Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-07-25
BOLSHEv|k ATROCITIES DESCRIBED
BY Prominent RUSS NOBLEWOMAN
Hundreds Of Persons Tortured the Most numan Fashion Before
Being Put to Death and Their Estates PUaged and
Mansions Razed-Thousands Die From
Hunger All Over Country.

/ and, MS the German general command
Ing mt R, had, ut the request of
the Lettes, refused the formation Of
troops with the men Of the country,
we were left without any defense.
'"rhc lights of the electric projectors
| OF the enemy's ships already illuminate
| ed our shores from the castles tower
we could see everything; there was
| not minute TO be lost. The trains were
running only for the German troops !;
! II was then necessary to risk travelling
| by the inland ways, through dreadful
roads and in country in revolution,
| for when the Germans took posses
sion Of the provinces they took care
not to punish their friends. the bol-
sheviki: so that we were compelled to
see and to live with the people who
had stolen and pillaged our properties.
! The Germans did nothing to find out
| the revoluiioniSts and to protect us.
nothing,
After having packed In haste the
strictly necessary things, our small
caravan started at five O'Clock in the
| morning; it was dark and the roads
were frighlful.
1--WE arrived at R on the SECOND
of December. We We're able to stay
-four weeks at our home, then in great
haste we had to embark on the boat
we arrived at lielsingfors. Lassitudc
troubles, and emotions of all these
weeks overwhelmed ut last my poor
husband.
Fortunately we found two rooms In
a hospital there we lived for two
months, being often hungry, ana when
we could get some food it was eXecra-
bic
THE high prices of living in Fin
land are unbelievable. A pound of tea.
which ordinarily cost from five to fiji
teen kronen, cost from one hundred TO
hundred and fifty marks; II kilo-
gramlne of sugar one hundred marks,
etc Also Finland tried To get rid Of
so many people she had to feed, and
rs the bolsheviki who come up to Is
kilometerS from Il had been re-
pulsed by the Finn troops, which had
ut the last moment come in aid to the
Lets and to the voontaire corps of
Ealthcs-Germans, the Films then or
/ dcred all fugitiyes to leave the country
within six days. However, we re-
ceived. on account of my husbands bad
condition, permission TO stay until he
! would get better.
Going back was an impoSSbility,
the situation being still very grave; Il
second expedition was no longer pos
sible for The strength of my poor hus-
band; moreover, we had nothing left.
| Oar large city house was taken and
turned into hospital by Il Russian
yolontaire corps. Nj devastated
and plundered, First by the boIshe-
wiki, then by the Esths whom the
Germans left unpublished then by the
white troops and the Firms, who We're
lighting the reds, German properties
! being left unmolested
Family Lost Everything.
Last year our estate had suffered
| but our magnificent castle with all lis
| dependencies had been respected. Now
all have pillaged it, The Films being
more civilized stole the most beautiful
thngS-paintngs, bronzes. antiques.
etc. Finally the 3G masters rooms and
the ! servants rooms were plundcrcd
What they could not take away they
smashed or burned. We lost every
thing. Not Il sheet not Il plate or "A
glass exist, and when our intendant
complained to the minister of state ca
| ThCSthe), he answered him that nat
urally in war time everybody wanted
| to have some souvenirs. The whites
| pilagcd, as hear 50 estates, and they
| were supposed to be our defenders
"Eriends here obtained for us the
permission to come to Il, where we
| found two rooms in family. We
| hope soon To find some occupation, and
sell some furs that | could take with
me, for unfortunately my beautiful
laccs are also in Petrograd.
~ do not know whether YOU have an
idea of what the bolshcviki have done
everywhere whenever they had TO re-
tire. At W they killed 81 people;
we have lost friends, acquaintance
and our excellent and noble doctor. Al
most all were tortured before being put
to death. Before shooting Doctor l.
they broke his two legs. To the old
Baroness H., seventy-two years old
aftei having opened her stomach,
snatched ont her intestines while alive
They killed priests, doctors. MOBILES
merchants. women, children and peas
ants. They made several persons dig
their own graves, forcing them to I'M
dress Il carriage was waiting to take
away their clothes. Then they tor
tured every one, breaking arms and
legs. crushing the limbs, snatching the
gt,t M