The American Red Cross Bulletin (Vol. IV, No. 4, October 1909)American National Red Cross
History
The American Red Cross Bulletin (Vol. IV, No. 4, October 1909)
American National Red Cross
American National Red Cross -- Periodicals; Red Cross and Red Crescent -- Periodicals
Wounded Moslems were cared for in the government charity hospital outside
the city. There were about 50 inpatients, among whom were said to be
a few Christians, and about 150 outpatients. In the Turkish Military
Hospital there were also about 40 wounded. From 50 to 60 other wounded
Moslems were cared for in their homes. The number of Moslems killed is
unknown, but is said to have been 200, more or less.
_Second Massacre._
[Illustration: AMERICAN RED CROSS HOSPITAL (MEDICAL) ADANA.]
On Sunday, April 25, the aspect of the medical relief work was abruptly
changed by the occurrence of the second massacre. This began at 4 in
the afternoon, with a determined fusillade on the New Market Armenian
School, accompanied by the firing of the building, and followed by the
massacre of most of its 2,000 or more helpless refugees as they sought to
escape from the death trap. Carts piled high with bodies were busy for
the next three days emptying the school playground of its dead. The acute
stage of incendiarism and killing lasted only until the following night,
Monday, April 26, but frequent fires and the shooting of stray Armenians
continued for a week after. This massacre differed from the first in the
absence of any effectual resistance on the part of the Armenians, the
prominent participation of the soldiers in the killing, and in that it
ended with the complete destruction by fire of the Armenian section of
the town, representing something over one-fourth of the city’s area. It
seems also to have been characterized by a peculiarly relentless cruelty;
sick and wounded men, women, and children fell alike before the shots and
bayonets of the pitiless soldiery. The 2,500 who are roughly estimated to
have been killed in this second massacre are, for the most part, victims
of the Armenian School massacre, together with those who were killed
the same afternoon in the lower Gregorian Church and adjoining girls’
school. Of the 70 sick and wounded among the refugees here, most were
either killed or burned. The hospital of the French Sisters was burned at
the same time. Some of the patients were burned with it, but some were
saved by two of the Jesuit Fathers, who carried as many as they could
over to the Church of the Jesuit Boys’ School. Even this proved for them
an uncertain refuge, for the following day the buildings of the Jesuit
School were burned, and its refugees, together with the Jesuit Fathers
themselves, were saved from the blood-thirsty mob only by the timely
intervention of Major Doughty-Wylie. In spite of his fractured arm, he
had a guard from the Vali, and rode about in the endeavor to save life
and restore order.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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