Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-06-08
ARMENIAN MA TELLS.
|. OF MOSCOW UNDER
B0LSHEVIK RULE
Upper Glass Masquerades
as Poor While on the
Streets.
Correspondence of the Associated

Press.)
Baku, March 17.-Via London,
April 25.--Glimpses into the fantastic
life in Moscow under Bolshevik rule
are given by an American engineer
who has arrived here from the capital
of Soviet Russia. He says the peo-
pie of the city live in terror of the
Bolshvik Red Guard and that the for
mer bourgeoisie have very few privi-
leges. To be we'll dressed is crime.
The hated upper classes must mas
querade as poorer folks whenever
they go into the streets. Good
clothes or furs bring down upon them
the cry of"bourgeois" One word Of
protest or of non-submission to the
ruling powers is quite sufficient to
evoke the daming word, counter
revolutionary" That means prison
and sometimes death. The jails al
ready are full of counter-revolution-
aries and the American says almost
daily from 80 to so men and women
are shot.
The Strasnoinmanastery is now a
peoples law court" Where the
bourgeoisie are tried and condemned
for "crimes" of opposition or alleged
opposition to Bolshvik rule.
The churches, he says, are safe but
their valuables have been removed
Many priests have been killed or i'm
prisoned because, after thedeath of
the former Emperor and his family,
they prayed in secret for the dead.
Some of the theaters are still open.
The great imperial theater is used for
Bolshvik meetings but in the even
ings opera and balls continue. The
greatest artists have all escaped
from Moscow but many good ones re-
main. Only soldiers go to the
theatres. The bourgeoisie apparently
dare not.
Most of the banks are closed. Only
one bank with several branches ex-
lists. 1t is known as the peoples
Bank of the Russian Federal Soviet
Republic" Sums not exceeding L.
600 rubles month may be drawn but
usually one has to pay an agent SO to
l60 per cent of his draft as commits
sion for obtaining it,,
1t is dangerous to employ any SER
lvants-a~ sure sign of bourgeoisie.
Servants are in some cases retained
secretly. But on the paper showing
the number Of people in the house
the servants are listed as poor, rela-
tives.
The streets are filthy and unkept.
Every now and then the bourgeoisie
are ordered to clean their own streets,
men. women and children are given
spades and ordered under penalty to
imprisonment to, shovel filth away.
AS rule the bourgeoisie have to load
and carry their own supplies. No one
else will work for them.
| There is no gasoline for private
automobiles and alcohol is used for
fuel. This is stolen by the chauffeurs,
mixed with water and sold as vodka
for 400 rubles bottle.
Soldiers of the Red Army comman-
der the peasants stores of grain and
food, give them ridiculously small
prices in payment and then sell the
food at huge profits Often they visit
houses on the pretext of searching for
arms, take what valuables they can
find and sell them in the streets.
They loot, rob and even murder any
one daring to say a word against
them.
The slightest offense in the army
is now punished by death but when
the Red soldiers are not on duty they
seem to be able to do as they like
with impunity. Most of the civilians
who have been modified into the army
are disconnected and are awaiting the
first oppoortunity,o turning against
the Bolsheviki.
There is no protection for foreign
ers. A decree was recently published
declaring there were no longer any
foreigners and that everyone living in
Russia henceforth would be deemed a
Russian and have to submit to Bolshe
vik rule. Paper money to the face
value of 1,250,0OO rubles is printed
daily. Only two newspapers are per-
mitted to be published. The Soviet
NEWS and the Soldiers TRUTH.
You will wonder at the quick re-
Spouse q Granhic Want AID will hrir o.