The Sack Of Hadjin

[bellthecat]

This is from a photocopy I have of a document (probably never published before) that is in the archives of the British charity "Save the Children Fund". They have it because they inherited part of the archives of the “Lord Mayor’s Fund” which was set up in London in 1915 to raise money for survivors of the Armenian genocide.

 

Steve

 

 

My Story of the Sack of Hadjin.

by

(Mrs.) Yester K. Malian.

 

In 1920, March 3rd, the politics of Hadjin were changed very much for the worse. We became surrounded by the Turks, and all our people were obliged to hide themselves in the stables or underground pits, like prisoners, because they, the Turks, were firing upon us from every side. It was impossible even for a hen to get out in safety. About this tine a French airplane flew over us and dropped letters telling us not to be afraid, because relief was coming. They also dropped us a box of cartridges but, at the same time, dropped two boxes to the Turks. Two days after this the Turks told us the following:-

 

"You Armenians are very foolish. Do not believe in the French who gave you only one box of cartridges but gave two to us. If you are wise you will take down the French flag and surrender yourselves to us, and doing so will not suffer even a 'nose bleed'."

 

We then decided that we would die with honour. Until the last hour these were the words which rang in our ears continually, "if you trust the French you will be annihilated". And so indeed we were.

 

Previous to this trouble we got all our provisions from the villages and so had not got everything we needed, but with great economy we could exist with what we had for about five months. In the beginning of the sixth month some of our people were left with-out any food. For a few days those who had gave to those who had not, and then we began to kill all animals and eat them. First the horses, then donkeys, dogs, cats, and even mice. We had now no salt or any kind of provisions, every night we went out and gathered the leaves of the mulberry tree to use instead of bread, and we procured salt from the dry rubbish of the water closets.

 

The Turks were attacking us day and night with canon and machine guns - the guns firing more than 265 shells a day into our town. The bright faces of the poor children became pale and day and night they continued crying for a piece of bread, Oh, what a terrible scene it was to see the tears streaming down their faces. At first the Turks used cannon of 7 1/2 c.m., then later 17 1/2 c.m., so that not a bird could fly out. Our houses were destroyed and the poor people began to dig trenches around the town, and lived in them, but the hunger, oh, the hunger, was destroying the people. At last we were obliged to get out and it was decided to kill and eat the children. What a terrible thing it was for the parents to eat their own child-ren! On every side many people were lying dead on the ground, killed by the shells.

 

On the 15th, at noon, everybody was obliged to scatter, and every kind of cruelty began. Hundreds of little children ware thrown down from the castle, which is some 500 metres high, and others were stuck on the points of bayonets, others were thrown into the fire before their mothers' eyes and who were compelled to hear the heartbreaking cries of their poor children while burning. Was there ever anything more terrible than this? It is impossible for me to explain it in writing, so I leave it to your own imagination.

 

Some of the men who surrendered were killed one by one. Only a single boy was able to escape and he told us about them. Two hundred little children, about 7 years of age, were taken out into the valley, stripped of all their clothing, and left there in the cold until frozen to death, Their little dead bodies looked like the bodies of animals. An Armenian girl of about 17 years of age, who was taken by a Turk from the fires for his harem, saw these poor children and asked "what kind of animals they were." The Turk replied that they were not animals, but Armenian children. A few days later this same girl succeeded in escaping from the house of the Turk and she told us this story about the poor children.

 

Many decided to kill themselves, which they did, and many others were killed on the way, so that out of the 8,000 people only 400 men and l4 women wore saved, and I, the writer, am one of them. My husband and my boy of 14 years, then my daughter of 4 years and our servant of 16 years of ago, all got out of our house together. First I lost my servant, than we were so tired and. hungry that it was impossible for me to carry my daughter any further, and so I was obliged to leave her by the roadside. I heard her weeping, and crying after me, "Mother! Mother!" Can I forget that voice of my dear one. I shall always imagine her still crying "Mother! Mother!"

 

After a short time I lost my dear husband, then my dear son. On I walked for 15 days and nights, with those 400 people, until we reached Adana, where dear Miss Webb received me into her orphanage, took care of me, and saved me, and now I am indebted to her till the end of my life. Then Miss Davies employed me as a nurse in her Hospital, but after four months Miss Davies went to her orphanage work at Dortyoll, and left me with Dr Hass. After a few months we were obliged to leave Adana and come to Beyrouth. Here I worked in the Hospital about six months, then once again became a worker for Miss Davies for three months in her orphanage, and now I am working in the Camp, having only her as my friend and God as my Lord.

 

Seven years ago we were 48 persons in our family but now I am the only one living, all the others having been massacred. They were all killed by the Turks, all of than. But blessed be the will of God. I thank Him that though He has taken all of my family yet He gave me kind friends like you and a kind mother like Miss Davies, who always is thinking about my comfort. I am also indebted to her for the end of my life, and God has shown me His will, by preserving me to serve my people. I feel myself privileged in having very kind friends like you, and I trust that you will not forget me now, nor my people, and will do your utmost for us.

[DominO123]

Is there numbers or altters attached to it, or any sort of identifications?

 

BTW, I havn't yet scanned Usshers work, I have not forgotten, you just have to wait few other days.

[bellthecat]

No numbers or reference ID's attached to it - at least not on my photocopy. Maybe there was something stamped on the reverse, but I don't think there was coz that would also have been photocopied. It was hand typed, no signature.

 

At the same time as I re-discovered that photocopy (which I had photocopied 3 or 4 years ago) I found a scribbled note of mine reading thus:

 

"Ernest Ussher - 5 American flags and one Red Cross flag flew from the mission building in Van. 6 of his staff died of typhus in Van, including Mrs Elizabeth Ussher. When they left for Tiflis, were twice attacked by armed Kurds on the way there, with one American dying of her injuries".

 

Can't remember where I got this info - but it was not directly from Ussher's book, which I have not read.

 

Steve

[phantom]

This is from a photocopy I have of a document (probably never published before) that is in the archives of the British charity "Save the Children Fund". They have it because they inherited part of the archives of the “Lord Mayor’s Fund” which was set up in London in 1915 to raise money for survivors of the Armenian genocide.

 

Steve

 

My Story of the Sack of Hadjin.

by

(Mrs.) Yester K. Malian.

........

This story is gutwrenching, and also confusing. If people were dying all around, then why would the Armenians have to kill and eat their own children? I don't believe that Armenians would kill and eat their children. They would kill and eat the adults before they touched the children. I'm sure much of the story is factual, but doesn't some of it is sound embellished to you?

[bellthecat]

This story is gutwrenching, and also confusing. If people were dying all around, then why would the Armenians have to kill and eat their own children? I don't believe that Armenians would kill and eat their children. They would kill and eat the adults before they touched the children. I'm sure much of the story is factual, but doesn't some of it is sound embellished to you?

I agree. The inconsistancy about the killing and eating of the children when there would be so many dead lying around is puzzling. Unless they had a taboo on eating human flesh that did not apply to their own children. But children are easily replaced, so I do not think that what you said about killing adults in preference to killing children is correct. Also confusing is the sequence of events, lack of specific dates. And I think there would have been more female survivors than she says. In fact, I would have though that women would have been more likely to have survived than men.

 

But all that indicates to me that the thing does not seem to have been written for publication - if it were then these problem parts would have been tidied up. Though probably there has been some tidying up - since the author will not have been the person who typed the piece, and the English seems too perfect for it to have been a direct setting down of her words. So maybe the inconsistancies have resulted from an incomplete setting down of her story by someone who did not know about the events in detail.

[Stormig]

Kill and eat own children for perhaps the simple reason that you might not want them to be eaten by others.

Also because children are defenseless.

Also because children haven't been lying around dead for a while.

Also because children haven't been having an unhealthy diet long enough to make taste revolting. Cannibals are known to have noted that white man's taste nauseated them. This can come down to as far as whether you can keep down that which does down your throat.

[Armen Half-Celt]

well, would these parents really eat their own children to save themselves?? Edited September 25, 2003 by Armen Half-Celt

[bellthecat]

well, would these parents really eat their own children to save themselves??

Theoretically yes, since the children would die anyway if their parents died.