The Washington herald., 1919-06-08
Peggy Hull Locates
Infamous Decree
And Its Tragedy In
a Tiny Town. =
ny PEGGY HULL


Woman War Corrcsponaeaf with the
Pigs s1ueaied. a hen cackled. baby
was crying. turned over in my
sleeping bag and opened my eyes
trying TO remember where / was. II
requires a lot of mental gymnastics
to Jump from q farm In Kansas to a
village in Siberia which has just been
besieged by the Bolsheviks. ac-
complished II gradually as / took In
my surroundings.
The room was fairly clean for a
Russian housewife. The floor was
bare but showed ID satisfying results
Of many scrubbing The waits were
unpapered but bits OF crocheted and
embroidered pieces were tackled here
and there. and a couple of coloreu
pictures represented Russian festivals.
An icon hung in the corner at the
foot OF my sleeping bag, IL was
smaller and less, elaborate than The
ones I had seen In the homes OF
wealthy Russians In viadIvostok.
Two beds occupied one-half of the
small room and I Judged the other
half was used as a living room. There
was a round table covered with-a gay
cotton cloth of red, green and a few
trfnkets OF cheap china. ! came to
tho conclusion that this peasant home
was somewhat better of than the ma
jority. The beds alone were almost a
sign OF plutocracy. An ar1nful OF hay
and few rags constitute the averag 81
PEASANTS sleeping quarters.
A rap at a door interrupted m,
musings and ! overheard an eloquent
flow of Russian. Then a familiar
Voice said. something in French and
knew Maj. G. p. Morton had come fol-
me.
scrambled out Of my bag, pulled or
my boots and hustled into my tuni
and I was dressed. 1t would be use
less to comb my hair. because my ful
cap covered It completely.
The little old Russian woman VIII
had been my hostess for the day wa
entertaining the major and a Russial
officer in the kitchen.
! discovered the pigs Immediately
There was a large one and eight Lit
tie cnes. They nosed around the tin,
room stepped on the majors feet an,
the old pig tried to root him out o
her way.
A hen was setting on a nest o
eggs in the corner and a baby wal
fast asleep on the brick stove.
story of BoIshevik Tyranny.
With the Russian officer actins
as an interpreter, madame told us
her story. which equaled in tyrann,
anything that ever occurred undel
the monarchy.
At the first uprising Of the Bol.
ChnViER har ~
ed by a committee and told to take
up arms against the ''bourgeoisie'
or die. He refused to fight agains,
the people who had done nothing to
incur his eamity.
The committee went away anS
three days later madame. who haS
frantically searched for him through
out the village, found his body
face downwards in a little forest al
the edge of town. There was a bull.
let wound in his back.
When the Americans came TO 81.
IBERIA they had the idea that tho
morals of all Russian women were
on par with those of a Parisiar
coquette.
They soon found out that the
| average OF immortality here was nc
hhoh ~ - Ih Ant nll0C
States,
In some ways it is not so surrep.
titious, perhaps, for a Russian will
travel openly with his mistress, but
the laws of the country are respon.
sible for that-not the morals oi
ITS women.
Three sons had died on the East
ern front during the first year oil
the war. The only one left had beer
on a trapping expedition when hi,
father was visited. Upon his return
the same committee called on him
1t was either fight or be killed. n,
left his wife and baby with hi.
| mother. That was over a year az,
and they had not heard from him
He was probably dead
And the daughter-in-law-wh wa,
she?
For the first time the old lady.
voice faltered. Tears welled up ir
.he faded eyes and tumbled dowr
her wrinkled cheeks She brought
from box a folded paper and hand.
% II to the Russia officer,