The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-17
Bolsheviki Kill
Without Reason

0M0SK, April 17.-Indisputable
evidence of the massacre by the boil
sheviki of more than 1000 civilians
in and near the town of Osa has been
obtained by MessrsSimmonds and
Emerson and DR.. Rudolph Teusler, Of
the American Red Cross, who have
just returned from Perm, 0sa and
other reoccupied Russian territory.
Approximately 500 persons were kill
ed at Osa, and 800 in the surround
ing districts.
0sa, which has population of 10,-
900, was so denuded of males by the
bolsheviki, that Gen. Casagrande, up
on the occupation Of the town, was
obliged to telegraph Yekaterinburg
for men to administer civic affairs.
In addition to securing verbal and
documentary evidence the American
Red Cross officials witnessed the
exhuming Of scores of victims from
trenches, where they were buried.
The murders were without provoca-
tion, and the victims were largely Of
the thrifty and intelligent classes or
servants of the church, which latter
it was the announced intention of
the bolsheviki to exterminate.
Atrocities Are Unthinkable.
The evidence disclosed almost un-
thinkable atrocities. A blacksmith,
by economies had obtained shop.
He was required to pay 5000 rubles;
because he could not, he was shot.
A man was shot because he lived in
brick house. All attorneys and ju-
rists were killed, and doctors, were
disposed Of in a similar manner.
The body of woman was exhumed
and identified in the presence Of
Americans as the wife of general
through her jewels sewed in the lin
ing of her clothing, of which relatives
were aware.
A wife required to pay thousand
rubles for the release of her husband,
borrowed 500 and paid it over; later
she returned with the remainder, and
then was informed that her husband
had been shot. There were scores
of similar cases. All were killed with
out form of a trial,
The soviet prepared lists of those
to die. Houses were visited by
squads, the doors were smashed in
and the victims dragged to the edge
of town and forced to dig their own
graves.
Men Burned Alive.
A survivor testifes that ne had
seen men thrown into a pit and bur-
led alive. This testimony has been
confirmed by bodies exhumed.
The bolshevik attitude toward the
church was uncompromising. Priests
were hunted numerically, The evl-
dence showed that men were slain
whose only offense was that. they
worked as Sections or caretakers OF
churches.
In the Perm district everything of
value was stolen from the churches,
the monastry was looted and several
priests were murdered. In some
places the schools continue, but reli-
gious teaching is barred, branches Of
study being dependent upon commit
tees of the pupils. Ignorant persons
substituted for the teachers devote
their time to teaching bolshevism.
Careful inquiry, the American OBJ
servers say, showed that there was
nothing constructive in any town un-
der boShevik control Money and
property were requisitioned and ex-
travagantly dissipated. 1t is relia-
bly, related that theoretical bolsheviki
drafted into the Russian army, who
went to the front uttering threats
that they would refuse to fight
against their brother bolsheviki, were
disenchanted on witnessing the re-
suits of the bolSheviki occupation,
and developed into the most ardent
enemies Of the bolshevikii