A Touching Morsel of Armenia.
Three years ago the Table received a letter from a young friend resident in Brousse, Turkey in Asia, a city on the opposite side of the Marmora Sea from Constantinople. It was written in a funny jumble of English, German, and perhaps a few French and Turkish words thrown in, and enclosed a small handful of Turkish stamps. We replied to it, sending some Columbian stamps, and asking the writer to tell us about his home, his school, the fruits, etc. That our letter was understood we are not sure, but after three years we received a second letter, the contents of which, in so far as we are able to read them, follow. In accordance with the writer's injunction we omit his name, although he gives it to us. This secrecy vividly reveals a condition of life quite difficult for Americans to appreciate.
Brousse, 7 Janvir, 1896.
Sirs:—I have recive your lettre at 1892, with the timbers. I have recive timbres Americain, and thank you of them. You ask me somme knews of Turc. You have herd of cors that since 1893 the Turc Sultan cach many Armenians in Constantinople and kille them, and gave them very much trobles. At las' the Sultan tho't he kille alles the Armenians in Turkai. So he atak furst in Sassoun alle blerc vois, with alle kinds of badnes. Sins that time we alle hat tho't he woldn't do any more so, but this year he maik just his mind to kille alle piples.
We have in Armeni very much villeges, and much wicked soldat of Turc. The soldat herd the Sultan said alle Armens to be kille, so they kille young mens first, then children, then old piples, take alle money and maik much trobles. So many villeges burnt I don't know nemes—Harpoot, Kayseri, Abbikir, Sevaz, Trabson, and most richest citys Armen. The Turc Sultan so pleased at alle many deths, he maik new pachas of Turcs who do killing.
Somme time, soldat do not kille quick, but take Armeni to moske and say, "Pray to Mehmet," and alle time keck poor Armeni so they not tell whether prayin' or not. Then they cut nos off, and this winter blood of many Armeni was on the snow. I here my friends say sixty thousand Armeni ded.
Now that we are alle our hards broken, we have a good many (multitude) orphens, who comme to Constantinople by our Patriarch Armeni. We are oblige to feed and dress them, which a great burden on us alle is. And we must dress alle in secret from Turc, bicos he dus not wich it. The winter is very cold, and in one haus is fifty piples, alle, I am told, without dresses. We in Constantinople alle sending dresses and money to Armeni Beyble Hausse. The piples there are much kind, and we love them bicos they help our piples.
In my furst lettre I am very sorry to give you bad news, but we hope Jisus will saife us, when I shall right you good news. If you will rite the repons of my lettre, plese don't right it to Brousse, and don't send it to Turkisch post, bicos if the Turcs see my naim right by Inglich rightinks, they open the lettre, find me and put me in prisen. Send repons, plese, to Inglich post restant, or to Beyble Hausse, or direct to Mrs. T. A. Baldwin, Brousse. I think that I have much mistaiks made. Have I? Then exqus them. My love to alle yung piples.
P. S.—You must not right at alle my name in the lettre. Again I say, exqus me. I have right so (en desordre). Recive mes sinsere salutation.