Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-05
BR|TONS AROUSED
BY SOVIET CRIME
Newspapers Indorse Threat
of Government Following
Capt. Cromie's Death.
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON. September 5.-The attack
on the British embassy in Petrograd
last Saturday, involving the sackins of
the embassy and the killing of Capt.
Cromie. the British attache. has
aroused intense indignation here.
The London morning newspapers in
their editorials denounce the act in the
strongest terms and indorse the Brit,
ish governments action in the demand
upon the bolshevik government for re-
paration and the threat of declaring
outlawry for the members of the soviet
government should it fail to give COM
plete satisfaction or should further
acts of violence be committed against
British subjects.
According to the foreign Offices ad-
vices. Capt. Cromie opposed the boil
shevik troops and killed three SOL
dierS with his own hands. capt.
cromie was killed and his corpse was
mutilated. The documents at the en-
bassy were destroyed.
1t is feared that similar outrages
Will be committed against the French
embassy at Petrograd. Precautionary
measures have been taken. the for
ei.n office says. and some French SOL
diers already have arrived at Petro-
grad The bolshevik are reported to
be encouraging the populace TO
massacre the British and French.
The Times says that the account of
fba affair given by the bolshevik
newspaper Pravda shows that 1t was
a considered act of the bolsheNik
government. and not mere outbreak
of brigandsse. The Times calls for
the exemplary punishment of the
,,urderers and their accomplices. 1t
approves the British warning against
further acts Of violence. adding tina .
there are about 100 British subjects
vet in that part of Russia in which
Iii
Capt Francis Cromie. who had re-
ceiyed the distinguished service order.
was one of the first officers to COM
maad a submarine. At the outbreak
of the war he commanded the Hong
Kong submarine flotilla In 1915 he
Commended the E-19 in the Baltic.
which torpedoed a German destroyer
and the German cruiser Cndine, and
sank or captured ten German steam
ers.
sumed command of the Baltic aotilla:
He was awarded the distinguished
service order in May. 1916. and then
came a succession of Russian honors
During the Russian retolutlon he nan
died the situation with the Greatest .,s
tact and earned the respect OF the
extremists for his fair dealing. He
was responsible in April. 1918, for the
destruction and evacuation OF the
British submarines in the Baltic after
the Germans hdu opldlheu Soht!oi oNei
the Baltic coast. He was appointed to
the staff of the British embassy at
Petrograd because of his knowledge
of the Russian language and the pre-
vailing conditions.
Forty Persons Arrested.
AMSTERDAM September "Details
of the search of the British en-
bassy in Petrograd last Saturday
fp1o
quoting the newspaper Pravda.
Forty persons. for the most part Brit
ish subjects. We're arrested, the news
paper states. The reasons for the ac-
ton. it says. were that the Moscow
authorities had received a report re-
revolutionary organizations and the
embassy.
one of the bolshevik commissioners
it is added, was instructed to investi-
gate the report. it being supposed that
the counter revolutioniSts, Savinkoff
and Filonenko. were hiding in the
embas ssy. Accompanied by a detach-
ment of scouts. the account says, this
commissioner. NJ. Hitler, went to the
embassy and. proceeding to the first
floor, was met by shots, which killed
one of the scouts and wounded an
other.
A fight ensued in the embassy and
the scouts were obliged to fire, it is
declared, and Attache Cromie was
killed The police then entered the
embassy and arrested forty persons,
including Prince chaschowsky. 1t is
alleged that weapons and compromis-
ing documents were found in the en-
basSy.
The murder of Capt. Cromie was
confirmed today by United States Con-
, sui Haynes. who stated that the entire
personnel of the British embassy WAS
arrested. Similar arrests took place
simultaneously in Moscow.