The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-17


 murder and plunder, the worst out
 rages of the Bolshevise regime in
 Wilma must be attributed.
 Degrading Work for Rich.
 Murder, however. was only a part
 of the tale that Wilma had to dis close. The day after the Bolsheviks arrived here they published the names of fifty-two persons. everyone of
 whom. it was announced had been arbitrarily assessed at 100000 marks. All these persons endeavored to se-
 cure the money, but already the banks 1 had been thoroughly footed and, with
 out cash of any kind were closed. The whole fifty-two persons were then rounded up and imprisoned for a period of about two weeks, at the ! end of which time they were taken out and compelled to perform during the rest of the Bolsheviki occupation | labor of the most disgusting sort. For ! these people who in measure repres- ented the community's most cultured element. there was no way out, and for three months, day after day, they were held to the vile services to which | they had been assigned.
 Looting of course, began with the
 first hour of the Bolshevik's arrival and continued to the last moment of their staying. In the beginning it took | the form of a wholesale shifting about ! of furniture found fin the private homes of the city. The Bolshevtst of- ficials and officers, even the private soldiers, simply went proving about
 seiztng whatever caught their fancies for their own use. Not merely furni- ture and linen and the like were taken. but both male and female
 wearing apparel; and in this period ] 1t was almost a common occurrence that some woman would be stopped ! on the street and compelled to give | over even here wedding ring to the armed ruffian who had halted her. This. for example, happened to the Countess Wieiigorska upon the single occasion during the Communistic re- : gfme when she ventured out of doors Incidentally the palace of the Count ess WieligorsSa was taken over by the Bolshevists. she and her two young daughters given one small room and the three of them compelled . to cook. serve, perform all household tasks for the twenty men who had quartered themselves in her home Official Looting
 The official footing with an order issued in January requisitioning with out reimbursement one half of all stocks in the stores of the city These when they had been seized were not kept in Wilma, but were placed in
 crates and sent to Moscow, together with a certain amount of the more valuable stuff found in private homes A third move was to decree a Fate of Poverty which consisted of permission
 of all the poor of the city to go about and help themselves to whatever pos- | sessions of the rich they wanted and | could find. Accordingly on the morn ing of Sunday, April 4, came swarm ing up from the meaner portions of the city an incredible horde of plum derers. and during that entire day
 such marvellous old buildings as the Tyszkiewcz Palace, in which this ac- count Is being written, were simply overrun with a ragged, consciousless, unsuitable crowd of freebooters. and ] the streets are said to have been ut- erally congested with entire families franucally endeavoring to lug home Lheir takings with all speed, in order | that they might return as ouick1v | as possible for more. endeavored to oiscover what was the line of demar- eaton between the rich and the poor.
 and was informed that under the Fete | of Poverty order anyone might take | from any other person richer than himself. The consequence appears to l have been that in not a few insta nces | some who went forth to loot returned | to lind that their own dwellings had | Tn their absense been pillaged. The | conrusion of personal belonging in | Wilma resulted from this Fete of
 Poverty was simply incredible. and if
 should be added that there were at
 least several homicides as a result or i the grotesque event
 | In connection with the Po1sh.,. | footing in Wilma one curious fact nani-
 rests itself. Most of the eight thous-
 ana onicials and soldiers who came | to the city appear to have had an
 oVerwheInfng desire not so much for
 ilne ciothing and jewelry as for fur
 niture. Officers and men alike seem | 10 nave been obsessed with a wish to
 equip their quarters sumptuously and
 there is story told of Berson the
 Boishevist leader, who was in effect l the Srand Commissioner of the town.
 berson who formerly was a chauffeur ana IS described as a person of ex- l ceedinEly marked grossness in every particular had an especial craze for desks. He had the entire city searched
 the day after the Bolsheviks came in
 Tor desk that seemed to him suita ble
 Tor his use. and not until a very won- derful Florentine table of almost fab- ulous value was discovered fin the Iyszkfewcz Palace was he satisfied
 And 1t was from this table symbol
 in measure of all things in the world that he and his following were seek ing to destroy that Berson gave such
 direction to affairs of Wilma as they
 received during Bolshevist regime.