South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-01
WOMAN DESCRIBES
RUSSIAN BAT TIE
Tells of Fight Between BOl-
Sheviki and Cadets, Watch
ed From Cellar.

SEATTLE. Wash, March j.
How Americans huddled for eight
days IN the basement of hotel In
Moscow. Russia, while the battle
between the bolsheviki and cadets
loyal 10 the government RACED over
their heads. is told iE a wildly in
teresting letter received here By rel
auves OF Mrs. Helen Meserve, for
merly of this city, who has spent
the last three and one-half years
with her husband I'm Russia.
Harry Meserve. her husband. is
representative OF the National City
bank OF New York in PetrOgrad and
Moscow.
Living like rats and running
from place 20 place 20 avoid the
bullets OF the machine guns and the
shells OF the larger guns" Mrs Me-
serve says. was an experience she
hopes never 10 undergo again.
The first part of her letter is dat
ed Nov. Il, 1917, at Moscow. 1t
says:
Yesterday we were able TO leave
the hotel in Moscow and are now
at the French military headquar-
ters. Tor eight days we were under
bombardment and for three hours
the guns OF the anarchists were
turned directly on the Hotel Ma
tional, where great damage was
done. All the windows were broken
and the walls torn by the big shells.
Lived Like Rats.
The last few days we lived like
rats in the cellar, running from
place TO place for safe shelter. Dur
ing all the bonn bardment we did not
take our clothes off and sat up two
nights"
Four days later the letter vas
continued at the Hotel d Europe in
Petrograd. The letter continues:
we arrived here yesterday i'm a
Red Cross train and are leaving for
home just as soon as we possibly
can get out. I will try and tell a
little more about our experiences in
Moscow.
"The firing began at 10
O'Clock at night At first only a
few shots were fired. There was
positively no warning OF any kind,
as we knew the government had
been taken over by the bolsheviki
Ohis party is composed of anar-
chists and socialists, the former
rule in great majority.
Our rooms were on the corner
Of the hotel and our windows were
riddled with bullets while we were
dressing early in the morning pre-
paratory to leaving.
In Center of Fight.
I'VE were in the very center of
The battlefield. The fight was be-
tween the bolsheviki and the cadets,
the latter standing by the govern
ment and the former trying 10 over
throw it. There was very little TO
eat in the hotel, and again the Red
Cross men came to our rescue and
we did our own cooking.
con Sunday the cadets took pos
session OF the hotel. ON Monday the
bolsheviki began TO FIRE on it with
rifles only Nearly all the windows
we're broken and we lived in the
halls. on Tuesday the big guns We're
turned Immediately ON us and the
TWO upper stories destroyed. The
big gun firing continued for three
long and horrible hours.
The entire hotel became so fill
Ell with smoke and gas it was diff
fcult TO breathe. and we could
scarcely see ten feet away.
The firing from the anarchists
drove the cadets from our hotel
and on Tuesday night the anarchists
took possession.
The battle continued for four
DAYS more. the bolsheViki iring
from our hotel and the cadets FIR
ing back on Wednesday the firms
was SO heavy that the halls were
even safe. and We went 10 the
lar. where we stayed a couple OF
days and nights.
1T was not only the hring-that
was expected ~ but the bolshevik
had demanded the keys TO the wine
cellar. which had been refused. NJ
one knew when they might use
force and get them. You cannot inn
agine what awful looking people
these men are a large part seem
ed TO be deserters from the army
and they looked as If there was
nothing they would stop at
Finally the firing seemed 10 d.
minish. and on Saturday We learn.
ed the cadets lad been defeated.