Fort Madison High School - Madisonian Yearbook (Fort Madison, IA)

Page 13 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL TIMES 5 It was very dark that nlght and I stumbled along down the mountaln path feel1ng somewhat weak because I had not had anythlng to eat that day but I made ffurly good progless I d1d not have much trouble 1n gett1ng past the Turklsh camp at Sayhbln because most of the men were out searchmg for the A1men1ans and only a few sleepy sentlnels stood about I soon same to the Wahr el A1de and here guards were keepmg close watch so I had to swlm across I was then very wet of course and my clothlng belng very heavy somewhat hlndered me I was feelmg ox eryoy ed at gettlng across the r1ver when suddenly a man stepped from behmd a tree and screeched Another Armen1an dogl I turned and ran away as fast as pos slble w1th the Turk 'h1s scxmltar 1n hand runn1ng after me I xx as out of breath and he was nearly upon me when he stumbled As qulckly as posslble I turned on h1m and by some mxracle I took the sc1m1tar away from h1m After a fielce struggle I kllled h1m and hurrledly exchanged cloth1ng vslth h1m As I was button1ng up the coat I heard footsteps so I ran on There were no trees or shrubbery ln sxght and I was thankful for the darkness I was approachmg De1r el Kamur when I saw a grove of small trees and not hearlng neath a tree and rested awh1le then started west keepmff on the outsklrts of the town Everyth1ng was qu1et because the people were st1ll asleep I had passed the second town safely I went on and soon came to the Nahr Danenr Its brldge was also guarded As It was gettlng hght I took H1016 caut1on and kept away from the road I could see the men standmg on the brldge and although I was dressed as a Turklsh sold1er I was ce1ta1n they would know that I was not one of them I vsent up along the bank untll I came to a place where I was sure I could not be seen from the brldge and here I plunged 1nto the water and swam across I wrung the water out of my clothxng as best I could and straxghtened the un1form As I was golng around a l1ttle h1l1 I came upon a boy carrv mg water from a well He supposmg I was a sold1er gave me a drlnk and one of the sandwlches he had 1n h1s hand I made h1m belleve I was on my way to Belrut wxth a message from my reglment and I asked h1m lf there were any troops at Altat He told me that there were no troops m the town but that there was a camp down the h1ll about half a mlle away Th1s frlghtened me and as soon as I could w1thout makmg the boy susplclous I started across the h1ll keepmg behmd trees I heard someone talkmg and look1ng dovsn the h1ll below me I saw three sold1ers and not far away was the camp I had came nearer the camp mstead of gomg away from It . , C . , C I ' 1 u . Y 7 . , . i 9 1 W- 1 7 . . , u ' U , - . , . , . . . . , . . vis ' ' I . . , . . , . the soldiers following me, I plunged among them. I sat down be- . 7 7 . O o C -Y - I , . , . 7 7 ' 7 7 . . . . . , 7 7 7 1 , Y 7 ' 7

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llllililfli lrlflltls THE ARMENIAN PRISONER VIDA SKYLES NNW LL Bys nt back agfun today are you Thxs IS the thnd tlme you have come to see me You certamly 7 an-X fill thls cell wxth hght when you enter It My days df' X were very d1ea1y unt1l you started to v1s1t me K ep 1 Q comlng lf the gufud wlll let you my l1ttle man You want me to tell yo 1 a story? What shall I tell 'P Why I came to be 1n th1s pr1son'? Very well Bysant but that IS a sad one My story Oh I am an Armenlan and you Turk1sh people hate our race be cause we are Chrlstlans Why they let me lne I do not know and why you are allowed to v1s1t m IS another peculxar thmg Other Armenlans when captured are tortured often or kllled lmmedlately but here I have a bed to sleep on and food to eat Thxs IS a far better hfe than my people are l1v1ng They are starvmg they have no shel ter and scarcely any clothmg Months ago we were dr1ven from our homes so we sought refuge ln the mountalns The Turks followed us here and we were drlven about for weeks trylng to escape We needed help badly so we de clded to send runners to Be1rut where the Ame11can consulate IS sta tloned We knew that 1f we could only get there he and h1s people would be sure to help us Each runner took a dlfferent cours on account of the great danger of bemg k1lled or cfmptuled by the Turks so that, at least, one mlght reach the clty. I was chosen to be one of them and was glven the route whlch leads dlrectly northwest toward Be1rut. We started as soon as we had made our plan, that 1s, at mmdnlght, H IMY1 l ' gl Y ul lx Y' Y lv lx l ,llxor I 0 Q C Q T 9 , N... ti: kr- :fi -,- -W f Q... xt, - Y- -,- yog 1, vtkn vang 1' vm. ve V V:.5.l VUL 'vgdlfgn half V 1 x f ij? , I 'ff f1 z Q I Q ,Y - Iii Z2 411- :za ri -- A '-X... N, N., Y Y ' PSru l . I , 3. , L ', . - ff . , . L . Y . , L . ' . . Y - . L ff - X I I . 5 'I . . . . I r ' . N I ,N v C 3 ' Q Q f , , a lg C1 . . . - 1 x T . T . , - . . . y ' 1 Y I l Y. . 9 . . . G lv C v 1 . ' , - . Y 1 . ' Ls L V L r ' 7 ' y 1 ' - 1 . c 9, c ' ,

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THE HIGH SCHOOL TIMES for IH my excltement I had forgotten to ask the boy 1n vxhlch d11ect1on the troops wele statloned Wh1le I xx as crouchmg behmd a tree pon dermg what I should do someone came up behind me and somethmg struck my head Then exelytlnng xx ent black When I gamed con sclousness I xxas lylng on tlns cot The gualds haxe been NCIY k1nd to me these three months and you have been more th xn kmd You ask 1f any of the runne1s vxent as far as B611 ut Bysant'P I do not know That IS what worrles me and no one w1ll glve me nevxs of them I do not th1nk of myself but of my people I am alxx ays sxymg to mx self Why IS It you are al lovxed such comforts Mu1 ad althou h IH a prlson 1n Altat xvhen your famlly and your 1 xce are qtalxlllgv A1e the Ame11cans help mg them or d1d11 t any of the lunners get to the coast? And I some t1mes xx hlsper But perhaps I can escape Perhaps I mlght get away soon and help my people I am sure By sant that lf I xvere only out of thls cell I could help and saxe them from some of then hudslnps But do not tell anyone vxhat I have sald my boy bec xuse one can never tell xx hat a Tulk w1ll MISTAKEN IDENTITY KA la SUIIZIILZ Pzchcznlsmzj MMM EAR PECGY Ivhen I left you standlng on the sta D tlon pl xtfo1m xely much red as to eg, es and nose Q 'haf-N ne1ther of us knew that I had an adventure 1n store J' f I got off of the t1a1n 1ust as I alxx ays dxd xx hen I came ' to Vlqlt Aunt Samantha You know Sis college chum Bess Burk extended an 1nv1t1t1on xvhen she v1s1ted us last so I coafced Ma to let me v1s1t the Bulk s 1n stead of Auntle xx1th her tabbles and parrott Well to contmue While I was standmg there an oldlsh man came up and sald You re Mary I m sure Well I am Mary so of course I Sald Yes and I plesume you are Mr Burk? I supposed Bess vxas on the othe1 SICIC of the statlon but he ushered me up to a great blg Hudson wlth a bebuttoned chauf feur He told me that Bess had been tl welmg and was detamed 1n some place out East that I was to make myself at home and all that sort of thlng CI dldn t hsten ve1y well because I xxas too busy gazmg c cf 7 4 N . . V I . . L L. Q - I , c c I v sv . v g . - . Y . . . I., I . 1 N v v 1 . T . 1 v 2 ' C ' 4 v 1 y 1 , Y c . ' . c c yn J f v vw 1. ' y U ' ' . 1 L T .c U. , C V I N 0' . . . . a f 9 o J 'Z 2. I T. ' ' c . - - - r , , yy , V I x CL u x - . v . H V 1 . a V - n V . y . 1 1 A y w .4 1 1 1 ' . c . c v C K , ,Y 2 . . v do. . W ' A ' I ,' 'L -' . r A. M., 17. 4 . U ' , A I .- I I '- .o. . f f 1 v - . 7 c , cs Tc I '-, 4 . n ' N ' M? L. C c K . 4' , 1 . T 1 c c 1 V . . . xg - l fl kt C 9 , . . I . ,x u a 1 . 1 u t . . - Cl ' K l I . . , . ' . , I L. ' A - W . V. . w . c . c . , - , ' ' . . '. , ' cr 1 s - y 9 n , . , ' cr , 9 a K 1 99 , , , - - . . . .. . , c . - 1 14 - . . . c 1 c c c Q c ' ' 7 '1 4 1 v ' a