Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-04-18
LURE OF THE BOLSHEVIKI
Red Cross Worker Comes Back With
Explanation
MORALE OF The AMERICANS Is LOW
Publication of Official Statement from
Washington that Troops Would Be
Withdrawn from Russia as Soon as
Ice Breaks In June What Made the



Ice Breaks In June What Made th'
Trouble.
New York Times, Monday.
Confirmation of the reported dissatis
faction among the American troops O
the 339th Infantry in northern Russia
chiefly men from Michigan and Wis
consin, with the reason for it. wa!
brought here yesterday from Archange
by Lieutenant William H. Dudley o.
Baltimore, former secretary to Govern
or Goldsborough of Maryland, and 6
member of the American Red Cross
commission to Russia
According to cabled report received
last week from Archangel, men OF on
company of the 339th infantry had re-
fused to take part in the offensive
against the Bolsheviki some time ir
March. After an argument with their
officers, the report said, the troops con
sented to go to certain point at the
front. The date of the alleged muliny
of the troops was not given in the
dispatch.
Lieutenant Dudley left Archangel in
the latter part of February in an ice
breaker which took six days to reach
Murmansk. The first overland mall
left by sleighs over the ice from Ar
changel on Feb. % he said, and the
port was not expected to be open for
shipping before the end of May. 1t clos
ed at the end of November, and from
that time the mails for the American
Expeditionary Forces in northern Rus
sia arrived at rare intervals.
81 was not surprised to hear of the
mutiny on my arrival" Lieutenant
Dudley said, because Of the low state
Of morale among the American troops
when left Archangel on Feb. "a. The
majority of them were foreign born
and many had brothers, father, OF
sisters in the Archangel sector, which
made them more susceptible to the
Bolshevist propaganda The chief rea-
son for dissatisfaction among the
American soldiers was that they were
out-numbered Is to 1 on the fighting
front and at least 65 per cent of the
population in the Archangel district
were in sympathy with the enemy.
Resented News of Withdrawal.
In addition to that, the men, and
also the officers, were surprised and
angry at the articles taken from Eng
lish and American newspapers which
were sent to them telling Of the inten-
ton of. the United States to withdraw
the forces in northern Russia next
June when the ceSbreaks up IN Arch
angel. This news was conveyed by the
Bolshevist agents TO all the villages
and towns in the district Which were
friendly to the Allies and read to the
inhabitants, who said that, as we in
tended to leave them to their fate, 1t
would be better to join the Bolsheviki
at once and be on the safe side. 1t
is impossible for Americans to imag-
inc what harm these statements about
the early withdrawal have done.
THE Bolsheviki are not all ignorant
cutthroats. They are backed by the
brains of the ablest Socialists in Ger
many and there are no better propa-
gandists anywhere. The Allied troops
have to go out in parties every nlgh'
in Archangcl and the nearby villages
to raid meetings, which are organized
by the enemy agents. When caught
those attending are put into prison
The British sent a number of Russian
soldiers in khaki uniforms to fight
with the Allied forces against the Boil
shevild, but they absolutely refused to
20 to. the front after they arrived In
Archangel.
This mutiny was due to the work OF
the agents of the enemy through
leader among the men. The British
commander demanded to know the
name of this man, anG it was refused
Finally he ordered every tenth mar
among the Russian soldiers in British
uniforms to step out of the ranks, ant
then threatened to shoot them unless
the name of the leader was disclosed
BY this drastic means, he obtained i
and the man was arrested, and placed
in Jail. Even then, Russians refused
to fight when they reached the from
lines, and left practically all the fight
ing along the five fronts, out from AR
changel, to the Americans.
These fronts stretch out from Arch
angel like the spokes Of wheel, ant
the pasts for the American troops arr
from ten to twenty miles apart. II
some places there are two or three
American soldiers and not another on
for ten or more miles. Bolshevist spie
pass through the country all the time
They terrorize the villages. They viii
take the father Of family, and max
ing him fast by his arms and legs I
four Russian ponies, start to wrench
him apart until he agrees to all thel
demands. The Bolsheviki have plent,
of food for themselves, but those VIII
are not with them may starve to death
In each district they have mai
whose business it is to invent new tor
lures. Some Of these are Of so shock
ing nature that they are indescrib
able. This horse torture is the mildes
they use on the inhabitants of tn
Archangel district.
There were about 4,50O American
troops at the beginning Of January, bu
there have been some heavy casualtie
since then, notably at Shenkhers
where the Allies started q retreat Il
January which lasted one week. l d
not know the exact number of casual
ties, although 1 was at BerezniN hos
pital when the wounded were bein
brought in. There were 100 bed
there. They dressed the wounded hur
riedly and sent them by sleighs to tn
base hospitals in the rear.
81 saw one fine act or heroism i
the hospital at Berezniki on the par
of Captain Odjar of Company A @
the 339th Infantry. He was shot throug
nrNl N