The ravages of typhus: Aram Manougian died on January 29, 1919.

The attached is my aided translation of Arshaluys Astvatsatryan's letter.  Tatul Hakopyan had posted it on his Facebook page. Aram Manukyan was the Minister of Internal Affairs in the government of Hovhannes Kajaznuni. He is one of the founders of the Republic of Armenia. Source: “Aram. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his death", "Mikael Varandyan" Publishing House, Yerevan, 1991, pp. 141-145.  Vaհe H Apelian

 

« At the end of 1918 and the beginning of 1919, typhus was rampant in Yerevan. Aram also fell victim to it.

In December 1918, Sargis Ohanjanyan, one of the old figures of the Dashnaktsutyun, who was the clerk of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at that time, also died of typhus. Aram accompanied his friend's coffin, but was unable to go to the cemetery. Halfway through the journey, he returned home and lay down, without knowing the nature of the disease.

Typhus was particularly cruel in Armenia that year and was killing people left and right. Suffice it to say that in a small city like Yerevan, four doctors – Andreasyan, Zakaryan, Shahbazyan, Nalbandyan – fell victim to that disease. People were wary, and the patients spent their days in fear and terror.

When Aram’s illness was discovered, many of Yerevan’s doctors stood up. Doctor S. Kamsarakan was among them.

Sahak Torosyan, engineer Torgom Nikoghosyan, and city council member Hakob Harutyunyan were lying in bed during those days. The last two died.

When I came to see Aram, he always replied, “I’m fine.”

On the 18th day of his illness, he lost consciousness and remained in that state almost until the end, waging a fatal struggle against the disease. And death won. On January 29, Aram was no more. He died at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. I was informed by phone.

When I approached Aram's apartment a few minutes later, Hovhannes Kajaznuni and Avetik Sahakyan were coming out.

Inside, in a corner of the spacious hall, by the window, stood Dr. Babalyan, sad and preoccupied.

The door leading to Aram's bedroom was open. He was lying breathless on the bed.

Sobs could be heard from the next room. I approached the bed and knelt down...

I was brought out of my dissociation by the pitiful, heart-wrenching groans. I raised my head. It was the sister from Van who had been taking care of Aram until his wife moved to Yerevan.

Aram's funeral was a great national mourning. Thousands of people came to pay their last respects to the man to whom they had entrusted their fate during the most difficult days.

I knew what Aram had been to those people, but even so, when we took the coffin out of the apartment, what I saw outside for a second sobered up the impact of the great loss and caused astonishment. Wherever you looked, there was a sea of ​​people. The whole city, big and small, had come out onto the streets. From the Boghos-Bedros Church to the funeral home, the hearse remained empty. The coffin was carried on hands.

In front of the Dashnaktsutyun House, funeral eulogies were spoken. It was magnificent and unforgettable, especially Nikol Aghbalyan’s speech. Kajaznuni, Abraham Gyulkhandanyan and others spoke at the funeral home.

That day, the capital of Armenia was engulfed in general mourning.

Arshaluys Astvatsatryan