The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-05-30
vlCE-CoNsUL AFFORD RETURNS.


Ridden Russia is at Home
Mr.. T. Brooks Afford, American
Vice-Consul at Riga, Russia, arriv-
ed in the city last week on six
weeks furlough after two years
absence. Mr.. Afford landed at San
Francisco and came by Washington
where he spent a week making a per-
sonal report to the Foreign Office
of conditions in Russia.
Mr.. Afford, the son of Mrs. Annie
Afford and the late J. F. Afford, was
appointed Vice-Consul to Riga two
years ago He sailed in January of
1915 but owing to poor transporta-
tion facilities as result of the war
he was six weeks reaching his post.
Mr.. Afford talks Interestingly of
conditions in Russia. He was at Riga
when the Germans made their ad-
vance on that city. Before the city
feel into hands of the Germans, how
ever, he received orders to transfer
the consulate to Petrograd and when
that city was threatened he moved
the consulate to Moscow. Mr.. Afford
said the people had become hardened
to the horrors of war and that even
long before he reached Russia
wounded or dying soldiers being
carried through the streets on STREET
chers had ceased to attract at
tention. Aid raids by the Germans
were of frequent occurrence and that
people walked calmly along the
streets as hostile planes flew over
head and dropped death-dealing
bombs. Even little children contin-
ued at their games as bombs fell
within few yards of them, scarce
ly looking up as the planes circled
over the city leaving trail of death
and destruction.
When the revolution broke out
and public places. For several days
there were frequent clashes between
the opposing factions and it was not
an uncommon sight to see a pile of
corpses blocking traffic on some
prominent street or thoroughfare. 1t
was dangerous even for an American
to walk the streets and on one occa-
sion Mr. Afford did not leave his
room for seven days. When the revo-
luton first started and it was neces-
sary to clear the streets the military
authorities mounted machine guns
on the front ends of streets cars and
moved down masses of helpless peo-
pie like blades of grass before a
harvesting machine.
nf Of hityI,
rank were stripped of their shoulder
straps as they walked the streets,
and in many instances were shot
down like dogs when they offered
the slightest resistance. 1t became so
dangerous for an officer to walk the
streets that many of them donned
wOrkingmen's clothes and thus dis
guised passed among the revolu-
tionists in comparative safety.
The food problem in Russia, says
Mr.. Afford, is very acute. The Ger
mans have purchased Russian food
with whiskey and wine and these un-
holy transactions have added to the
horrors OF the situation. The revolu-
zionist sober is hard enough to deal
with, but when drunk with liquor
he becomes public menace and a
walking terror.
He says the Russian has great ad-
miration for the Americans and the
fact that one is native-born Amer
lean gives him passport to any Rus
sian home or any part of Russia not
in the hands of the Germans The
Russian, Mr.. Afford says, is look
ing to America as the Moses that
will lead him out of his present mis-
fortunes.
Returning home Mr. Afford trav-
eled almost around the world. He
could not return by the route he
took when he went to Russia because
then the United States was not at
war with Germany. He travelled as
the representative of neutral ma
tion and in going over passed
through lots of territory now held
by the Germans. He returned by
way of Japan after travelling 5000
miles through Siberia and from
Japan he took steamship to San
Francisco.
Mr.. Afford made talk at the
school auditorium Sunday afternoon
to large audience of Dillonites. He
gave them first-hand information of
conditions in Europe and his hours
instructive
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Allies Take Heavy Toll.