East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-07-05
.PETR0GRAD GHOST OF
ONE-T|ME GAY CITY
Every House Has Guard,
Law Clears Streets at
IL in Evening.
BY FRANK J. TAYLOR

u
NEW YORK, July 5.-Petrograd is
but the ghost of city that was for
merly as gay as money and people
could make it. Petrograd is a prison
in itself. under the tightest state of
siege that a trembling regime can de-
wise to prevent uprisings.
Petrograd's wide strets are almost
deserted. The days are almost as bar
rem as the long twilight evenings,
which last until midnight now. No
lone is allowed on the streets after ele-
ven in the evening. Every house must
have one of its occupants outside its
gate on guard at all hours--to guard
what nobody knows, but those are or
/ ders from the military commander.
1 Stores are closed and buying is done
entirely through secret channels. The
beautiful buildings are inhabited by
lbolshevik officials. Hotels are dark
and dirty, and are no longer public
hostelrics. They are the "hang-outs'
of the commissaires
| There proba bly, is not a sadder city
in the world than the once wonderful
lPetrograd. The place is under the
spell of apprehension of either boil
shevik terror or enemy invasion. Most
of the people hope for the latter. since
| 1t would mean food.
Most of Petrograd is starving. 1t is
estimated that seven or eight hundred
people die daily through hunger or pri-
Vation. Disease is rampant. Medical
supplies are not to be found.
Food is sold in insufficient quanti-
ties at the co-operatives, but nobody
can live on it. The soup kitchens serve
such as they have, but substances that
none but the 'ravenous can mouth.
Foreigners Plight PitifuI
The position of foreigners is pitiful.
They are mostly old people or refugees,
waiting for the chance to escape. They
have nothing, and without enormous
funds one cannot live. With limitless
funds one can eat fairly well, buying
on the sly.
Confiscations continue. Supposedly
they are Official The same old ter
rorist methods prevail. a typical case
was cited by "a Polish woman. This
woman lived alone with her aged mo-
ther in an apartment. one night about
midnight half "A dozen sailors appears
ed battering down the door. demand
ing to search for weapons. Rudely and
destructively they bullied the woman
and stayed until four in the morning
They broke open every trunk and
box and stole all money they could
find. This they did in violation of the
regulations for protection of foreign
ers, Trunks left by friends of the
amily We're broken open with axes.
Next day the victims protested to |
heir diplomatic representatives. They |
we're assured they would get their |
unds and papers back. They did but !,
With fifty thousand rubles gone. This
vas the third time this house had been
earched for confiscations.
Diseases RACES in Petrograd, worse
han any other region in Russia. Ty-
'hus is especially bad. 1t is so serious
hat the Firms put everyone who es-
apes from Russia into quarantine. In
zone of the Russia cities are there
means of combating disease now. The
Danish Red Cross is the only orEaniza-
ion to conduct relief work, and it
perates under the greatest of difficult
les.
Moscow Less Tragic
Moscow is more normal and is less
ragic than Petrograd. 1t is better
upplied with food, and prices are half
$ high. Petrograd is in danger of be-
lg isolated anytime by an advance
rom Esthonia. The bolshevks are
anicky and are prepared to evacuate ,
astily if necessary. Shops are almost
ntirely closed and the workmen mobi-
zed. Trenches and barbed wire bar ,
cades outside Pctrograd are intricate L.
nd many. built mostly by labor of the I
ed Guards. ,
In Moscow there are many people =.
the streets, and they do not seem {
depressed or hungry, They !
ave adjusted themselves to the new /,
and are making the most of |
with shrug of the shoulders.
Women are quite well dressed. many
them even stunningly gowned. In
nswer to your query, they tell you