The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-15
RUSS GRANDMOTHER .BEGS FOR J. s. AID
 IN KIDDING NATION .OF BOLSHEv|K BLOT
Aged Woman Stands Before Senate Propaganda Com mittee and Pleads That
 Machinery and Other
 Materials Be Sent
By Associated Press

Washington, February 14. c Il rine Breshkovskaya, grandmother of the Russian revolution," stood before the Senate propaganda inquiry committee today and pleaded earnestly that America send machinery and other materials to Russia at once to aid in an industrial reconstruction which she said would result in ridding the nation of the bolshevik bur den. Allied troops, she said, would be effective against ths "brigand bolsheviki" only if augmented and sent on the of fensive.
 Would allied troops be welcomed by all Russians except the bolsheviki?'' questioned Senator Sterling of South Da. kota.
 Certainly, certainly" replied the aged wcman earnestly. Our people there are so tired of the bolsheviki, so tired. They have asked aid from you for a year. Come and beat the bolsheviki. The Rus sian people will be glad, very glad.'
 SPURNS CHAIR
 Throughout most of her testimony, Madame Breshkovskaya spurned the witness chair, despite her 75 years, and stood stolidy before the senators. The story of Russias revolt against czardom, of the turmoil which came out of revo- lution. of the ''bolshevik disaster" and of present poverty, was told fervently in broken English by the woman who was imprisoned and exiled in Siberia for g years for preaching revolution to Rus sian peasants, and who recently hid her self for months in Moscow and Petro- grad to evade death from the bolshevild, by whom she was regarded as too con- servative.
 Under the monarchy they put me in jail for spreading revolutionary propa- ganda among my people, and then the bolsheviki called me reactionary and
 
 ing back her flying white locks, close shorn, with the comb from which they had escaped. It was only a brief refer ence to herself, called forth by ques- tions of senators, in the midst of plea for sympathetic understanding of the Russian people, distinct from the bol- shevik government
 ASK FOR TRIPLES We ask you in America for every trifle," she entreated. groping now and then for an English word which her in terpreter supplied. "We are naked. We have no factories, no banks, no shops, no transportation. no goods. Our schools have no furniture, no pencils, no pens. The bolsheviki have destroyed all. They have torn down. We need leather for l boots, iron, machinery, scissors, ships, tea-everythng we need from you. We cannot put back together an organiza- tion without your help"
 Madame Breshkovskaya spoke in a kind I ly gutteral tone. standing in long black gown, and strong Russian boots, but when she talked of the bolsheviki. her voice was harsh
 They are not the Russians" she de- clared. "They do no good for us. They l do not build up They destroy Russia. They destroy not only our factories and steal everywhere, but they kill our best men, our good people. Some brigands 1 get together and come into a town and call themselves the soviet. They stay by force, by killing. Oh, no. no! the | bosheviki are not the Russians" | It was only when questioned that Ma (COntinued on Page Tw0)