Evening star., 1918-04-07
many SUFFER FROM !.
REDGUARDV|OLENcE
RevoIutionists Robbed, Plum
dered, Raped and Burned !
for Mere Pleasure.
SWEDISH REFUGEES DIARY
,osr.spondsncs Of the As.ociat.d Pru.s.

Cosfsspondsncs Of the Associates Pr0a.
COPENHAGEN. March 6.@The terror :
inspired among the dsfenselsss people,
Of Helsingfofs by tho murders ana
outrages committed BY the rcd guard
y the first days Of the revelation In
Finland is graphically described in .
diary written on tho spot BY Swedish
refugee. Tho account received hero
mentions that one Of the victims Of
the massacres in the Finnish capital
was 'virkunen. q well known Finnish
athlete. The diary reads In part:
''Sunday-This afternoon the red
guards took possession Of the Heising- :
fors railway station. Soon aftsrward
they seized all printing establish
ments. newspaper onioes and bankA
The revolution was carried through
with q rapidity and energy which oom-
pletely overpowered the existing a. I
thor1ties.
'1GondayI1he morning was osn-
parativeiy quiet. but early In shs ar
ernoon serious disturbanoes began.
Shots were Ared against the HOto1 ]
Kasmf. and Immediately aftsfwAsd. !.
the red guards began bombarding I
that shots had been hred from thsrs-
The leader Of the red guards, . tail
man in oil slkins. stood In the, maF1kst
place and directed the firing. your
thousand shots were fred In half m !,
parently being to spread terror: ~.
which respect 1t sucoesdedf complsteey.
, vnonendihg Persons Murdered.
'.Tuesday1The new .governmsne vas
proclaimed today. The ministers. GA
cept for three we'll known red4 AfV ,
perfect nonenities. The diet has been
swept away. and the soviet formed.
consisting Of thirty-nve msmbsrA a
proclamation decrees tho seiyure Of al
capital. Ths books Of all private !
banks are taken over, and NO peFuoQ
10 allowed to draw more than 500 msslEs :,
week. All deposits over 10000 marks
are con6Dcated. Another. proclamafton.l
states that It 10 prohihited to eoliso&
house rent. that any one found IN POS
session Of arms after twenty-four houEN \
viii be shot.
are being murdered by the score. The
editor of local newspapsr, A. r.
Frenckell. has been murdered In cold
blood. a.. also Virknnen. the Ttnnish
athlete. who was editor Of the Finnish ]
found that their foliowsrs could not Ss
curbed. The elite OF the red guard
consists largely OF bandits, escaped
convicts. criminals. thieves and a.
sassins. reinforced by unscrupulous
police stations the control IN I'm the
hands OF rogueR An lliterate postman
has been appointed director Of the
postal service and q Russian bralkeman
is director general OF railways.
: AL control OF the mob IL slipping.
from the hands OF the leaders. The
death standard has been hoisted over
what was formerly the ofacsrS casino
and on all vessels in the port, indicat.
Ing that further massacres are in stors.
Many Tortured and Killed.
."Thursday-rwo members of the dise, 4
. lawyer named Mikola ana q clergy
man named Beck. were shot Five
other msmbers were taken prisoners /
and probably have been killed. -Four
hundred members Of the white guard !
hays been slain and countless murders
where people Of all ages h8ve been tor
to describe.
devoted to Wholesale robbery. or. ~ the
red guards call II. 'dispossession.'
Among the many purposeless MUIR
ders. that Of the young student HJslt
~ WQItut Oh u10uuOn. k4l8 x1IneT A8Q
died q natural death 1t Kerava, ana he
went to the little town to bring his
fathers body to Helsingfors for burial
NJ kerava he was shot although he
explained why he had come. Later on
some of the red guards realized that
they had committed an unusually !.
shameful deed, and sent q representa- :.
tive around to apologize to the family,
explaining that the young man had ,
been shot by mistake and it was really !
fN<ad W ATnn
killed. Again and again the same ex- !
cuse IL made for the murder Of unofss.
Tending persons.
Car Contained Sixteen corpsea
'on a railway siding I noticed q car :
sixteen corpses. These six- ,
teen persons had taken refuge in a :
them a safe conduct II they would give .
up their arms They did 30 and were :
shot one by one as they came ont of :
their hiding place. As the shots failed :
to Kill several Of them. the wounded
men were dragged into the waiting
room of the station. where the reds
murdered them with blows from the
butt ends Of their rifles This station
became forthwith the center Of q cam
paign of Infamous massacre, tho reds
sallying forth from 1t for q variety of
and robberieA
There was no plan to the action of :
the reds-they robbed, plundered, raped
and burned for mere pleasure and iust
Of destruction. Former revolutions had
their tribunals; this one is not trou-
bled with such formalitiea The old
Gen Silverhelm was murdered because
his nephew was in the white guard:
the chief customs officer a Montyluoto.
because he had denounced q Russian
soldier for theft. Eighty youths were
murdered outside Tammerfore with 8 =
brutality passing all bounds" -