Page:Kvartalshilsen (Kvinnelige misjonsarbeidere). 1921 Vol. 14 nr. 4.pdf/6

 to be able to take care of these miserable ones! Of the Turks, I bought bedding, which they had robbed from the Armenian homes during the massacre. Clothes were cut and sewn by Zerpuhi and a young relative of hers, who her husband's family wanted to force to go over to Islam to avoid being deported, so she came to us and helped. And grain, fat and other foods were bought and distributed once a week, as they could not have large holdings at their place, because then the Turks would take it from them, therefore everything was stored in my basement and at dusk one from each «family» came and picked up the food in a sack. Every day there came refugees who we had to hide or help.

II. Corinth. 1, 8-11 a.

Many of the refugees were ill and many died; but we could not grieve for those who died in peace in their bed. At this time, there was a kind-hearted mutæssarif - the top Turkish government official in the district - and he helped me in many ways, I also got help from a police officer N., whose wife I had helped before. With the assistance of this police officer, I recovered the little house I had previously lived in and that belonged to the mission. One day he says to me: "Sister Bodil, I have a great surprise that I know will please you, I have hidden two young Armenians in a room by my house, and now you must come with me one evening and visit them". I was so happy and very excited about who it could be. There I met Muschegh and Haig, who were very touched to see me, and Muschegh said: "We have lost all our loved ones, so it is as if our mother comes to us when we see you again, how happy we are that you come to us in our desolation. "

For a long time, they had stayed hidden, day after day they were locked in this room. It was a great pleasure for them to get Armenian Bibles and songbooks, and we talked a lot about the eternal things.

They also told me about their escape during the massacre period:

Muschegh's home was situated high up, so he managed to escape up to Sassun when the killings broke out. Up in Sassun, many Armenians had gathered to fight back, many of them had fled from the Muschegnen and for a few months the fight was raging up there. In a mountain valley, approx. 30,000 were murdered by Turkish soldiers; most were women and children. Some of the men made their way to Russia and fled back to Musch and hid there; but many lived in caves and in the mountains. Muschegh fled back to Musch and did not participate in the fight against the Turks. For a short time, he had sought shelter with the commander of the gendarmerie; but when he realized that he was going to hurt him, he fled to the police officer N., whom he knew from before and who was more benevolent towards the Armenians.

Haig also managed to escape to Sassun, and there he participated in the fight against the Turks, later fleeing to Musch, where he promised the police officer N. to give him the money his father had hidden in his house before the deportation, if he were to hide them and provide for them, which N. promised. One dark night him and N. went to the ruins and dug into the grown and had found the money and N. had gotten them. "What use did I have for money, I had to save my life, my parents have supposedly been killed and my sister abducted by a Kurd, this was my only rescue," Haig said.

Some Armenian craftsmen, who were indispensable to the Turks, were allowed to keep their lives; but still the Turks threatened them and said they would still be killed if they did not step over to Islam, which most of them did for fear of death.

Police officer N. said he could no longer keep Muschegh and Haig hidden, they also had to start working as craftsmen and had to convert, which they unfortunately did, but they did not let themselves be circumcise, which the Turks demand when they become Muhammadans. Both Muschegh and Haig worked for a time in a tailoring business. - Again, there were murders and again there were