As indicated, Rev.
Aipheus N. Andrus, Dr. Daniel M. B. Thom, and Miss Agnes Fenenga, three
American missionaries located at Mardin, have been deported from there
by the Government and have passed through Mamouret-ul-Aziz.
The first I knew of
the matter was on the afternoon of the 12th when a postal
card was received by one of the missionaries here from Dr. Thom. It was
dated at Diyarbakir, October 8th and said simply that they
had left Mardin, and would pass through this place on their way north. I
sent at once to the Vali (governor of a province) to learn the reason
for these missionaries coming this way, but he said he knew nothing
about the matter, and didn’t even know that any were coming. I then went
to see him myself. He repeated what he had said about not knowing about
the matter, but said that as far as he had anything to do with it he
would be glad to extend to them any courtesy he could. I then sent a
scout down the Diyarbakir road to see if by chance they were coming that
day, as sufficient time had passed for them to be here. He returned in
less than half an hour saying they were coming.
I
went out and met the wagon, in which were the three above-mentioned
persons. They said they had been ordered to leave Mardin, but knew no
reason whatever for it. They had left there about the first of October
after which they had been kept in Diyarbakir a week. Then it was
ordered that they be exiled to Sivas. They had left Diyarbakir on the
9th and had reached here in four days. While talking with them, a
gendarme officer came up and said it was forbidden for anyone to talk
with them, as they were prisoners and they must be taken to the gendarme
office to find out what should be done with them, whether they should be
put in prison for the night or sent to a hotel or allowed to stay at
the (American) consulate. He said not even the consul had any right to
talk with them unless permission was given by the chief of the
gendarmerie.
To see these
respected Americans under arrest and treated in this way was far from
pleasant; it was pathetic. Rev. Andrus is seventy-two years old and
has lived In Mardin forty-seven years. His wife is an invalid and old,
and he was obliged to leave her. Dr. Thom is seventy-one years old and
lost his wife only five weeks ago. He has lived in this part of Turkey
forty-one years. Miss Fenenga has been here fourteen years. These three
people were given twenty-four hours’ notice to leave Mardin and were
sent out like prisoners.
In view of Mr.
Knapp’s fate¹ one could not help viewing the situation with alarm. When
the gendarme officer refused to allow me to talk with them, I went at
once to the vali’s house, as he had left the konak (provincial
headquarters). He said he had not yet received any information about
these Americans and did not even know that they had arrived. He said as
soon as he saw the papers he could tell the charge against them, and
sent a man out at once to get them. I asked that they be permitted to
come to the consulate under my guarantee and he readily assented to
that. I then returned and found they had been taken to a khan (inn).
They came to the consulate for dinner, guarded by a policeman, but
returned to the khan to sleep.
¹
Messrs Knapp and
Raynolds, traveling in the remoter parts of Eastern Turkey in 1884 were
attacked and without redress, though the United States government
protested. Mr. Knapp was taken under arrest from Bitlis to Alexandretta
(present day Iskenderun) and bundled out of the country with “expelled”
written across his passport.
It was too late to
send a telegram that night, as they told me at the telegraph office that
it would be held for the censor the following morning. As early as
possible the
morning of the 13th,
I sent an urgent telegram (No. 48) to the embassy in Constantinople
saying that these Mardin missionaries had been deported and were
here in Harput under
arrest. I
asked for instructions and that it be arranged for them to remain here
under the protection of the consulate. I then called Mr. Andrus to
report to the chief of police. I requested that they be allowed to
remain here that day and to stay at the consulate that night. He
telephoned the Vali and then said it would be all right.
In the afternoon, I
called on the Vali again. He said he knew nothing about the charge
against these Americans, but knew simply that they were to be sent to
Sivas. He had told me before that he would know what the charge was as
soon as the papers were delivered to him. I said I had telegraphed the
embassy and there had not yet been time to receive an answer. I asked
that they be allowed to remain here for a day or two until an answer
could be received. He objected to this saying that they were simply
passing through this vilayet (province) on their way to Sivas, to which
place they had been exiled.
I finally succeeded
after much effort in getting permission for them to remain until Friday
morning, but no longer. I then sent the embassy my telegram (No. 49)
saying that the Vali had permitted them to remain here until Friday
morning and asking for instructions as quickly as possible. When Friday
morning arrived and there was no answer I decided to wait and see what
might happen. Soon the chief of police sent up to learn if the
missionaries had gone and if not, why they had remained. I sent him my
salaams (greetings) and said no answer had been received to my
telegrams. I requested that they be allowed to remain at the consulate
under my care. He sent back word that they could remain that night.
The policeman who
had been delegated to look after them was on hand all the time, of
course, and slept at the consulate. On Saturday morning the 16th,
the chief of police sent word again inquiring about them. I sent back
word that the lady was not feeling well, which was true, and that no
answer had been received from Constantinople yet. He sent word that they
could stay at the consulate till the following morning, but then they
must leave whether sick or well and regardless of any telegrams. The
policeman who had been here until that time said he had been ordered to
leave, as they said it wasn’t necessary to watch these Americans any
longer since they were in the care of the consulate. I think myself
that there was very little risk in leaving them without a guard and that
they should have done so from the beginning.
I sent a third
urgent telegram (No. 50) asking if my other telegrams had been received
and saying that the Mardin missionaries must leave. It was clear that
the telegram had been held up somewhere, but I do not know where. The
authorities here treated me with the greatest courtesy and I can see no
object in their holding up my telegrams, although I have no means of
knowing the truth.
It was impossible
to get any further extension of time from the local authorities, for it
was already nearly five days since they had left their office. I sent to
the telegraph office the last thing and no answer to my telegrams had
come. I then rode out a short distance with these missionaries and
reluctantly left them to proceed on their way to Sivas, escorted by
three gendarmes.
If any answer comes
giving them permission to remain here, which I trust the embassy can
arrange with the Minister of Interior, I shall send for them to come
back. They all said they would like to return, if possible, rather than
stay in Sivas. I know of no reason why these venerable and respected
American missionaries should be treated with such indignity and I trust
the embassy can secure a satisfactory settlement of the matter.
I am anxiously
awaiting instructions in this connection. I should say that while they
were at Mardin the authorities took money and other objects in the value
of about 1,500 Turkish liras from Mr. Andrus and Dr. Thom.
(NOTE:
It is not known who wrote this letter regarding Dr. Thom’s treatment In
Turkey. Information has it that the Germans during World War I requested
that the Turks deport these American missionaries. Dr. Thom died a short
time later on 8 December 1915 of typhus at the American Mission, Sivas,
Turkey).