Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-04-25
IpER|Ls OF RELIEF WORK
IN WAR-R|DDEN RUSSIA
MIR. and Mrs. Carl G. Compton, OF
Chicago. Eiskcd Lives to
- Help Slavs.
SAW OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES BATTLE
Sar People Turn To Bolshcvism Bc-
cause They Didn't Have Enough
TO Live ON and Thought An,
Change Would BE Improvement.
oMsk. SIBERIA. April "a tsrcc.aD.

81 oMSK. SIBERIA. April - Especially.
4 Exciting adventures have fallen TO
: the lot OF Mrs Carl (. Compton. of
Chicago. who. viii. American womanly
] pluck, has accompanied her husband
~ many months OF humanitarian relief
8 work among the ArmcuIans and later
I durin tn most exciting months OF
the Bolshcvist revolution. They had
never 'cij Illinois before coming TO
/. the Caucasus for the committees on
( Armenian rclcf Now Air Compton is
work at oms<
They were first stationed at Alex
I amdr2rol caucasus then in the hand;
with industrial relief work. Positions
were found for refugees as they ar
rived. fleeing from turkey. They csti-
,natc that ;hey ana other members OF
the CORPS distributed clothing for L.
go" Armenian orphans. whose parents
was furnished 10 about 6O.0O0 refugees. !
Revolution HnIt> work.
Thnn suddenly tho Russian rcvolu- /
I lion dcTy'ion'I Tie Eolshcyist.s. ahan,- !
army advanced 1t was feared that thc
Germans would come down the Black /
go and - lie The line from Batum To- I
all the Americans TO leave at once. /
and spccal train conveying sixty I
ioreisnerS finally arrived at Eaku. on .
caught in battle between Eolshcvists
and Armenians on one side ana Tartars
they lived was dominated nv Tartars'
who sprayed The roadway with machine
gun bullets, For Three days they did
,rlr bread to live on. Eventually. by
l'IyInc a iliEh price. they We're able 20
charter q special steamer for Astra
5Shan. which is situated AZ the mouth
W. had to sleep on tho deck
compton The crew and the families
OF tho CROW Slept in the cabins and
refused to give them Up.
icc 10 break ~ in the NoIea aud then
we went up to Samara. The others
W ,s,5 on 10 Niadivostok The Bolshcv-
but VIC We're able to carry on general
Z Lief Thousands Of refugees came
through. and we started a soup kitchen
scncral hospitals were organized.
Exciting Time. Again.
We had rather an exciting time
at samara when the Czechs came in.
wecn The Eoislievist barracks and
the principal Eolshcvist club of the
CITY; The. plac" drew mos; OF the
lets came throuGr, our windows and
our room became filled with brick dusi
from the exploding shells The Boi-
roof and fired down on the Czech
soldiers. so we had a very good vinN
of the fighting. From my window
could have touched the Eolshevist
troops with my hand
We. were .awfullt glad 10 get down
tho wall and we could 50, the crd Of
the battle. Finally we heard the
Czechs cheering, and saw PEOPLE run.
ming from the houses. all making tho
sign OF the cross. The Czechs had
won. Everybody put On their best
ciothes and paraded in the streets
with bands. Collections were taken
up for the Czechs, who were hailed
as heroes and delivcrcrs
Chewed SunHowcr seed
When the Bolshevists had the city
We would sec them lying in the streets
They were always chewing sunnowe-
seeds"
Mr.. Compton said he had rever s,.n
any Bolshevist atrocities hut he had
seen proclarations issued by the Eol-
rhevists declaring they would butcher
the people II they captured the city
lie said that once q Boishcyi.;t broke
into an Americans room but had i'm
mediately apologize adding :ha;
America was the only friend Russia
had.
Mr. Compton also said that Russian
officers told him nine-tenths Of people
became BolshevistS because they didn';
iave enough 10 live on, ard hccaL%>
they thought anything would bc bet
Ter than their present condition.