The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-23
Charles r. Crane Says Am
bassadOr, With Revolver,
Held Back Mob.
WARNING SENT OF
IMPENDING DANGER
Crowd Angered Because It Heard That
United States Was About to Execute
"Comrade Mum Threat to Kill
First to Advance

FIRST TO Advance.
:. NEW YORK, Jan. 23.-The details
of how David R. Francis. American am
bassador at Petrograd, overawed a
crowd of Bolsheviki, who swarmed at
the entrance of the Ambassador s home
and threatened to wreck the embassy
because they had heard that the United
States government was about to execute
-t Comrade MUM, were told the other
day by Charles r. Crane, who was a
member of the Root commission to
Russia. A brief account of the in
cident was contained in special tele-
gram from Washington to New York
paper Dee. p.
This incident occurred after Lenine
had established himself at the Shu-
shunekia Palace, but before he had com
pletely overthrown Kerenskv, whose
government was then lettering. In some
mysterious manner a legend, developed
and elaborated upon by thousands of
street orators, had accumulated about
the "Muni case, and the United
States government was being attac ked
from hundreds of street corners as a
combination of dark and reactionary
forces which was about to make an
Italian radical called "'Mnni' the vic
tim of judicial murder
The ease of MUM was naturally
unknown at the time to the American
ambassador and to other Americans in
Petrograd, as hardly a ripple of interest
i'll the trial of Thomas j. Mooney at
San Francisco, for the alleged explo-
sion of bomb at the preparedness pa
rade, had been made even in this coun-
try outside of the Pacific coast. until
after the strange outbreak had taken
nlace i'll Petrograd. based on the Boil
shevik VERSIONS OF the affair. The
Bolsheviki, which was full Of leaders
from New York city radical groups,
got their information from New York
members of the Bolsheyiki
"A Italian agitators in Petrogrdd appro-
priated Mooney for their fellow -coun-
trymap IN phonetic ground. and Ameri-
can a9itators, whether they knew bet
ter or not, conceded = NUM- to the
Italian agitators, some of whom were
very influential with Petrograd mobs
MI. NidHt SilN
This news of the persecution of
MUM was made the subject of a vio-
lent discussion from the Lenine palace,
and an Italian agitator so influenced
the crowd that, when he proposed that
it should go and clean out the Ameri-
can Embassy, he was able to gather a
large following Of what was known as
the Black Flag group.
1.-The government, which felt itself
impotent, telephoned to the ambassador
that the situation was serious, and that
it could only warn him, but could not
protect him. The ambassador was Civ
ing dinner party at the time, and the
guests, on hearing the news, imme-
diately prepared to leave the embassy.
They begged the ambassador to come
along with them. They were seriously
concerned for his safety, but he re
fused to leave the mbassy.
1t was at time for professions
The streets were full of them. They
were being held for every conceivable
purpose, at all hours of the day and
night The procession headed by the
Italian crossed the Ncva and passed a
group of Red Flag people, holding 4
meeting. The Red Flag group asked
where they We're going.
| TO clean out. the American EN-
| bassy, was the rcspnnse.
The Red Flag mob tried to inter
fere, but the Black Flag pushed theil
way through and continued on their
way to the American Embassy
Government officials teIephoned q
second time to the American ambas5a
J Il L.
danger and asked aim to take measures
for his personal safety. Instead of lcav
ing the embassy. however, the ambaS
sador sent for his negro servant, Phil
and had him bring his revolver ant
| load it.
: \ little later cries Of the approach
ing procession wer" heard from tn,
street. The ambassador ordered al
lights lit downstairs and stationed him
self at the main door. In a few min
utes the head of the procession arrived
and pushed in the door. The ambassa
DOR with his revolver i'll his hand
stopped the leader, SAYING:
Stop; what 5 tne matter?
:" Your government is about to exc
cute our comrade, "Muni, - said
leader, and we have come TO cleal
out the embassy.
don t know anything about thi
matter, said the Ambassador.
= The leaders Of the mob ordered hin
out of the way and insisted that the,
were going to clean out the cmbassy
The ambassador said:
stop. This is not Russia. This
American soil. You can put your foo
: in here.
They continued to press forward
threateningly, and the ambassador sal
sternlv: This is American soil. and
will kill the first man to cross tn
5 threshold
Ambassador Francis, who has Ker
: lucky blood in his veins and is a ma
J of imposing presence, intended to carr
out his threat and impressed the leac
ers with this fact They hesitatet
!, Now, get out, get out said the an
i bassador, with emphasis.
1.-THE crowd moved back from the el
TRACE, and after some indecision gay