The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-06-14
SOVIET RULE IS A
REIGN OF TERROR
IN HUNGARY CITIES

Budapest. May 27-tCorespondence
of the Associated Press.)-What may
be the last days of the Red Soviet
republic here are fraught with such
terror, hunger, mental misery, uproot-
ing of family ties, heart. breaking part
ings, flights, arrests and legal lootings
that the majority of the Hungarians
are praying that such days may never
come again. They live like people
caught in n burning house with the fire
men squirting benZine on the only es'
cape ladder.
one way out may possibly be provid-
ed by the Czech and Rumanian arm
les, who though national enemies of
the Magayrs. are now hailed as seviors.
The atmosphere is charged with fears
and alarms worse than those felt on
any battle front. A contagious fear
like that which prevails when an army
is in rout is spreading even to foreign
erS whose persons are comparatively
safe from arrest owing to the wishes
OF Bella Kun, the Communist leader,
and other ministers to save themselves
from the gallows when the grand col
lapse comes.
When fathers and sons flee the coun
try to evade arrest or to join the coun-
terrevoutionists, their wives and moth
ers whisper at the parting: Let us
hope we may meet in happier times"
When the correspondent of the Asso.
ciated Press has had occasion to ex-
plain his nationality the listener,
whether Red guard, peasant, or civil
ian, has remarked with envy: What
a fortunate man you are, to be an
American"
He would invariably ask whether
it would be possible to reach American
and whether foreigners, former enc
mics, would be permitted to land on
her shores Peasants. who refuse to
furnish food to Budapest or other cit
les because they are hostile to com
munism and want shoes and other
clothes more than paper money. of
which they have plenty, gladly enough |
sold meals and supplies to the cores
pondent on the strength Of his Ameri-
can nationality.
The city of Budapest which a few
weeks ago had a plentiful supply of
eggs-peope almost lived upon them
and potatoes-is now without eggs be
cause of the obStinacy of the peasants.
A great many of the stores have been
closed for lack of goods to sell. or be
cause they have been requisitioned by
the Soviet.
The most saddening impression the
visitor receives is that of a country
in dissolution, being stripped day by
day, mercilessly and inexorably, of its
riches, to benefit nobody. The relative
" pleasant, orderly and bountiful life
that existed in Hungary a few months
ago, when its neighbor Austria was
starving is gone for many years to
,ome.
IF anyone wants to be convinced of
he futility of re-making the world in
| single day with pet theories, he
should now visit Hungary" was the
'emark made by an American naval
officer. 1t Is estimated that half
Million of Hungary's best citizens have
'een obliged to flee from their homes
and wanter across the frontiers to
TRANCE lands.
There are manay stories of their
-ttemptS to save their lives and prop
rty some of which read like Arabian :
Nights tales. 1t is calculated that
some 5000, 100000 kronean worth of
'onds, gold coin, jewelry, plate, paint
ngs and work of art have been saved
rom the clutches OF the Red guards
nd smuggled across the frontiers by
blockade runners, afoot, on bicycle, au-
os or peasant carts. Within a few
weeks. there has grown up a system
Y which large percentage of the value
t such property, often amounting to
0 per cent have been given for it's
afe transportation to Vienna or Ag-
am Not few communists took ad-
'antage of such methods of getting
'aluables out of the country. Many
ewelers, however, stored stocks under
ldewalks or hid them in holes dug in
heir cellars in preference to trusting
hem to blockade runners.
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