[Inclosure in No. 709.]
Mr. Barnum to Mr.
Terrell.
Harpoot, November 21,
1895.
Dear Sir: Mr. Gates has written to you with
a good degree of fullness in regard to the experiences of the last
few days. Since his letter was written, I have some new evidence to
prove that the attack upon this quarter of the city at least was
under the direction of the soldiers.
A woman, a Protestant neighbor, says that she did not leave her
house, which was one of the few which was not destroyed. She watched
the whole cannonading, and she says that it was all directed toward
this part of the city. Another, who took refuge in the house of one
of our leading Turkish neighbors, and who sat by a window only a few
feet from the cannon, confirmed this testimony: and she says that
the Martinis also were fired rapidly and in this direction. She also
says that the first cannon shots were toward the houses at the
outskirts of this quarter, below which the Koords were gathered.
Presently an officer came, and he reprimanded the men who were
handling the cannon and beat two or three of them, and she heard him
say, as he was only a few feet from her, “Why are you aiming in that
direction? Don’t you see there are Koords there? You are in danger
of killing some of them. Turn the cannon in this other direction
where there are only Christians.” The son of a priest who lives just
below us has brought me a cannon ball which was taken from his
house, and another has brought me a part of a shell with the fuse in
it.
I have heard from many that some of the houses were set on fire by
these cannon balls or shells. It is something which I do not
understand and have considered impossible, as I know nothing about
modern warfare.
[Page 1381]
But
while writing this, —— tells me that she saw them wrapping cloths
saturated in kerosene around the shells before putting them in the
cannon. She also says that she overheard a conversation between two
of the leading Turks in the city, both of them Ulemas, one of them a
member of the civil court and the other until recently a member of
the court of appeals, and a Koordish chief. They reproached the
Koord for entering a certain Christian house which was under their
protection. He said, “Excuse us; we did not know that that house was
to be protected. We do not wish to do anything contrary to your
orders.” They said, “Aferim” (bravo), and they gave him flattering
titles of agha, pasha, etc., and said, “You know you are to plunder
only Christian houses.”
I should have said that this woman asked the lady of the house who
the officer was who gave the order in regard to the cannon, and she
told her that it was the colonel who had charge of the defense of
the city. I have regarded this man as thoroughly treacherous in his
dealings with us, and have told him so in as gentle a form as I
could when he told me that he was afraid I had lost my confidence in
him. But the most intelligent Christian in this city, who occupies
the same house with him and has been for years a friend, as he has
been an army contractor, tells me that this whole affair was against
the colonel’s wishes and impulses, and that he was simply acting
under superior orders. It is he to whom Mr. Gates refers as entering
into his room at the close of the day and weeping.
Of course we have nothing to do with individuals. Here is the simple
fact that this wave of desolation which is rolling over the land has
swept over us. And the Government did not lift a finger to protect
us until after we were driven from our burning houses. The soldiers
simply presided over the affair so as to keep the Koords and the
mass of the Turkish population of the city, who joined in the
plunder, from going beyond the prescribed limits. We were where we
could watch proceedings from first to last. It was the obvious
intention to spare no one of our buildings. The college preparatory
building, which was saved, was joined by a strong wooden-covered
passage to the building of the primary department, which was burned.
And it was here that we had our hardest fight with the fire. Mr.
Gates has told you that fire was set in my house in three places,
but fortunately the building did not burn, although the fire was put
in a large mass of paper. And a similar attempt was made upon his
own house. We all understood at the time that the great desire of
the officials to secure our removal from the college building was so
that it could be burned. Our teachers, and others who had taken
refuge there, are confident that if we had left the building they
would have been sacrificed.
Mr. Gates has already told you of the great comfort which your
telegrams have given to us. We were in great doubt as to whether our
telegrams would reach you. Fortunately for us, a clerk who can
telegraph in the European character, although he does not understand
English, has been appointed here. We could not have ventured to
telegraph so plainly in Turkish. Accept our united thanks for your
sympathy and kind attention.
Just here we received two telegrams of yesterday’s date, one telling
us of the order for safe conduct and the other we are trying to
decipher. We shall try to get it corrected at the office.
The mail closes; so, with renewed thanks,
Believe me, etc.,
