The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-26
'LENINE ASSOCIATE
SLIPPED INTO CITY
Mysterious Visit Made to New
York by Red Whom Ger
mans Protected.
ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY
Lawyer Before Lusk Commit
tee Tells Of Suffering in
Russia.

ven Svarct the CieVelhno lawyer WHO
testified on Thursday as to his obser-
vations in Russia under the BolshevilS
regime, was recalled yesterday. being
the only witness heard by the committee
during the day. He was examined at
length by Archibald p. Stevenson. coun-
sci for the committee. and Alexander 1.
Rorke. Assistant District Attorney.
He stated that one Of the twenty-nine
persons who accompanied Lenine, when
the latter left Switzerland for Russia
under the special protection of the Ger
man military authorities has been in
New York within the last year. The
mans name. according to Svarcs testi-
mony is Saran Naumovna Ravvich and
he was a candidate for the Constituent
Assembly--one of the little group of Boil
sheviks who. though in decided minor
ity. finally caused the, dissolution of the
body and the downfall of the Kerensky
Government.
Mr.. Svarc translated from a COPY of
the Obtcheje Delo of Petrograd dated
october IL, 1917. a bitter attack on the
twenty-nine candidates who had crossed
Germany with Lenine. The article,
which was published just before the cleo
tons to the Assembly were to be held.
Mr.. Svarc translated as follows:
the Constituent Assembly are drawing
near. For that reason we, before Il 10
too late. consider 1t our duty to publish
list of the names of persons who came
to Russia. In German cars SO that all
who consider this act TO be treachery to
the native country could take this cir
cumstance into consideration. II any one
of these persons should appear on the
list of candidates for the Constituent
Assembly.
German TravelIers'' Named.
Anyway It is high time that Russia
should know the names of the German
travellers
1T Is well known that three trains
crossed Germany the first train carried
away Lenine and the group assembled
by him. the two others were organized
by the Zurich committee. To-day we
print from an official source list OF
passengers Of the Lenine train"
The names of the twenty mine candi-
dates followed. beginning "Uljanoff,
vladimir Hitch, born April 10, 1870
known as Lenine." Ravvich, who later
visited New York, was No. II.
There were three separate parties of
Bolsheviks who crossed Germany by ar
rangement with the authorities. and
| complete lists of the personnel of all
three were offered in evidence from the
Petrograd newspaper. Counting the
| wives and children who accompanied
some Of the men. there were 241 persons.
| Mr.. Syarc promised to examine the list
| carefully and inform the committee IL
! any other members of the three parties
had visited the United States to his
knowledge.
The witness translated from the ST.
bersky anarchist, published at Krasno-
yarsk, under date of January 26, 1918,
| a long attack on the democracy Of
| America Mr.. Svarc said that he had
purchased the paper at the railway sta
ton at Krasnoyarsk from three Rus
sianss two of whom had lived for some
years in New York. ...t
! AS illustrating the conditions under
| which existence was maintained in Rus
sia under the Bolsheviks, the witness re-
lated the experiences of a friend, a
! young engineer who finally managed to
| escape to Prague.
Faced DimcuIt situation.
Now, his case, he told me, was a
| difficult case-but 1t was a typical case,
| although he was more saving than many
f, others. He had a friend who was in
| the Red Guards, not because he wanted
to be, but because that was the only
!
and soul together. This friend had an
| extra uniform, and as these two men
were about the same size he loaned my
| friend the uniform. My friend also
knew a certain official on a railroad-he
had an acquaintance in a village which
| was about 20 versts off the railroad line
| from Petrograd. With these various
connections of his he managed about
once in two weeks to go to the village to
IL o. d
| food in kind. He bought cigarettes from
/ one of the officials at one of the Soviet
I distributing points at Petrograd. He
also traded In other things, and every
two weeks he tried to have a supply OF
cigarettes and whatever else he could.
buried.
ION one occasion he told me he got a
pair of boots from the Red Guard and
he paid this Red Guard in cigarettes for
| tho boots.
THAT gives you an idea of how they
trafhcked over there. He took these Gig
arettes and these boots on this particu-
lar occasion to this village. He could
not have gotten to this village II he had
not that Red Guard uniform and II he
had not known this railway official
When he got to this village he exchanged
the boots and the cigarettes for a
chicken, a few potatoes and a little -four.
4 ana, DelleVe, bOIlo OlneT vegetables.
After he made these exchanges he start
ed back for Petrograd. He said by liv-
ing frugally he managed to live for
about ten days. After the ten days
were up he had again gathered a suf-
ficient number Of cigarettes and other
trifies. which he took to this village. He
| said he managed to do business this
way. He bartered the cigarettes and
other articles end also paid for a GER
tain amount in rubles, so that he was
not compelled to depend entirely upon
articles which he had brought with him
He said In that way he managed to exc
out a wretched existence for q few
months When l saw him the last time
he was just shadow of himself. He
told me in this manner the people were
dragging out their existence.
Furthermore. he painted to me a
picture Of one OF the cemeteries at
Petrograd. He said It was a terrible
picture; that the burials were being
made so rapidly that the workers, weak
4 themselves from under nourishment. did
not take any pains in covering up the
graves He said they would open old
graves and bones would be thrown up,
and then the new bodies would be
thrown In"
After the completion of Mr.. Svaro's
testimony the committee adjourned until
Wednesday,
Legion Post on Canal Planned.
The national headquarters of the
American Legion here yesterday promised