Evening journal., 1919-07-08
BY FRANK J. TAYLOR
Omitted Press staff Correspondent.

NEW YORK, July s.-Petrograd I:
but the ghost Of a city that was for
merly as gay as money and people
could make it. Petrograd is a prison
in itself, under the tghtest state OF
siege that a trembling regime can de-
wise 10 prevent uprisings.
petrograd's wide streets are almost
deserted. The days are almost as bar
ren as the long twilight evenings
which last until midnight now. No
one is allowed on the streets after
eleven in the evening Every house
must have one OF It's occupants out
side its gate on guard at an hours
TO guard what nobody knows, but
those are orders from the military
commander.
Stores are closed and buying is done
entirely through secret channels. The
beautiful buildings arc inhabited by
Bolshevlk officials. Hotels. are dark
and dirty, and are no longer public
hostelrles. They are the hang g-outsg
OF the commissaires.
There-probably Is not a sadder city
IN The world than the once wonderful
Petrograd. The place Is under The
spell OF apprehension OF either Boil
shevk terror or enemy invasion. Most
OF the people hope for the latter, since
II would mean food
Most OF Petrograd Is starving II Is
estimated that seven or eight hundred
people die daily through hunger or
prlvation. Disease Is rampant Medical
supplies are not 10 De found.
Food Il co1F la fmcrNinforf
ties at the cO-operatlves, but nobody
can live on IT. The soup kitchens
serve such as they have. but sub
stances that none but the rayenous
can mouth.
The position OF foreigners Is pltlful
They are mostly old people or refu-
gees, waiting for the chance to es-
cape. They have nothing. and without
enormous funds one cannot live. with
llmltless funds one can eat fairly well,
buying on the sly.
Conflscatons continue Supposedly
they are Official The same old ter I.
rorist methods prevail A typical case /
was cited by a Polish woman. This .
woman hved alone with her aged |
mother in an apartment One night .
about midnight half a dozen sailors
appeared batlering down the door, de-
TO search for weapons :
Rudely and destructlvely they bullled
the women and stayed until four In
M morning.
They broke open every trunk and
box and stole all money they could
Ind This they did IN violation Of the
regulations for protection Of foreign
rs Trunks left by friends or the
amlly were broken open with axes /
Next day the victims protested 20 ,
heir diplomatic representatives They
we're assured hey would get their
unds and papers back They did but 1
With nifty thousand rubles gone. This {
vas the third time this house had been /
searched for connscallons.
Disease RACES In Petrograd,, worse f,
han any other region in Russia. Ty (
ohus Is especially bad. II Is so SER (
ous that the Firms put everyone who
escapes from Russia into quarantine
In none OF the Russian cities are there
means OF combating disease now The
Danish Red Cross is the only organ
izatlon allowed TO conduct relief work.
and Il operates under the greatest OF
Moscow is more normal and Is less
tragic than Petrograd 10 is better
supplied with food. and prices are
half as high petrograd Is In danger
of being Isolated anytime by an ad- I
'ance from Esthona. The Bolsheviks ,
ire panlcky and are prepared 10 evac u