nditions at Van, the Katolikos, head of the Armenian
Church at Etchmiadzin, near Erivan, cabled to President Wilson an
appeal to the people of the United States to act on behalf of the
Armenians.

The village governments or relief committees had managed to issue
eight pounds of flour to each refugee in six weeks. A journey through
Salmac three weeks after the outrages revealed unmistakable signs of
the slaughter. Pools of blood still marked the "execution" places in
Haftdewan. The caps of thirty-six victims lay where a mud wall had
been toppled over them. A young Armenian named Hackatur related the
story of his escape from a well in which the bodies of the dead had
been crammed. He had fallen with the others and was flung into the
well, but he managed to wriggle through the bodies lying on top of
him, and escaped at nightfall.

At the end of April, 1915, after a slight lull, fresh activity broke
out again in various regions of the Caucasian front. The campaign had
almost come to a standstill owing to typhus. On the average, 150 men
succumbed daily. The epidemic raged for a while under indescribably
awful conditions. Every available doctor was hurried out, and several
of them died of the disease. The Russians had cleared the Kurds out of
the Alashkart valley and were now pushing forward in the direction of
Olti. The fight for the valley centered on the possession of
Klichgjaduk Pass, which would have been extremely useful to the Turks,
could they have held it securely for a few days to enable them to
complete a junction with their separated forces. The Russians "lay
low" in strongly protected positions. The Turks came on, first
obviously for reconnaissance, and were easily repulsed without the
Russians making much display of force. Whatever may be said of the
Turkish soldier, he is at all times a brave and self-reliant fighter.
They advanced to make the real attack, supported by some mountain
guns. But the Russian artillery continued to lie silent, and the
Turkish attack developed with misplaced confidence and swept boldly up
to the line of the Russian wire entanglements. Only sixty yards
separated the combatants when, suddenly, a perfect tornado of fire
rattled out from the Russian intrenchments. Maxims, mountain guns and
rifles poured a deadly shower of shells and bullets into the closely
packed thousands of Turks. With extraordinary courage the Osmanli
still rushed into the trap, uttering fierce shouts of "Allahoo A