El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-10-25
.6ENIkINE NOT
FIRST GAPT0R
Of ODESSA
Small Group in Possession
Of City When He
Arrived.
STARVING RUSSIAN
OFFICERS IN CHARGE

TTTARSAW. oct 25.-A small group
w Of FORMER Russian officers and
a handful OF civilians, driven to dis
traction By starvation and q regime
Of terrorism and murder were the
real captors OF odessa. the Bolshevist
stronghola. and not Cen Denikin's
troops, according 10 a story brought
back To warsaw by Capt Leo J. Nc
CURE. OF Tulsa, Okla. the first AMER
lean 10 enter the city.
Capt Mcclure was sent to odessa
By the American Red Cross TO ransom
SIS Polish families which had been
left behind when Gen Belig0wski and
his troops were forced 70 eFaeuate.
some CT the women were the wives
Of Polish Officers Early in Septem-
Der the French military mission here
was informed that the families would
be released upon the payment Of
sack OF American -four for every
woman held The Bolshevists stipu-
lated, however, that only an American
lish representative. Accordingly, Capt.
Mcguire was chosen and started on
his perilcus journey accompanied only
By an Interpreter.
Used Bluff and Bribery.
He attached his two box cars OF
ing warsaw for Lemberg- From
Lemherg, By dinr OF bluff, bribery
and the prestige ~ II american uni
form, he Travelled south through the
Ukraine and Rumania to Gaiatz.
city on the Danube, 100 miles from
the Black sea II had been arranged
Cor a French gunboat TO take Mcguire
and his supplies thence 70 ODESSA Dy
uTaw OF the Black sea While The CAP
tain vas en- route, however, odessa
1sll and the Eu1boat was being used
for the transportation Of Denikin' 8
rearguard battalions- MCGUIRE char
tered a small steamer and continued
on his journey.
his mission was not made much
easier by the occupa11on Of Deuikln's Z
soldiers, and upon arrival he had 10
prove 10 the Russian army OF occupa- ]
ton that he was representing the ]
American Red Cross and the Polish /
government. This done, his real task I
Htarted-t0 single ont from among I
100000 Russians, Jews and Uzraini- /.
ans the Polish refugees.
In Piflfu1 Condition
Eventually he found them, living +
under conditions much resembling I
chose Of q tow IN northern France
during the German occupation The
BoisheFlsts had destroyed whole /
blocks OF houses, first rlfnnE them I
with snaefnE thoroughnHss. The con-
difion Of the capLrHs was plrlui-
They hHd been Hearly starved and but
for the help Of G few former Russian
Officers they would indeed have died. !,
Bread had gone I'd 10 $50 rubles, n
addition &c the price OF brihiug an
official Of the red army TO purchase
the food IN his name.
The city's water supply broke down
completely toward the end Of the Bol-
shavists' occupation, compelling the
7Tretched people 10 60 either 70 wells
guarded by Soviet soldiers or filthy
pools dug along the beach. Cholera
killed thousands.
Then. according to the story. Capt
Mcguire heard from many sources, the
former Russian officers and the little
group Of civilians realized they must
drive out the Bolshevists with the
chance OF being killed INN ediarely
or continue under tne distressing con-
dltions and die by inches. Not know
ing that even then DeniEin was ready
TO hurl his troops into the stricken
city. the loyalists chose the former
course. They obtained control q the
town a short time before the loyal
Russians marched In Il was through
The first captors o. odessa that Capt.
1-cGulre finally got his 50 families
back through Kumaula 70 warsaw
and the ransom -FOUR with them