Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 148, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1920 — ARE VICTIMS OF TURKISH PLOT [ARTICLE]

ARE VICTIMS OF TURKISH PLOT

American Relief Worker Tells of Slaughter of French Garrison. HAD PLEDGED SAFE CONDUCT Colonel Woodward Saw Wounded Men Killed and Frenchmen Shot After Surrendering at Evacuation of Ursa. Aleppo, Syria.—The slaughter of the tittle French garrison which evacuated Ursa on a promise of safe conduct by the Turkish nationalist troops after the town had been besieged for 61 days, is described in the diary of General Woodward, accountant for the American Commission for Relief In the Near East, who was an eye witness of the massacre. He escaped and returned to Urfa'after several hundred French soldiers had been killed or made prisoners by tribesmen. The French were ambushed by the tribesmen in violation of an agreement made by Nemlk Effendi, who came from Angora as the Turkish natlonal--Ist government’s representative, the diary says, and promised the Frenchmen safe conduct If they would evacuate. At that time the French had only four days’ rations left, and had oaten all their horses and mules, and evacuation was considered inevitable, as the garrison was greatly outnumbered by the enemy. General Woodward says In his diary ♦hat he saw Turks killing the French wounded on the field, and that he and an officer of, the gendarmerie saw prisoners killed by th? Turks after they bad surrendered. "Namik Effendi agreed to protect the Christian population, provide a jruard of gendarmerie and a transport of 60 camels and 30 horses If the French would leave,” the diary says. *The garrison evacuated at 1:30 o’clock in the morning. Attacked From the Rear. “We were suddenly attacked from ♦he rear and from both flanks while we were moving as a column spaced at regular Intervals. The order was given to deploy, and this was carried out Into the hills occupied by the enemy, who almost surrounded us. “The attack lasted for two hours, the Turks having 2,000 irregular troops and one machine gun. They made a special target of our transport, doubtless for plunder. As the firing In- . creased other tribes joined in the attack. Our rear guard was caught in a trap from which few escaped alive. “With the transport destroyed, the fear guard cut off and our line of defense broken, we could only surrender, and an officer of gendarmerie was sent with a white flag. I accompanied him with an American flag. We were continually fired upon as we approached

the enemy, asking for his commander. We were told there was no commander, as the troops were Irregular, and finally we sent messengers to the flanks and at 10:20 the firing ceased, but another party of Kurds arrived almost immediately and the firing was reopened. I asked the chief of the gendarmerie to return to Ursa with me, which we managed to do by a side trail. “I saw Kurds killing the wounded and saw soldiers killed after they had surrendered. Emir Effendi, an officer of gendarmerie, also witnessed this, ®d he had one man marched away as a prisoner. I could not find out what became of hiim. Almost Wiped Out. “Of the French detachment of 500 only 132 soldiers and one officer returned to Ursa. The remainder presumably were killed.” After the French evacuated Ursa the conditions there were reported greatly improved for the American relief workers, as supplies of watei* and fuel had been cut off and provisions were nearly exhausted. The Turks held a general meeting

of rejoicing over the departure of the French and declared in favor of “a government of the people, by tWb people and for the people.” They declared they no longer recognized the Ottoman government, promised protection to Armenians, and decided not to disarm them. Miss Mary Caroline Holmes, who speaks the Turkish language, attended the meeting, and at her suggestion the Turks included an Armenian deputy in a delegation selected to go to Angora to report the evacuation of Ursa. On April 21 a party of American relief workers, Including Mrs. Richard Mansfield, was uneventfully escorted by the Turks from Ursa to Aleppo. Miss Margaret Weller of Bloomsburg, Pa., who remained at Ursa, was hit by a spent ball during the siege, but her Injury was very slight.