The Washington herald., 1918-09-27
CITIES COWED
/ BY BLOOD FURY
OF BOLSHEVIKI
|Petrograd and Moscow Suf-
fer Horrors of Mass
Murder.
DIPLOMATS FATE DARK
DIPLOMATS FATE DARK
Entente Agents Harbored
in Norway's Legation
at Last Reports.

The State Department yester-
day was in receipt of information
from Russia which pales into in
significance the dreadful chroni-
cles of the French revolution.
Mass murder is the order OF
the day in both Petrograd and
Moscow. Thousands of persons
have been shot. other thousands
are dyiag of starvation in prisons,
women are being attacked and
outraged, and neither city offers
single place of refuge.
The latest report, dated Sep
tember IS, shows that on that day
the most violent elements of the
Bolsheyik' were in control in Pet
rograd. x ksgn OF terror had
been instituted by them and their
acts of frightfulncss were such as
| to COW the entire population. The
entire city, the report said, was
like a vast graveyard, not only
because OF the bodies of the dead,
but also because of the awful
stiffness that followed in the wake
of the murders
Many Jailed and Shot.
Hundreds of persons were arrested
and cast into vile jails at the point
of the bayonets of the Red Guards.
Unknown nupbers were being shot
daily at . DIT alone.
The repofef also said that LOO
persons. mostly former officers, were
under arrest as hostage for the lives
Of the Commissars, although no Com
missars have beeh injured since the
assassination of Uritsky.
Many of the 100 former officers are
believed to have been> deliberately
murdered in cold blood by the Boil
sheviki, as a recent storm, the re-
ports say, washed scores of bodies
ashore
The Bolsheviki refused to allow the
burial Of these bodies and they were
devoured by starved dogs along the
water front. Even this, Il is said.
had no effect on the population, which
is In the grip of deadly fear of the
Bolsheviki. and there appears to be
no hope of change in the situation,
Another report from Moscow, dated
September 9, shows conditions there
TO be just as horrible as in Petro-
grad. On that day the massacre OF
Russian citizens was still in progress
and $50 executions was the usual
quota each night. Up until then more
than Loo persons had been killed be-
cause they were suspected. in some
manner or another, Of being impli-
Gated In the plot to assassinate Len
inc.
On September 6, the report said, an
order was issued In Moscow for the
arrest of all the members of the Brit
ish diplomatic mission and the French
consul general and military attaches.
These officials. by chance. were In the
ONCE OF the American Consulate Gen.
eral, which had become an adjunct of
the Norwegian Legation, and on Sep
ternber they still had asylum there
rheir fate after that day. however,
Is, unknown.
These were the allied diplomats and
consular agents for whose benefit De-
Witt c. Poole. American Consul GEN
eral, remained In Moscow long after
he had turned the affairs Of his gov
eminent over to the Norwegian Le-
: cation and until he was ordered by
| the State Department to leave the
counry. Secretary Lansing announc-
ed yesterday that Mr.. Poole was safe
in stockholm, and his version Of af-
fairs In Russia Is expected to be far
more complete than the Information
yesterday, which came from varied,
but authentic sources.
British Consul in Kremlin.
The Norwegian attache, the re-
port continued, was endeavoring
to obtain a safe conduct for the
French citizens to go to the DAN
ish consulate and the English to
the Swedish consulate. On Sep
tember 3. however. Mr.. Lockhart,
| the British consul. was still i'm
prisoned in the Kremlin. He was
arrested and thrown into a cell on
September 4. The Soviet govern
ment had promised free departure
for French and British nationals,
except males from the age Of IS
to 40. Other, allies, 1t was said,
|, were free to go without restriction.
The terror Is directed against
the upper classes, which the Boil
sheviki have sworn to exterminate.
The government is doing nothing
to stop the excessea. T-hicherin.
foreign minister Of the Soviet gov
ernment, has declared to neutral
consuls that he regards foreign
| journalists as spies and that they
will be treated accordingly. A new
decree prescribes the same punish.
l ment for aliens as for Russians
! suspected OF counter revolutionary