Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President, Transmitted to Congress December 2, 1895, Part II
Mr. Terrell to Mr. Olney.
Constantinople, December 12, 1895. (Received Dec. 27.)
Sir: I inclose herewith a letter from Rev. Mr. Saunders, dated Aintab, the 27th instant, which gives the first satisfactory account of the massacre at Aintab. The writer is well known to me, and is a brave and worthy missionary. I inclose a copy of my note of this date to the Porte expressive of my appreciation of the conduct of Turkish officers and soldiers in protecting Americans and their property during the massacre. The noble conduct in protecting Americans of Hadji Hasseyn Agha and Mehmed Agha, of the Hiak Baba Mahale in Aintab, saved our people, and I concur with Mr. Saunders in the desire that they shall receive some appropriate recognition of their noble conduct from our Government.
I have, etc.,
Mr. Saunders to Mr. Terrell.
Dear Sir: You will expect a full report of doings here, as far as they relate to us, from some of us. You know, doubtless, that relations between the two sections of the population have been strained for some three months. Still, no explosion took place. The troubles all around, and especially the rebellion near us, changed all this. Aintab, as well as the country around us, was much excited.
When the excitement broke out we were at the time located as follows (“we,” of course, means the Americans of Aintab station): Miss Shattuck was alone at Ourfa. All the remaining members of our circle except Dr. Shepard and myself were in Aintab. Dr. Shepard was taking Mrs. Marden to the coast, and had about reached the coast. He had with him a son of Mr. Lee, of Marash. I was touring, and was in Antioch at the time, and reached Alexandretta the same day. There we first heard somewhat clearly of the state of the country. Mr. Lee’s son was sick of inflammatory rheumatism, and had been left a few hours inland. Dr. Shepard hurried back to his family, and I arrived considerably later. After reaching the place where Frank Lee was I was called back to Alexandretta, then delayed there somewhat, delayed on the road by the aggravation of the boy’s sickness, and finally arrived in Aintab November 9, Dr. Shepard having arrived nine days before. I was arrested twice, but both times was treated kindly, and easily cleared myself. Miss Shattuck was alone at Ourfa, and I at once applied for permission to go there and for an escort. Both were readily promised by the kaimakam, who had from the first been friendly to us. But my yol teskéré and escort were not forthcoming, and I was put off from day to day. It looks now as though this was done out of friendship.
Thus matters hung on until Saturday, the 16th. That morning the explosion took place which we had feared for some time. We were at breakfast when a servant ran in giving us the news. We rushed out, and the shooting, yelling, and crying from the city was ample proof that it had begun. The girls’ school and hospital, each with two American ladies resident, are on the edge of the city, separated by a single street, while the college is some half mile away to the west. There were none but ladies at the time in the girls’ school and hospital, and Dr. Shepard and myself got over there in a hurry, and none too soon; a little later probably we would not have been allowed to pass. We found two Moslem aghas standing guard, one at each door of the hospital, the one at the west door looking after the girls’ school also. Very soon the crowd charged on the hospital—rather a large crowd, for it was going on almost all over the Christian part of the city. The agha mentioned above opposed the crowd with all his might, but the crowd were insistent and the issue was doubtful; but just at the critical moment soldiers who had been double quicked from some distance arrived and drove the crowd off. Soldiers in considerable numbers were massed in the open ground between the girls’ school and college, and remained through the day. Our buildings were not attacked again that day, and the parts of the city adjoining were not pillaged. By noon the section of the city nearest us was entirely quiet. Later Dr. Shepard went over to the college. I also went over long enough to return my horse, and ever since have stayed at the girls’ school and hospital, excepting two calls at the college.
[Page 1389]Early Saturday morning a Beridjik regiment had left Aintab for the center of all these disturbances. These were very quickly called back and were on hand Sunday, the 17th, and did royal service. The soldiers of the preceding day were all of the Aintab contingent. The first light of Sunday saw great crowds of Koords and villagers hanging around the city. These charged from time to time. Dr. Shepard had tried to come over, but was sent back by the military. Finally, they made a great rush and got into the city at a little distance south of us, but did not offer to come near us. There were troops all around us on that side. Later a charge was made on the Christians to the north of us, very near, and for half an hoar pillage and killing were going on right under our eyes, within 100 yards and sometimes within 30 or 40 yards of where we stood. They charged on the girls’ school, or rather toward it, but the soldiers, who, as far as the city was concerned, did not fire directly into the crowd, made ready to fire right into those coming on us, warned them that they were going to fire, and the crowd fell back. The agha who had exerted himself so much for us the day before was also on hand guarding the only other approach on that side, but no one offered to come in from, there. By noon, or a little later, all was over, as far as our vicinity was concerned. The agha began to bring the wounded into the hospital. Dr. Shepard had not been allowed to come over that day: the native physician was cooped up in the city; two of the three young men employed by the hospital were away, so that Dr. Hamilton, our lady physician, and Miss Trowbridge had to bear the brunt of it, with a very little skilled and some unskilled help. Some 35 wounded were brought in—a few terribly wounded, others less severely, and of course some of them slightly. No persons could rise to the emergency more grandly than did Dr. Hamilton and Miss Trowbridge. The afternoon was one never to be forgotten, and was such as to make one very proud of our American womanhood.
The next day Dr. Shepard was again forbidden to come (I was allowed to go to the college on condition of staying only five minutes), I presume from fears for his safety, for, very absurdly, the common people, of course non-Christians, had become considerably inflamed through false stories about him. So the ladies took the brunt again, this time the young man available the day before going early away to the city to dresswounds. An amputation well up to the thigh the ladies performed with no skilled help whatever. The whole day was full of the hardest kind of work. The next day Dr. Shepard was allowed to come, and has been allowed to go and come freely ever since. It was very lucky, for very much fresh work came in from the city, and has been coming ever since.
The Government has done well by us The Moslem population as a whole was much inflamed against us, which, of course, made our position much worse and also much increased the difficulties of the Government. The kaimakam has always been friendly, and, as far as we know, the majority of the Moslem notables also.
We are very much indebted to the following:
- 1.
- The Aintab soldiers. What they did or did not in the city is not our affair. They certainly protected us well on Saturday, the 16th; otherwise, I fear our kind neighbors, the Moslem aghas, of whom I will speak later, could not have saved us, no matter how much they exerted themselves. As I was passing back from the college Saturday, the 16th, when the explosion had quieted down, one of the officers, an acquaintance, called out to me, “Do not be afraid; we will protect you whatever happens,” etc.
- 2.
- The Beridjik contingent. They protected us on Sunday, the 17th, very efficiently, and have very carefully guarded us ever since. In the city also they have been very efficient. The officers all seem to be doing their best to keep the peace—certainly all coming from outside.
- 3.
- But none have helped us in our hour of distress anything to the degree that our two Moslem neighbors have done. Their names are Hadji Hasseyn Agha and Mehmed Agha, of the Haik Baba Mahale or ward. Both have been equally zealous in protecting us, but the former has been exerting himself for us to a very great degree in other ways—in getting supplies when no one could go out, etc. I wish very much it would be possible to get some special recognition of their services from the Government, and also for the soldiers, especially the Beridjik contingent. Without these all our buildings would have gone, and ourselves also, in all probability.
I have studiously avoided references to the city except as we were in some way included. I give now a very little information about the city. There were two outbreaks which did harm, and a third and very serious outbreak which was quickly curbed by the military, and only one house was then harmed. The missing, including the dead, are said to be over 300; wounded, perhaps the same. Perhaps one-fourth of the houses were looted, but mostly of the poorer class. Very little harm by fire; Christian places of business pretty well finished up.
According to all accounts the loss of life and property would have been very, very much greater were it not that so many Moslems exerted themselves to preserve their friends. One prominent Moslem, Tayir Bey, saved his entire ward. Please let Mr. Dwight see this.
Yours, very respectfully, on behalf of our circle,
Mr. Terrell to Tevfik Pasha.
Constantinople, December 11, 1895.
Sir: I desire to express my high appreciation of the soldiers of His Imperial Majesty at Aintab who protected the lives and property of Americans there during the disturbances in that city on the 16th ultimo. I especially refer to the Beridjik contingent and their conduct on the 17th as worthy of praise.
I wish also to acknowledge my gratitude to Hadji Hasseyn Agha and Mehmed Agha, of the Haik Baba Mahale, who were active in saving the lives of Americans during the riot. The noble conduct of such men in time of popular frenzy distinguishes them as heroes in the cause of humanity and entitles them to the gratitude of the human race.
I have recommended these men to my Government and requested some token of its approbation.
Receive, etc.,