Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-11-17
PRISONERS. MEN AND WOMEN,
JAsiMED INTO ROOMS WITH
BARELY ROOM TO MOVE
CALLED OUT At NIGHT AND SHOT
Reuter- Correspondent Describes
How Bolshevik Pour volleys Into
Groups OF Their Victims

London, Oct. 20.--sufferings of
some OF tho British residents OF Mos
COW In the Bolshevik prisons In that
city where they were kept for six
weeks after having been arrested by
tho Red Guards upon fiimsy pretexts
are yividly portrayed by Guy Ber-
inger. Reuter- correspondent nj
Moscow who was set free early this
month and has reached Haparando.
Sweden.
BerInger, IN his report wired from
Haparanda. says he was arrested
while in the home OF the British
chaplain adjoining the British con-
sulate In Moscow. and together with
tho chaplain and several other Eng
lish men and women was marched
on foot two miles through the streets
90 the Lubyanka House OF Detention.
II was separated from my COM
panions and was led TO a room In
which were some 80 prisoners, most
ly civilians including few women"
writes Mr.. Beringer. IL spent five.
days and nights In this room in
which there was Just sufficient space
for tho inmates TO sleep on the floor.
There was no bed OF any kind, for
food we had piece OF black bread
and n few dips with wooden spoon
into n bowl OF the thinnest possible
cabbage soup containing some her.
ring heads. Eight OF us had to share
the contents OF this one bowl. Many
people who we're without provisions
from the outside we're literally in a
state OF starvation.
Like the Russian prisoners we
were treated as helots and were ad-
dressed insultingly in the second
person by low brutes among the Red
Guards.
Late one night when some OF the
other prisoners were singing sud-
denly there was a death-like hush.
! looked up and saw Red Guard
officer and soldiers standing at the
opening to the ante-room In which
the prison guards we're stationed. A
list OF twelve names of civilians and
soldiers was read out. No one
doubted what this meant. II was
the list OF those set down for imme-
diate execution. II included two
pairs OF brothers. All the condemn
cd men rose without delay and
shook hands with their neighbors.
Not one showed the slightest fear.
'The iron folding doors between
the big room and the ante-room we're
then closed. This was done only
when prisoners were taken away for
execution. The doors remained
closed for few minutes. and were
then reopened and the names OF two
other soldiers who had previously
been overlooked were called out.
These also rose without tremor
and the folding doors we're shut a
second and last time. The condemn
ed prisoners were either shot in the
Easements OF the prison with their
backs to the firing party or they
were taken out to the suburbs in
motor lorries and there told to get
out and get away. Then volleys
we're poured into them while they
were walking or running away. The
bodies are sometimes recoverable by
relatives on payment of heavy
bribes.
"The conditions OF our intern
ment were so vilely sordid that It is
no wonder that the minds Of some
OF the more refined prisoners be-
came unhinged." Beringer wires.
'"The Bolshevik leaders show no
mercy. In their newspapers they
hold up Marat as the ideal friend
OF the people. They urge that his
example should be followed and
preach the determination Of the en-
tire middle class"