Grand Forks herald., 1919-07-03
BOLSHEVIKI REIGN
WAS LIKE SCOURGE

Bie'ebei, European Russia. May 10.
-(Via Vladfvostok, June 2D-(Cor-
respondence of the Associated Press.)
The reign of the Bolsheviki passed
over the people of Bielebei like
scourge. The Bolsheviki occupied
Bielebei- for several months.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press visited the town within a fort
night after their evacuation. The
people were just beginning to readiust
their domestic and governmental af-
fairs. Refugees were returning to
view the wreck of their homes. They
were veritable wrecks for the Boil
sheviki had occupied all vacated
houses and carried away or destroyed
judge of the district court, Professor
Paul Blumenthal, long resident of
the United States. who left upon ap-
proach of the Bolsheviki, was so
overcome with grief over the fate of
his native town that he wept.
Many persons had disappeared and
it was we'll known that many had
been murdered. The corpses of vic
TINS are being discovered, The cor
women and children which flowed
out across the, fields toward the edge
of scraggly wood. There under the
overhanging bank on the edge Of
gravel pit they were lying, tangled
heap of bodies apparently as they fell
or had been thrown, with no attempt
at burial. 81
The bodies were mostly those of
young or middle-aged workmen.
outer clothing had been removed. OF
some of the skulls were crushed, of
others the faces were disfigured as
though by gunshot at close range.
The crowd on the bank above the
grewsome pile appeared fascinated.
They silently made way for group
OF Americans, including Consul En-
bry from Omsk, and two correspond
ents, and watched with interest while
they photographed the victims.
A nicely dressed woman and little
girl walked into the pit to get bet
ter look at the figure Of blond young
girl which lay partly uncovered close
under the bank.
The body was perfectly preserved
by the cold and lay with arms bare
and crossed as though the girl might
have been sleeping. The face, which
was not disfigured, was that of an in
telligent pretty girl. Toward dusk
the body was removed by relatives
who had come from Ufa. She was
high school girl from that town who
had been abducted by the Bolshevik
commissar when Ufa was evacuated.
Close by was the body of another
woman. II
When the Bolsheviki entered Biele-.
bel the government ut the town was
taken over by a revolutionary COM
mittee of communists There was
formed COMMITTEE Of investiga-
ton" under. the presidency Of one
Welt. a Lett. One Of the first acts of
this committee was to shoot the presi-
dent of the former local county
zemstvo as a counter-revolutionar
The latter was i'll at the time and had
to be carried ont to- his death ins a.
chair. Twenty men were shot and In
addition many Mohammedan priests
A member of the investigating com
mittee boasted that he shot one priest
because he was too long over his
prayers. while the committeeman
waited to take him.
High school boys and girls and
streets. Women of the >'intelligent-
zia" were made to clean the floors
and walls of barracks occupied by.
Bolshevik troops.
Nine. Koshnevikoff. owner Of the
most imposing residence in the town,
was arrested. Her daughter, seeking
her release. was told that the charge
against her. was secret. After q
month in Jail she was released. It
developed that all they had against
the woman was that on previous
such q fine meal to the Bolsheyiki
that some of them narrowly escaped
capture by the eWhites, because Of
tarrying over their dinner.
More than eighty hostages were
taken when the Bolshevikf evacuated.