New-York tribune., 1919-06-05
Russian Reds Denv
Knowing johnson:
Pittsburgh g Report
Considered Joke
Search Centres
On House Here
One Society Official
Admits Suspect
Might Be |. w. w.

The police hunt yesterday on the
traIl OF the anarchists sought in con-
nection with the bomb explosions Mon
day night centred around the Russian
radical headquarters, at 1873 East
Fifteenth Street, which is reported to
have been the place from which the
plotters operated. The police had been
Informed that John johnson. an I. w
w. leader arrested in Pittsburgh in
connection with the outrares, was in
New York two weeks ago and had visit
ed the house in East Fifteenth Street
at the time.
Twenty men were assembled in n bac,,
room there drinking beer and jesting
over the report from Pittsburgh that
an arrested radical, John johnson. told
the police that two weeks ago he had
conferred with fellow workers at these
headquarters
"John Johnson! we have no John
Johnsons here" exclaimed Sergius
Youmshanotf, the secretary. "The
nearest we can come to it is Ivan Ivan
off. We have lots of Ivan Ivanoffs.
but none of them is an l. w. W. We
are all Russians here, working for the
freedom of Russia. This is school
We do not preach violence The most
dynamic thing you can find here is
bottle of beer"
Many Organizations
Half a dozen Russian organizations
occupy the building. They are the
Federation of Unions of Russian
Workmen, the New York Soviet. the
Council of Russian Colonials and
Peasants, the Russian Dock Workers
Association, the Russian Immigrants
School and Bread and Freedom"
weekly newspaper published in Rus
sian.
The twelve rooms in the five-story
brick building are almost barren of
furniture. In rear room on the top
floor the five Russians were folding
the latest issue of Bread and Free
dom" G. B. Karpuk is the editor. An
assistant explained that the paper was
devoted chiefly to the interest Of the
Russian Soviet government.
Several rooms in the lower floors are
fitted up as class rooms with wooden
benches facing blackboard and with
maps of Europe swung from the walls.
Purely Educational
Purely an educational institution"
explained Russian 1--WE teach Eng
ish, automobile mechanics, mathc-
natics, geography and little Russian
politics, of course. No violence taught
lere. You can see that, can't YOU?
You don't see any explosive parapher-
lalia, do you? Wouldn't we be fools
we thought we could advance Rus
'ias cause by blowing up buildings in
America? The men who come here
:ome to study. We charge 10 cents
esson. Two or three hundred adults
'ome daily. That's the way we defray
he expense"
On the walls in the hallway were
Of Lenine and Trotzky. Copies
If Freedom" q self-styled "revolu-
,ionary journal, dedicated to human
freedom" and edited by Harry Kelly. at
New Brunswick, N. j., were handed out
% visitors. An appeal also was circu-
ated stating that Freedom" would
lave to suspend publication because of
ack of funds if subscriptions did not
come in for a ball to be given at Nc
xinley Square Casino, The Bronx.
Tune 28
1t was said at the Russian headouar-
;ers that the building was rented out
'y the Russian Soviet, OF 11O West
7ortieth Street. The latter organiza
ion denied that it had anything to do
With the East Fifteenth Street head
quarters.
we know nothing about their fin
lnces OF from whom they rent the
'uilding," said S. Nuorteva, secretary
o the bureau of the Soviet republic. !
We believe, however, they are harm
ess educational organization"