The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-02-12
Leader of Reds Aping Royalty,
Wearing Uniform and Travel
ing in Emperor's Car.
FATE OF BOLSHEVISM
HANGS IN BALANCE
Troops Are Tired of Aimless
Fighting and Demand an I'M
mediate Change.

Warsaw, Friday, Feb. (By the
Associated Press)!That Bolshevfsm
is in it's critical stage, either turning
to imperialism, with perhaps Leon
Trotzky, minister Of war and marine.
as the new emperor, or slipping back
to the idea of Nihilisn1 with sort Of.
orderly disorder, is the impression
given by many refugees OF all nation
alities who have arrived here from
Russia. The correspondent has talk
ed, to a number Of these people as To-
what might happen in Russia II there
is no outside interference. One Of
them was a Bolshevist soldier who de-
serted while his contingent was, eri-a
gagged in raiding the country west OF
Minsk.
Our chief characteristic" he said,
..is that we are tired-tired Of fool
ing. tired of killing, tired Of fighting
and tired of wandering from pillar To-
post. There is no doubt that Leon
Trotzky is attempting to obtain order
and to whip the troops into shape be
is known to be terribly ambitious and
possibly he is dreaming Of becoming
car, knowing that Bolshevism has
failed"
Recent rurnors that the soviet gov
ernnent troops have evacuated Pero-#
grad are unconfirmed. There was a
general belief in Petrograd d1rtug
January that the allies were about 70
occupy the city It was even stated
that the entente powers had issued a.
proclamation to that effect and many
persons claimed to be able to cite quo
tations from the document Bolshe-
visit chiefs have been SO alarmed that
train load Of supplies was recently
turned back while on the road rom
| Moscow to Petrograd in the bestsT
that the allies were in the latter cry.
Trotzxy is reported to have chang
ed from his flashy clothes and red
/ neckties to uniform. He is saidsf
be riding here and there on the
train formerly at the disposal ofStHe
emperor and to be using the former
! imperial automobile.
One evidence that the long expected
abandonment Of Petrograd may be
under way is the removal to Moscow
Of the few pictures remaining at the
Hermitage The galleries which have
| always been open to the public atsthe
Hermitage have been closed. The
! building itself is dismantled and Is
being occupied by workmen-s The
deaths at Berlin Of DR.. Liebknecht:and
Rosa Luxembourg, the German Spar
tacan leaders, apparently made asdeep
| impression on the Bolshevlst chief
tains. Trotzky ordered public mourn
;,,c - Dot or +.
| SC was stopped, but when officers tried
to close the theatres, the sailors, who
seemed to do as they pleased in Pc
trograd, are reported to have declar-
ed they were going to dance and en-
JOY themselves as. usual.
Great demonstrations were held be-
fore the winter palace and the red
flag was everywhere at half mast
There were violent speeches in which
Philip Schiedemann, a member OF
the Ebert cabinet in Berlin, was BIT
terly attacked. His efflsy made OF
cotton wool, was soleuanly hanged and
burned. The "Nardovni Dom" or
Peoples House" was rechristened
The House Of Rosa and Liebknecht
There was also organized mourn
ing demonstration at Moscow, it being
said that il was for "the oppressed
nations Among those who partict-
pated were few Chinese coolies and
some Pengalese who were wrapped IN
furs adjudged to have been confiscat-
ed by the Bolshevists. One speaker
said:
Eve Bolshevists are the legendary
Trans who will break from our soul
ders all the chains Of the world"
1t is said that Feodor Chaliapine,
fayorite opera singer during the lat
ter days Of the imperial regime, was
singing at the opera at Moscow at an
enormous salary. Reports have been
received that executions are being
hurried so that jailers may have
holiday during celebrations. there be-
ing an average Of from six to eight
persons put to death each day at Pc
trograd and Moscow.
Arrivals from Petrograd are now
very rare One lad came to the Pol
ish frontier recently and said he had
travelled in a sleeping car, the cur
tains of which had been cut. the win
dows broken and the walls plastered
wi n Boishevist placards In his COM
partr1ent was 4 woman who Journey
cd nearly 800 miles to buy some su-
.ar near the frontier The car was so
he said, that men slept in
The baggage racks which were roony