The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-07
SAODEST CITY
IN THE WORLD
p.+ronrad Now But Ghost Of What It
Formerly Was, With Deserted
Streets and Hungary
People.
BEGGING IS FORBIDDEN
stores ara Closed and All Buying Is IN
Secret 40 it is Dangerous
70 Have
Money.
IRy Frank J. Taylor. United Press
Staff Correspondent

w
mn the ghost of q city that was for
,nerly as gay as money and people
could make it. Petrograd is prison
III itself, under the tigntest sla'e -,
siege that a trembling regime eau
devise to prevent uprisings.
Petrograds wide streets are ~
most deserted. The days are Almost
On barren az the long twilight even
inss. which last until midnight now.
No one is allowed on the streets
after IL in the evening. Every house
must have one Of its occupants OUT
side it's gate on guard at all hours
to guard what nobody knows, Dut
thase are orders from the military
commander. -
Stores are closed and buying ID
done entirely through secret chan
pels. The beautiful buildings are IN
habited by bolshevik officials. no
tels are dark and dirty. and are no
longer public hostelries. They are
the "hang-outs" OF the commlssalres.
There probably is not sadder city
In thu world than the once wonoer-
full Petrograd. The place is under
the spell of apprehension OF either
bolshevik terror or enemy invasion.
Most Of the people hope for the lat
ter since it would mean FOOD.
Most of Petrograd II starving. Il
Is estimated that seven or eight nun
dred people die daily through hunger
or priyation. Disease II rampant
Medical supplies are not to be found.
Food Is sold in insufficient quanti-
ties at the co-operauves. but NOBODY
can live on it. The soup Kitchens
serve such as they have. but SUD-
stances that none but the ravenous
can mouth.
The position Of foreigners is pitiful.
They are mostly old people or refu-
gees, waiting for the chance to es-
| cape. They have nothing, and with
out enormous funds one cannot live.
With limitless funds one can eat
fairly well, buying on the sly.
Confiscations continue. Supposedly
thew are official The same old ter
rorist methods prevail A typical
case was cited by Polish woman
This woman lived alone with her
aged mother IN an apartment One
night about midnight half dozen
| sailors appeared. battering down the
door. demanding to search Tor
weapons. Rudely and destructively
they bullied the women and stayed
until four In the morning.
! They broke open every trunk and
box and stole all money they could
I find. This they did in violation OF
the regulations for protection Of for
| eigners. Trunks left by friends Of
the family were broken open with
axes
Next day tho victims protested 4
their diplomatic representatives. They
were assured they would get thei'
| funds and papers back They did
but with fifty thousand rubles gone
This was the third time this house
had been searched for confiscations
Disease RACES In Petrograd. wors.
than any other region in Russia
Typhus is especially bad. It Is 81
serious that the Films put everyone
who escapes from Russia into guar
antine. In none Of the Russian cite!
are there means OF combating dis
ease now. The Danish Red Cross Il
the only organization allowed to con
duct relief work. and it operates un
der the greatest Of difficulties.
Moscow is more normal and i
less tragic than Petrograd. It i
better supplied with food, and price
are half as high. Petrograd is fl
danger of being isolated any time b.
an advance from Esthonia. The bol
sheviks are panicky and are pre-
pared to evacuate hastily II neces
sary. Shops are almost entirel
closed and the workmen modified
Trenches and barbed wire barricade
outside Petrograd are intricate an
many, built mostly by labor Of tn
women, who are herded in hundred
} by the red guards.
In Moscow there are many peopl
in the streets, and they do not seer
particularly depressed or hungry
They have adjusted themselves t
the new conditions and are maxim;
the most Of it with shrug Of tn
shoulders
Women are quite well dressed
many OF them even stunningly gowr
ed. In answer to your query. the
tell you they are wearing their bee
leftover gowns. Even evening dresse
are worn ON the streets or at worl
since people can get no new workin
clothes. The men are most shabby
and, in addition, dirty.
Crime has greatly decreased, az
cording to the bolsheyiks. This
probably due to the extremely hars
penalties. Practically all of the puI
ishments are for political crimes
Stealing is more or less legalized 70
privileged bolsheviks under the cor
fiscated system. Ordinary mortal
are punished for stealing even foot
There are remarkably few beggar
in Moscow and Petrograd, thong
more in the latter than in the former
Those who formerly begged are no,
sent to detention homes established