Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-09
AND HERE IT CONTINUES
Bearing a Message from Ny People

y
= | could go to in Moscow. They
lived on the outskirts of the city. l
made an attempt to walk to their
house, but was too weak to proceed
more than two blocks. There was Il
lncabman at the curb, but he wanted
o twenty-five rubles TO take me to my
friends. Il tried to bargain, Offering
fifteen, and he would not hear of it.
As had no money. finally hired the
cab in the hope that Daria Maximovna
would pay for it. The alternative was
! to remain on the curb.
Madame NasileVa received me as if
i were her own daughter. She was
i overwhelmed with JOY at my release.
] was too enaciated and worn out to
react fully 20 my miraculous deliver
ance from the clutches of torture and
death ! was served some light food,
and Daria MaXimoVna went about
, preparing a bath for me. | had not
Ii changed my undergarments for sev,
/, dNal weeks, and my body was blaCker
thayi ii ever had been during my life
in the trenches. Ny skin was in
terrible condition from vermin, The
bath was a greater deliverance rat the
( moment than my release Itself. And
the long hours of sleep following it
were even more welcome. | doubt
& IL steep ever tasted SWtel''f 10 me.
One could not remain long as
guest in Moscow in those early days
of March, 1918. Stepdn lived away
from his home, rs his parents diff
fered sharply with him on the politi,
cal situation. The family consisted
of Daria MaXi2iovna. her husband and
the younger: son. The daughter,
Tonetchks,| was married and lived
apart. The three Nasilievs received
n 7d4iiy-a pound and one-eighth OF oread
I. The weekly meat ration was pound
and half. | therefore promptly
realized what a burden ! was bound
10 be. But | could not make up my
mind where to go and what to do.
The Vasiievs offered to buy me
n ticket home. but the document |
had from the Soldiers Section was in
itself ticket.
VI recalled that some Of my MANNED
ginls had been sent to Moscow, TO be
utiartered in the House of lnVallds,
and thought OF looking them up. !
look walk to the city. When |
approached the block in which the
House for Invalids was situated. |
] saw several crowds. largely composed
=. of soldiers, in the street. holding
meetings of Indignation. AS reached
the place found a number of manned
soldiers, some of them without legs
or arms, scattered about the front
( grounds.
On inquiry learned that the Bol
shevist authorities had turned the
hundreds of crippled inmates into the
street. Many of them, including my
girls. had already disappeared some
undoubtedly spreading out TO beg
others gathered up by charitable peo
pie and societies. But still goodly
number remained, crying, cursine
I.enine and Trotsky, and asking pass
ersby for food and shelter. 1t was a
pathetic sight. The cruelty of the
order made ones blood boil 1t was
an order apparently promulgated JUS
for the sake of cruelty. The excus,
I that the government needed the build
ing certainly did not justify the wan
ton act.
There were about two hundred sol
/ diers in the crowd, and l stopped tc
~ listen to, their conversation. All o.
them had been attracted to the place
BY the complaints OF the evicted in
yalids. Their talk came as revela
tion to me. They were in mutinou'
state. aroused against Lenine anc
Trotsky's regime. For several hours
\ fingered about the various groups
sometimes participating in the dis
cussions. -,. -, =,
asee what you have brought on by
~ vo,,r own acts You have atrociousl.
beaten and killed your officers. Iol
have abandoned God and destroyed, TN
church. Now, this Is the result o
Z II YOUR deeds" In some such manne
N addressed the men, and they an
swered something like this
1--WE believed that by oNerthroWihi
our officers and the wealthy class ",
would have plenty of bread and lano
BUT now the factories are demolishe'
and there is no work. We are terror
ized by the Red Guard, which ls com
posed mostly OF drunkards ana cIinll @
nals II there are any honest soldlef
a sin Ii. il is because hunger and poVert!
force them to enlist in order to escap
starvation. If we demand Justice AM
& a square deal we are shot down o,
the Red hangmen. And all the Will
the Germans are advancing INTO hus
sia. and nobody is sent TO fight then
our real enemies.
AT these words ] crossed myself
thanking the Almighty Tor tne gee
change He had wrought In the mind
Of the people.
g'he crowd became SO demonstratiN
that the authorities were notihed an
' !, Red Guard detachment was sent
suppress II. 1t arrived suddenly an
by firing volley into the air Warne
us TO disperse. The gathering spi
pp and vanished from the street.
& rroup of about ten soldiers, includin
myself, rushed into neighborin
courtyard and continued the convers'
tion there behind the gates
'.See. what YOU get now. If yo
n were armed they would not dare I
treat YOU like thst. They made 20
surrendersyour arms and now oppres
= you worse than the Gar. Who eve
4 heard OF thousand invalids throw
nuf into the street under the old re
y xlmoy' asked.
''Yes. We have been sold out 1t
. nI&ar now The Germans are tabin
4 s,8x n1i cur bread. occupying ou
61<1 1S6S(ne our eoantry. demand
q / rs ~ o8plt2l aud possenaionI