The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-25
U. S. ANARCHISTS
ARE LEADERS IN
PETROCRAD PLOT
Housed in Palace There and
Refuse to Surrender.
Beautiful Home Has Become
Squalid Rendezvous.
WILL BATTLE WITH TROOPS
Fifteen of 80 Unwashed Deni-
zens Are From America.
Fly Huge Banners: "Death to
the Capitalists"
BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.


Petrograd. June 25.-Fifteen Rus
SLAMS who lived in America are leaders
in the group Of anarchists which the
government has been attempting for
days to persuade to abandon General
Dornovo's house here. They have
made the beautiful building a filthy
hole; they are disobeying the law
against drinking of vodka: they are
threatening to give the government
hot time in ejecting them
A party of Americans were per-
mitted by the anarchists to visit the
garden of their headquarters in this
building today. Huge black banners
with the motto Death to all capital
lists" fly in the breeze. Armed SEN
tries guard every approach.
Welcome U. s. Correspondent.
As I approached close to one gate
way youth with a rifle carelessly
hitched on his arm shouted:
Come on in old boy-you are an
American"
Immediately he thawed Quite more
in hearty welcome, speaking halting
English with an American twang
No sooner had he begun to greet
me in English than a score of others
clustered near, all excitedly and brok-
emily trying to talk at once.
The crowd on the sidewalk out
side where the black banners marked
look
ed on with amazement The average
Russian regards an anarchist as a
super-devil, hardly human and they
couldn't understand the apparently
JOYFUL accents with which I was
greeted
Where do you live in America %
hat papers do you wri, e for?"
VIII what you write be published
in Detroit ,"
DO you write for any Frisco news
naDerg 2f'-Vprl some Of
hurled at me as I was led thru the
portals to the inner court yard.
How many of you here are from
the states ?" 1 asked. Fifteen was
the reply.
Were Anarchists in United States.
What are you acting like this
for?"
We're anarchists always one man
answered. proudly. We were when
we were in the United States-but we
never got a chance for action. Now Is
our chance, and we are making the
best of it"
Don't you believe in war;"
ITO hell with war-we've a bigger
fight here against the capitalists"
do you favor a separate peace"
We're in favor of any old kind of
n peace. But we are not towards
We are all likely 20 be killed when the
government calls out the troops to
eject us from here
bolya scra pe2' I asked. referring to a
disturbance attributed to the anarch-
lists.
Sure" responded one youth who
went on to explain that he had work
cd in a Detroit automobile factory
What do you think of this he
asked patting his revolver. That S
the argument we're going to use"
Yes" INTERCEPTED a man who said
he was formerly an expert machinist
at Cleveland. land lots of big pota-
toes tRussian slang for bombs) will
also be used.
One IA New York Iiunman-
Better come around in the morn
ing" he continued. The government
will be sending troops against us.
Wen die before we surrender. You
will see war in these wardens.
There were about ninety anarchists
in the headquarters. Their leaders are
Americans-and one of the Ameri-
cans is a gunman who came from New
York on a steamer via Norway. Off
cials here declare the gunman type
the most violent of all anarchists.
Inside the Dornovo home, dirt and
filth are apparent everywhere. The
men themselves were patiently I'M
bathed None seems to take the trou-
BILE to shave. 1 saw several young and
pretty girls about the rooms.
Our party was freely offered the
forbidden vodka. Our leaders said
there was a plentiful supply on hand
Everything indicated the anarchists
were having the most lurid time OF
their lives. All Petrograd agrees with
them in expectation of a fierce
pitched battle soon, to force theil
election from the Dornovo home.