The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-12
0F TE'1jR
 UNDER B0| ..sifV|K|
 INCREASING DAILY Attempt to Shoot or Im- prison All Who Disregard
 Their Effort to Control THREATENS
 TO BURN MOSCOW
Night Made Hideous for Months Past by Volleys From Execution Squads. Even Aged and Helpless Are
 Being Thrown Into Prison

Stockholm, Tuesday. Sep tember 10.-By the Associated Press. July and August were months of horror which will never be forgotten by persons who watched Russia $ two great cities-Petroerad and Moscow-pass through the mad attempt of the bolsheviki to shoot or imprison all persons who disagreed with their wild efforts to control crumbling European Russia. September probably will be worse, for the opposition parties are gaining strength through desperation.
 The lives of the .nonbolshevikI are un- safe and everywhere in Russia self-de- fense IS forcing unwilling belligerents to take up arms against the ruthless persecution of the so-called confessions for the suppression of counter revoiu- tion. which shot down the bourgeoise by the hundreds
 Leon Trotzky, the bolsheviki minister of war. evidently is determined that his dictatorship of the proletariate shall not protect the history of the provisional government and fail through being too merciful.
 Ex-Premier Kerensky refused to im- pose the death penalty, and his govern ment fell almost without the loss of life, but observers of the Russian polit- ical situation say that no such blood less end can come to the soviet republic
 Premier Lenine, War Minister Trotzky Sverdioff. president of the central exec utive committee. and other bolshevik leaders, realize this and they doubtless will fight as long as a single soldier remains loyal to them.
 WILL BURN MOSCOW
 Trotzky has said in his speeches that Moscow will be reduced to ashes before 1t is surrendered Ravola, town on the Volga l60 miles northeast of Moscow, was burned for resisting bolshevfk domina- tion. and Vologda is reported to have suffereI the same fate.
 Night has been hideous in Moscow for mouths because of the volleys from ex- ecution squads in the military enclosures, where prisoners are kept. Foreigners and Russians alike were searched with out warrants
 Marie Spiridonova, social revolution ary leader. charged in her memora ble speech made before the all Russian so- viet conference at Moscow on July 4. that bolshevik rule was more tyrannical than that of the late Emperor and the reign of terror had scarcely begun at that time.
 GERMAN AMBASSADOR FLEES
 pr. Karl Helfrich, the German am bassa dor at Moscow, rushed back to Ber- lin and reported to his government that Moscow was in such state of anarchy that the embassy could not stay there. and he is alleged to have advised a dis continuance of diplomatic relatio with the soviet power.
 There is little wonder that Ambassador Helfrich had such an impression. Two attempts were made on his life while he was in Moscow
 fTkis is the first news to come out of Russia of an attempt being made against the life of the new German am at Moscow. His predecessor. Count Non Mirbach was assassina ted.)
 Shots were heard everywhere day and niait and motor lorries filled with armed soldiers dashed madly through the streets with utter disregard for the life of civil jars. The actual fighting which took place in the streets of Moscow on July : was far less terrifying to the public than were the endless days of sheer when the soldiers imposed on the helpless public by virtue of their afn.s.
 Men who have refused to fight the Cxecho -Slovaks on the sVolga have been arrested. Even the helpless and one old oman more than So years old, have heei taken into custody.