| Show J Wk Where the Crescent Wages es War vv ar With the Cros PLANNING THE Ja U DESTRUCTION I RUCTION ro OF THE TIDE ARMENIAN RAC j Fanaticism at Its V Worst in inthe the thC Possessions of the le Sultan Sultan Sul Sul- Sultan tan a Soldiers Soldier's Story of the Frightful Wrongs Perpetrated e- e Against His Kinsmen Kinsmen Kins Kins- men in Land of the Turk I T R G in vividness of description tion all previous accounts of the tho war being waged by the Turks against the Armenians is is this story of the e campaign in the very shadow shado of Mount lount I IAra Ararat Ara at written by an all Armenian who cd with the Russo- Russo Armenian Russo-Armenian Armenian forces until n R few months ago as captain cap cap- tain tamn of engineers Capt Nishan Dei- Dei Hagopian By Capt Nishan Der Hagopian in I had hail my mJ own military militar training America A tal Americans are arc as ns anxious j for military achievement ement as thc they are I I for business activity and md when the tho war broke out in 1914 1014 between tt een RUSSIA Russin t and Turkey I was in in 1 New cw York I knew this would mean the destruction i of my people for the massacre o of 1896 I was nas still fresh in my mind a never never- forgotten to-be-forgotten memory I went to Russia and and immediately from there to the Armenian front June 5 1915 Ivas I 1 I TV vas as m in Van Few cities in the thc world are as ideally ideally ideal ideal- situated Van ly J and aud beautifully as Before the war she he lay like a rainbow n across the uie tenner smear Heart ui ui- an C v.-i v. itC He ha garden valley valley set in in a n framework of or vi foothills flanked by hy superb su su- suI su- su I ter mountain ranges range Beside l hers her r in m stretches the lake crystal purity feet above e sea level lc and with anarea an anarea area of 1500 square miles in in which the thc the early carly powerful erful loyal nl families of pot dynasties h 5 used to bathe This lake is is c embosomed in in a verdant plain suri surrounded surrounded sur- sur i rounded I 1 by hr an exceedingly exceeding beautiful mountain chain which culminates farther farther far far- th ther er north in in the sublime monarch of western Asia mountains Mt It and his llis lesser comp companion nion Mt It Massia 1 T This wealth of mountain scenery and sky ky repeat themselves in in C inverted splendor splendor in the lake A A. string of tin tiny villages ilI on oil the tho foothills used to surround surround sur sur- round Van as diamond chips surround a fire opal in in a ring The morning sun picks up these villages in his journey over o the mountains lingers with them all 2111 day and then draws the sunset through them as he drops into the night City Once Beauty Spot In Van were churches chuiches and schools and monasteries beautiful homes in in beautiful gardens hardens fino lino business places streets and boulevards On one of the islands in tho the lakes was the beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- church which was built by the d dynasty in the tenth cen cen- cen- cen tur tury Not only was the inside of this church beautiful but the outside was decorated with wonderful carvings the Armenians excelling in artistic architectural archi archi- skill As we stood on Zum Zura Zuni Zum Mag June 1 12 this church was still standing August 20 o time tile Turks riddled it with ith shrapnel and the titanic titanic titan titan- ic ir structure stricture her leer altar smokes streaming streaming stream stream- ing to heaven went down forever Forever Forever For or ever o silent is her gr great at organ Never Ne again will her architraves receive recce e tho the anthems of her worshiping singers Be Beyond ond tho rho lake Vara Yarn Ka Vank Vank Va means monastery built in the eighth century nestled in a 3 picturesque picturesque esque little hollow in the top of a mountain a as a canary birds bird's nest nestles in in a a. tree top In front of this aggregation of buildings a a. powerful powerful powerful pow pow- erful spring of water ater leaped leape from the mountain and rushed to the valley v valley val val- al alley ley below Jessamine blossoms grapevines ines and arid roses garden beauty and wild nature beauty bc-auty lay spilled around them as ns the they faced a d the lake Here was one of the greatest libraries and museums of the world filled with ancient and modern modem books an and 1 works of art In April 1915 1015 the Turks burned this wonderful institution institution institution tion to the ground In June follow following following follow follow- ing our regiment for a week caned upon the tho sacred ruins and for the whole hole time my heart cried with the tho misery lIl of or it all Great Struggle Begins After this first stay in Van our entire army moved towards to July 15 lo a great struggle began gan tinder under under un un- der the blazing ing ng sun During that age age- long g day the smokes of battle were reaching g the tho skies women dying children chil dren crying men fighting furiously furiously and courageously I the Russian soldiers doing oin magnificent nt work Many Armenia Ar Ar- menia refugees were rescue rescued b by the them m k J t i H v d. d t Y y S M i p. p A JS jf t 1 y Y Tf Z Y t t ti w a l E f t a i t tf f r MCI ti S f NI wt oc or 6 5 r M w to AG Upper left left left-A A group of Armenian Christians at a mission post right right Armenians Armenians gathered to hear the I I J Y y w latest news of the great t in which k gre struggle their destinies are involved below Turkish troops on the march I I most of or these men are Kurds especial foes foes to to the Armenian Christians right women of a Turkish harem out for or a strolL A t hat day der M My own work ork was chiefly engineering About August 1 we e forced breed the Turks from their trenches and they began to retreat toward Bidus Bid- Bid us lis is ahead of us As soon as the they reached Bj lis they reveled rc in their fiendish work of looting and mas- mas the innocent people people- then after abducting all nn t the c young women women for far or slaves es to the army e th-e th they burned the he city Our fo forces force ces aid did not enter the Hie dt city on reaching it b because cause of f t the le h burning ing I bodies odies and the stench I I stood upon upon a hill and watched the smoke of the beautiful city steaming into the clouds my heart breaking wi with h pi pity y for the multitude of suffering g men inen and children The mOMS moans of women and child children cn could be distinctly heard Trail of Destruction Tho The Turks then moved mo toward Mush still committing the their r dastardly dastard- dastard ly h crimes No one civilized will ever forgive e the Turks for their abuse of the young joung women and the suf suffering eri g of the women and little children Pashas Kalil and had three o times the army we had had but still they were ere retreating before us It seemed to me so fa fat far as military knowledge w was as concerned they could not put up as good a fight as the they could villainously villainously villain villain- massacre the Christians At this time just S south of Mush Bush a at t there were ere Armenians W We e were w ere about to set sel out to their rescue rescue res res- res cue when a report leport tho the truth of which t I have hayo never known caused our Russian Rug Rus sian commander Jo to ord order r a a. retreat t. t What became of those thos Armenians Armenians Arme Arme- I never heard We fell fell back bad hurriedly upon Van but th tho tiro retirement retirement retire retire- ment d did d not st stop p there On the evening of August 18 I was in a friends friend's house they were holding hold hold- holding ing g a mourning party in Oriental fashion drinking g and c crying ng At midnight midnight mid mid- midnight night came the the order to leave the city and everyone e rush rushed cd to the work of evacuation t on In Tn the morning I burned purI bur pur- hurn n ned nedo ed to o the hospital for the sick sick arid and I woun wounded ed soldiers and we we- soon had them in various various carryalls on the tile wa Va i. way Then I went to the American mission to offer my assistance t to Miss bli ss U Usher h but the Russian Hospital corps corps had gi given given cn them good accommodation tion At 11 0 o'clock clock I aga again n went through the tho d city It seemed to me mo the tho sun was vas as' as stopped no stopped no more happiness even the birds had stopped singing T The e great greet city looked like the ruin rum of the e ages Again had bad she gO gone C a to her grave Pi Procession cession of Misery When Then wIth ith my men I left the city it was 2 I saw a a- chain of f people numbering men women women wom worn en and children on th the V highway highway- y of the north bank of the tho lake No human being can imagine the misery of n andin and andin cin c in that long g procession In tb the oven oven- ing a n little bo boy nn and girl came cune to me and many mapy others and said We have lost our mother and father tic Wc cant can't unload the o ox We It know where to lo camp l And nd I Ian Ian- answered an J III g guess gnes ties nies my bo boy my place plate will be he good enough for you Come here An And I kept them for a fc few rt days das because we vi could not find their p parents In Inthe the morning on the tho way there therea was a continual stream of agony agony I found a n blind and man put him on a n wagon l Miter later ter a woman sitting on astone a n. astone sl stone ne with three little barefoot children children children chil chil- dren she he was crying and completely exhausted I inquired She had lost her husband and did not know knot what to do with the little ones I told 1 hernot her hernot not be lie afraid that my horse would be bc r for l' l her ber till we foun found her husband During that fifteen n days da march I Ine ne never cr o once 1 mounted my my own saddle I tramped to Russia Food Fo d Gono Scourge Breaks Break On th tb of August we wo readied B rg village Beyond this village village village vil vil- lage we had to pass through a n great valley valloy with a narrow rondo road About this time the food gave out ont sickness broke out and man many were dying Jing Then th there re came the report that valley was l locked so 80 the army passed through h first and the tho people followed The day was not long enough and b great ent masses were still in the valle valley when night night- foil fell Hl Huge ge mountains walled either side of the valley and and a mighty river rushed d by on on one sic side c of the road rood If an attack were cre made made- here bere it t would be lie impossible mp to to- escape At t 30 0 a. a m. m about f forty Kurds brigands fired upon us Our men sprang into notion action and d drove them O out lt of the way tray in quick double time but bat confusion s seized d I the thc women and children bele belewas was as no checking their fear Hundreds Hun Hun- threw themselves cs into the river especially the women from I V Van Yan ari sa saving ng Id rat rather kill myself sel m-sel with fire or in the river river tha than be token taken n b by U the e Turks True to their reli religion ion their Christan faith they plunged cd into int o deep water holes and ond rivers rather rathe or r than thou be captured and imprisoned in inthe inthe m in the Turkish h hare harems So numerous were the true suicides that enin e evening that in m one place tho the streams were ere black with the dark-clothed dark corpses Hospitals Are AIe Filled When we reached the Ule j Where Women Choo Death to the Harems o oTheir Their Inveterate Foes ana an ani ania a Christianized People A An Ai REI Being Put to the Sword vord i Vivid Picture of Savage 1 j b hospitals were filled with the poi wretches an and everything e was done don i save the survivors survivors j jOn i iOn 4 On the tho journey there was WM not a d but numbered its dead I myse was ill for t weeks after enervated 1 the long abstinence from food and t tl suffering of this the multitudes by t t. t way Not ablo able to continue in m t tl ranks I left and by p pi through Siberia and Japan returned to the blessed United Stat This is is not a war It is the tion of humanity and civilization T day in in Turkey the Armenians are a destroyed their wealth th tn property and their lives li taken D' D Ding ing the defense of Van April 19 10 before tho the arrival of the first for forthe forthe the inhabitants of Van had held o against the tho Turks for twenty twenty-sev days How did tho the struggle straggle sta star sta Pasha J wanted to massacre t t people as he had in in other cities in t fir first t place then followed tho the am arr amand air and execution of Mr 1 t leading Armenian and third the a tempt made mado to arrest other leave leade leade the high priest and other This failed because tho the people to be massacred rather than give i their leaders If the they gave gate them u they would be butchered red anyway they resolved to fight for defense an anthe a n athe t 1 the fighting a began beg r Race Faces Destruction t The TIle army anny numbering surrounded the entire c city t cutting c call o all nIl communication from the but the faith and courage o of the 1 ran rang to victory They dro dror e tho the tho Turks lurks and captured tho the whole d di of Van Yan before the arrival of 1 I main reinforcement This might army swept down with joy and ell chi which lasted till the order for t th evacuation on August 17 Mv My race is is now V face to ro faco fuca wi wit wit dest destruction and its helplessness cri erf mightily to humanity tr for and effectual aid The situation unprecedented in in h history story and o 0 ox which if permitted to continue u u checked will cast an eternal cloud othe ov on the fair civilization civilisation of the century I t- t |
