in the villages o Erivan . All these refugees were from

Urmia and Salmas and from the mountal ns Of Tur

o f key . More than found refuge in the north

Vladicaucasu s the Caucasus at , Armavir , Rostow, Novo ross ik Ek t rinadar and a he .

The sufferings ou r refugees passed through are beyond

r . imagination . Their numbe s diminished day by day

or hot con Without shelter , warm covering food , such tagious diseases as malaria and typhus made terrible THE MASSACRES BY THE PERSIANS 293

to o f ravages amongst them . None dared think the numbers to which they would be reduced before they

to to . were able return , if ever , their respective hearths

For myself , as a military chaplain in the Russian

A zerbeid an was — iwtness detachment at j , I an eye of all

the horrors and atrocities committed by the Turks . Four

o f own . teen my family , including my mother, fell victims to r massacre o disease .

a The Mussulm ns Of the country , after having pillaged

my home , destroyed it . My Sister Anna, having seen

s son -in-law her husband Jo eph , her John, her brothers

u James , Lazarus , Nicholas , Thomas and Issa, her co sins

Paul Warda , Joseph Basile , and Mary , and her aunt

w as Rachel Shot before her eyes, led captive by the

to re Turks from Salmas Urmia , and from there

to Khosrowa re turned with other captives , where she cei ved help and succour from a Kurdish chief from the neighbourhood o f Salmas who happened to be a friend f o the family .

The following is a letter sent to the Abbé Decroo

D oumm o f . a from Tauris by the hand M Jean j , a Chal

O f Kho r dean s owa . 294 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

3rd 1919 . Tauris , May,

My dear friend ,

The recent events Of 1918 have at last forced us to

to . abandon Salmas , and depart from Urmia The wise

Miraziz inhabi M . , as well as almost all the

Khosrowa Patavou r to tants Of and , have gone the M is f T sion under the protection o Cacha addeus .

’ We commenced ou r last flight at five O clock in the

not evening, the Turks and Kurds daring to raid the

’ evacuated districts until four O clock in the morning on

ou r the following day . Learning Of precipitated flight

they set%ut to pursue us with all their force . We first came into touch on the road leading from Tchimani to

Kaba h- - off g Tapé , near Ali Abad , a little village the

main route . There they massacred more than 500 per

who wa sons , principally those had lost their y in the

Kar iu i Da da i darkness in the ass v near p p . Amongst the

’ was a Shamasha o f o killed Youh nna , the Bish p s suite ,

’ 3 ’ in whose dr oga were all the Bishop s possessions and

of I shoo those Casha , together with the sacred vest

. . ments of the church Everything disappeared Amongst, the other massacred were the following : Paul Sina (my

3 A two wheeled wagon .

296 SHALL THIS N ATION DIE ?

. position . Happily the Turks retired From the four

o f U r villages Salmas , over persons had reached

o f 700 mia , and this number found refuge in the house

who A rchad f . a o Mgr Sont g, had great confidence in

im ioun to t to H a . Yet the latter proved be the firs fire

on the Delegate .

o f u r as a who The cause o flight w Agh Petrus , had

o - Shimoun to com written t Mar at Salmas , advising him

on who on a mence the attack the Turks , had retired Kar

Tape , and promising that he would reinforce him with

two men . The attack began . Agha Petrus came 30 days later with only 0 men . Arrived at Salmas from

Schakar- to Yazi , he retook the road Urmia , whilst Mar

’ Shimoun s men advanced steadily

We rested at Urmia a month and thirteen days . On

18th we a Suldouze the July gain retreated towards ,

Bid ar a e j and Hamadan , from which pl ce w were advised

to for by the British make Bagdad . During the night

I took my party and regained the highway leading to

Kazvin and Teheran . The march from Urmia to 48 Teheran lasted hours , during which time we lost

who out many women and children, fell by the roadside

to . Bi and had be left Our doctor David died at dj ar . TH E MASSACRES BY THE PERSIANS 297

heidt e- M . S , the American Vic Consul , died at Sahin

Mad d-ul— Saltane Kale, where the terrible j with his band

was ‘ o f Turks had massacred over persons . It from this place that he had telegraphed his despatch , I

’ - have to day sent to hell guiavours .

This Ma dj d- ul— Saltane was finally arrested at Batoum

too to by Father Georges . It would be long tell it all

in detail , but it is a romance more interesting than that

Of Telemachus .

I am sending you with this letter a list of those who

o ut now set with me from Urmia , and are either with

or Tiflis o f who me here at , and another list those are

. Khosro a n still alive and are at w . Those whose ames

ou do not or y find have either died have been massacred .

Our Bishop whom we all thought had disappeared

to Di rl ri a eet s . with the Turks , is said be actually at

With him there are four priests .

s to f wa o . I very glad receive news M Franssen . I

have heard that my sister Badj i is dead . On arriving here I also learnt that my mother had died . There only remains Victoria , my niece , poor child !

Mira Yacoub Zacharia died at Teheran . He always

to out for said that he intended set Salmas , even though 298 SHALL THIS NATION DI E ?

on it meant travelling foot during the winter time , and n o f him n i ow unhappily he is dead . The wife S ou V s vissou I s sa ~ Khan and that Of Jacob died also at Teheran .

I intend to leave for Salmas with my own people as soon

1 as safeguard s assured us by the Allied consuls . I

hope that this will be within a month . The relations between Simco and Father Stephan are

one not good , but cannot say whether they are merely

T ot- e Bakouba superficial . day w received a letter from in which ou r Christians announce their intention o f re turning to Urmia with an army o f Chaldeans

o f and Armenians , under the command the British .

Bacouba 160 There are at persons from Salmas , men,

. U rmIa women and children The Mussulmans at fled ,

o f o f I hear , as soon as they heard the approach the

British troops .

i e at Cazvin 80 Michael Nicholas Be zad died , whence

out for T people from Salmas set yesterday auris .

Mahmed - Ali Khan has been murdered by the Armen

own Dirichki ians , his subj ects from , and Simco has mar

’ M e - L hk r ahmed s ac e . ried daughter Sa d Ahmed Agha ,

liz Gu an . brother Of Simco , is living at

00 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? children who still remained captive at Urmia and Sal

m m of mas , and besought him to defend the fro the grip

not his the Persian Mussulmans , if he did want little

on 14th affair spoilt by the Allies . Simco replied the

on l 0th April , but I have since received , the May , the following letter

Very dear friend ,

ff ou After having o ered y my most cordial salutations ,

t ou are e with the hope tha y in perfect h alth , I hasten to tell y ou that I have received your honoured letter Of 2 0th . the March , duly and in good time I am truly glad

ou to to to v1s1t a that y intend come Salmas me, and I pr y t i to on o reply at your , earl est convenience inform me

ou a r ma what day y may be leaving T u is , in order that I y

to e ou . send my horsemen m et y Come , however , as soon

for ou t do as it is possible y o SO . In the meanwhile I

6 ou to no beg y believe that I am guilty Of crime .

You w we ou r an kno that , from the days Of cestors infidelS ho-m , have hated these Persian , in w I

admit I have been deceived . On your coming I will

S ou a no to how y that I m in way blame . I have never

6 P resumably in conn ectio n with the a s sa s sin atio n o f Mar Shimo u n THE MASSACRES BY THE PERSIANS 301 forgotten the benefits and the kindness that you and

your brother have ever shown towards me .

one I have brought together all your Christians in place , and have placed them under guards SO that no one shall

m . o ou olest them I have helped them all I c uld , and y are

t A for no o to . S do t free write them your Sister Anna ,

on worry her account . I have helped her with money ,

D n . O ot and she lacks nothing, and is well allow your

to to self have any doubts as her welfare .

Although this letter must necessarily be brief , I am

to ou glad send y this good news .

Believe me ,

Your very dear friend ,

E R-EL - ISMA L SALA ACHAIR .

T H E RT REV PIERRE A zI z BI HOP AL M A . . , S OF S S CHAPTER I I

Reverend P etros Aziz Chal Rt. The Experience of the ,

dean Bis hop of S almas

I received a letter from The Rt . Rev . Suleiman , Arch

o f bishop o f Diarbekir , written near the close the year

1 on 20th 19 8, in which he told me that Wednesday , the

o f November , the Bishop Of Salmas , Pierre Aziz

had arrived at his house .

He was accompanied by five priests , five women and

one Of . child , all whom were Chaldeans from Persia He stated that they were in a lamentable condition owing

to to the hardships they had been forced undergo , and

that, though alive , the ravages wrought by hunger , thirst

too and exposure were only apparent .

He said that they had been imprisoned for two months

to in Persia , and had then been deported , being forced cover on foot the entire distance from Urmia to Diar 7 bekir which took them 5 days .

r They arrived in rags , without covering Of any kind fo

or their feet heads , and infested with vermin .

“ ” After having had them medically treated , the Arch

we bishop wrote , provided them with clean linen ; and 304 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

’ they are now in the Bishop s house awaiting an oppor

to tu nity to go to Mosul . We are anxious clothe them

on we decently before sending them , but the linens gave them were borrowed from poor people who happened to

we have a little , and other garments have absolutely

we not none . Moreover really have the food these poor ,

creatures Should have .

to ou I regret tell y that the poor Bishop Of Urmia ,

Audo who was Thomas , shot in the face, through the

to cheek , by a Mohammedan has succumbed his inj ury

” and has died from blood poisoning .

When the Patriarch came to Paris last February

1920 to had ( ) I crossed from London see him , and the

' o f o f Sa lmas who e honor meeting the Bishop , a com

anied on p him his mission to Europe . He visited London

with the Patriarch . During this visit he told me all about his experiences

in Persia , and upon my request gave me the following

chapter , which I publish here with his permission .

>1< >1< >x< >1< >x< >l< >x< >1<

I have limited mys elf in this memo ir to the desc ription Of the a st ma s sacres a t m l l S al a s and U rmia . T o te l the sto ry o f a ll the mis fo rtunes this sad wa r ha s c au sed u s w o u d , l be to

rite w a vo ume . I have there fo re mentio ned neither r r l , , o u fi st

306 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

all the men , women and children , except the young women and girls who had been previously carried away

Temour by Persian nobles . A certain Agha, an inti

o f was o f mate friend Simko , the moving spirit these

abductions .

our to to on A month after flight Urmia , be exact ,

3l st 1918 w as the Of July , , the city occupied by the

- Turkish army . The previous evening, the Asse Chal deans and the Armenians with all the refugees fled in f 1 the direction o f the camp o the English armies .

o f But a number us remained behind , including Bishop

a Audo Sontag, Apostolic Deleg te , Bishop Thomas , Chal

o f dean Archbishop Urmia, and myself , the Bishop of

o f our Salmas , a great number priests and almost a

thousand people . W e all took refuge at the Delega

o f the tion , which is at the same time the mission French

Lazaristes .

Amongst us were also a number o f Mussulman fami

O f who lies Urmia, had taken refuge at the mission

to Bom since February , although hostile the Christians .

1 N ame the A ss ro -Cha dean s o f Ma r- Shimoun the ly y l , A rmen ians o f Van and almo st all o f o ur Christians f rom U r mia and Sa m l as . 307 THE EXPERIENCE OF RT . REV . PETROS AZIZ

f h barded by the batteries o the C aldean army , they had escaped from the hot pursuit Of their enemies and sought refuge in the foreign missions o f the Americans and

French . The Delegate hoped that the kind hospitality

that he had given , and the numerous services he had

rendered to these refugees , all notables Of the town , would one day be useful to the Christians .

w as Among these Mussulmans , a certain Persian func tionar H uma oun y , called Arshad y , a fanatic and very

was o f . wicked . I think he Chief Police at Urmia

On the day when his co - religionists resolved to massacre

e the Christians , whilst the stre ts were resounding with the howls Of the Mussulmans encouraging each other to

2 the Holy War, this man and his suite arrived at the

French Mission . He decided that if the Mussulmans

succeeded in their design, this house would be his share . If they did not succeed and the Christian army gained

the victory , he would be safe from all danger . In time ,

A rchad H umayon learnt all the secrets and hiding places o f the mission house .

Sly and deceitful , he swore by the Koran that if ever the mission were menaced by the Turks he was ready to

Th e Jehad. 308 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

was who was save it at the price o f his blood . Yet it he

the cause o f the massacres .

f com When the Fourth Corps o the Turkish army , man - to ded by Salah Eddin Pasha , prepared enter Urmia ,

“ the Chettas arrived first as scouts under the com

‘ fi n i mand Of a certain Saleh E e d .

N ow it was that Arshad Humayoun hastened to find the Persian Governor o f Urmia and had him grant him a party o f his men to take possession o f a certain

house full Of armed and dangerous Armenians . He meant the French mission where we were and where he

had j ust been . We three Bishops were assembled in the room Of the

on f Apostolic Delegate the ground floor o the house . m . e co Breakfast had j ust been served Sudd nly, a

as e motion w heard at the door . The Delegat left the

to out room find what was happening . At once we

’ two two o f H uma oun heard Shots, and Arshad y s ser vants came to inform us that the Delegate had been h . was w o killed It they , themselves , had assassinated

was him by the orders Of their master , as certified by

who e some women , having be n in the courtyard o f the

to mission , had been in a position see it all .

309 THE EXPERIENCE OF RT . REV . PETROS AZIZ

Dinkha was At the same time , Father , Lazarist, mas

f for Six sacred at the door o another house, where

o f months he had kept, by the order his superior , some

Mussulmans who had taken refuge there to escape from

the Armenians .

re Soon Arshad Humayoun himself appeared . We minded him o f the promises he had made to come to

o f our aid in such circumstances . But, instead fulfilling

to to his word , he ransacked the house from p bottom,

for of we searching every bit money might possess , and

o f o f all that the Chaldeans Salmas , Urmia and else

r where had committed to ou trust .

Off He had hardly gone , carrying his booty, when a

Persian from the village o f Balar entered and demanded

Audo to money . Archbishop advanced protest with

him . The villain took aim and fired and the Bishop fell .

for to m As myself , escape death , I had to give up y

pectoral cross , my ring and my purse .

Then came Saleh Effendi to ascertain on the spot if

there really were Armenian rebels there , as he had been

to informed by Arshad . We implored him save us . He

o f promised , but he also demanded money . One the

priests with us promised it to him if he would accompany 310 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? him to the house Of a notable Mussulman where all his

w e out belongings were stored . Whereupon all went

n together from the French Mission , Archbishop A do ,

we . whom thought dead , arising and accompanying us

A rrl ved ou r ff at destination , Saleh E endi went in with the priest and left us in the hands o f four Kurdish

to soldiers . The latter commenced torture us in the

out ou r hope o f extracting money . They tore beards

Off and began to lash our heads with a whip . They cut

’ one Of Father Paul Sliwa s ears . And me they promised my life if I would return with them to the French M is

mI ht sion and give them anything that g still be there . T wo Kurds went with me .

ou r ! At the mission, a horrible sight met view In the

of infidels courts , the corridors and the rooms , a crowd ,

men and women , armed with guns and sabres were mur

dering men , women and children,after having completely

e not h stripped them . Th y did shoot t em , but cut them

a down with s bres and stilettos .

The few individuals who escaped informed us later that my secretary had been knocked down by blows o f ff . O a cudgel Having first stripped his clothes , they tore his beard so violently that a piece o f flesh was torn

312 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

o f I d lal- Elmoulk The Persian Governor the town , j ,

not to before whom they conducted us , did even deign

we look at us , as squatted in the courtyard at the foot

o f we on Of a wall , eating a morsel bread had begged

the way .

we An hour later , they put us in prison , and passed

on an infernal night , lying the pavement . h t e . Next day , they took us before Commandant There we found three others o f our priests and a hundred

to im Christians . The Commandant ordered us be

prisoned .

Archbishop A udo was taken to the American hospital

outside the town , his condition being very grave .

ou r for During detention , the massacres continued , the Turks had granted three days and nights to the

to on a Persians take their revenge the Christi ns, and every night the whole week we could hear the noise Of the carts carrying Off the bodies which were thrown into

ditches to hide them .

to In prison , they gave us only enough bread assuage

o r T e . u hunger . h examinations began Against me they could allege nothing very serious except this : that Father

’ L H otellier m , Lazariste , had said that I had fled with y P 313 THE EXPERIENCE OF RT . REV . ETROS AZIZ

secretary to escape from the Turks , and that therefore .

t I must be culpable to be obliged to fly . I replied tha in my position as Bishop I wa s obliged to stay with k my flock , and since my people too refuge at Urmia ,

to was I was obliged follow, and that I myself a Turkish

for subj ect . Besides , I had another reason undertaking

’ to this j ourney, I had consult the Pope s representative ,

to . residing at Urmia , receive his instructions When I

mentioned the name Of the Delegate , Bishop Sontag, they questioned me about his murder and the pillage o f his house . The j udge , Akram Bey , asked me the most minute details about this affair ; and next day

A r h H m n arrested c ad u ayou and his servants .

was to Finally, the order given transport all Christian

prisoners to Salmas . We were in all five hundred persons .

e After an hour Of forced marching, w arrived at a

for village , where they made us encamp the night , in

to a field close the tents Of the Turkish soldiers . We

nor had neither beds , coverings and exhausted with ff fatigue and hunger , su ered from exposure .

we to ou r The next morning, were preparing begin m march , when a telegram arrived fro Urmia , order

to ing my priests and myself be returned there . We were 314 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

to to needed give testimony in regard the money , stolen

from the Delegate .

w e Again , therefore , were imprisoned at Urmia , and

on we no of our com from that time , had more news i . on e we panions , the other prisoners At t me heard they

were at Salmas , helping with the wheat harvest, and at

another that they had been deported to Van .

M r n . g . A do had remained at the hospital Although

‘ was - he received medical attention , he ill treated by the

who on soldiers , struck him the head and otherwise mal

S O one to treated him , that when day he came back

To to was . o prison , he a pitiable sight ill stay with us,

was to few a he taken back hospital , where a d ys later

he expired .

f f One day an o ficer o high rank visited us . Learn

was to ing that I originally from Mosul , he spoke me

r in Arabic and asked the cause o f ou detention . I ex

, to plained Our case . He exhorted me present a petition to the Council o f War that I might prove my innocence

s and demand my liberty . Pretending that I wa ignorant o f to the Turkish language , he invited me make it in

Arabic , and he would himself translate it . I learned

316 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ?

e not one was im As w could remain night at Van , it

F zl ff possible to deliver my letter to Adha m a y E endi .

f who The o ficer guarded us , questioned us most minutely on ou r ff we him a airs , and in turn asked if he knew F l ff Adham az y E endi .

to do ou I know him very well , he said us , what y want with him ?”

“ r We have a letter fo him from Urmia .

Great was ou r j oy when he said laughing that he was

Fa zl n Adham y in perso . We gave him the letter , and

we b o f from that moment became the o j ect his care .

He was the chief o f the prison guard established in

the village . Immediately , he ordered the best house

for ff prepared us , O ered us tea and furnished us with

n e everything that we eed d . He spoke a little literary

Arabic and was delighted to converse in the language o f the Koran and even to hear me recite some verses o f

it by heart .

not n But this did last lo g as five days later , came the order to transport the prisoners to Diarbekir . We

ff accom wereobliged to be o f the number . Adham E endi panied us as far as Bitlis and procured for us every

a a comfort possible . In the bo t he inst lled us in the 317 THE EXPERIENCE OF RT . REV . PETROS AZIZ

best place and at Tatuan he provided us with a tent , and put two policemen at ou r disposal .

w e for He did more . Whilst were waiting the beasts ,

to to which were carry us Bitlis , he preceded us in

order to choose a suitable habitation . Indeed , he pre pared the functionaries for our reception that every E f where we were received with benevolence . Adham fendi was unwilling to leave us until he had confided us to

another person as well disposed towards us as himself .

N e m o f was . was . s e a This man a Christian He Dr Jo eph , f o . Beyrouth , a member the Turkish ambulance

t he We left Bitlis in company with Armenian convoy .

wa o f On the y , a great number these unfortunates , espe ciall y the women and children , fell dead Of exhaustion ,

was and the road strewn with corpses .

While we slept at the quarters o f the soldiers before

arriving at Garzan , the guards whom the governor had

to Off given us , took flight, carrying a great part Of the baggage . The last part Of the j ourney was made on

w e o f foot, and at Garzan , heard the news the Armistice .

we we r When arrived at Diarbekir , found ou Chaldean

u Archbishop , The Right Reverend S leiman Sabbagh . He

gave us an enthusiastic welcome , furnished us with 318 SHALL THIS NATION DIE ? clothes and f ood and gave our invalids all the medical f . o comforts they needed In spite his extreme poverty,

he showed the greatest liberality .

to o f our n a At last, thanks the exertions Chaldea P tri

we to arch , were enabled reach M ossul , where we

on arrived March second .