Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1920-11-27

stalIment of the Bolshevik Offensive
Enormous Forces Were Concen-
.trated on the Polish Front-PoIish
Artillery Firing Was Excellent, but
BoIshevik Firing Was Weak-Boy
Scouts Take Prominent Part in
Fighting.
The battle of Grodno, in which the
Poles won a decisive victory over the
forces of Soviet Russia, is described
by an eye witness In the London
Times. Writing from Warsaw this
correspondent says:
'"The loss of GrodnO was a serious
blow to the Soviet government. The
Bolsheviki had concentrated enormous
forces on the northwest Polish front.
those defending Grodno consisting of
twenty per cent of Communists. There
were eleven divisions Of infantry, sew
en- divisions of reserves, plus two cav
airy divisions, and a new lately formed
fifth army. The Polish advance was
merely a forestallment Of the BOlshe-
vik offensive. Events have shown that
it was started none too early. Delay
might have been fatal.
"Grodno lies in the cup of ring Of
hills which form a perfect natural de-
Tense. The towns itself is built on the
steep banks of the Niemen, and its
numerous white towers, clustering in
the midst of the thick forests which
hide the slopes of the river, present
picturesque scene from the neighbor-
Ing heights.
Watches Bombardment.
"On the eve of its capture I lay in
the front line trenches of the attack
ing forces and watched the lombard
ment of the outer Notifications. They
fell during the night, and the Polish
artillery moved up to the heights en-
circling the city. The Polish firing was
excellent The Bolshevik reply was
weak, for although the aim was not
bad the percentage Of buds was high.
ION September Is the Polish shells
could be seen bursting right in the
Bolshevik trenches on the outskirts
of the town. Down below Polish
bridging parties were forcing a cross
ing over the Niemen in face Of ma
chine-gun fire from the woods opposite.
The Polish soldier will have none Of
Bolshevism, but he is willing to give
the professed Communist his due as a
fighter. Picked Communist regiments
were defending these woods and de-
Tended them well.
Gas soon as dusk fell the Bolshevik
forces deserted the town. At midnight
of September 25 the first Polish troops
entered the outskirts. I followed them
in the early morning. The last time
passed through GrodnO, in July Of this
year. 1t was bright and fiourishing
town. When I reentered it after ten
weeks of the blessings of 'proletarian
culture 1t was city of the dead. The
haggard, haunted faces of the inhabi-
tants, the filth, wanton destruction and
desolation told their own tale. The
walls were beplastered with endless
propaganda posters and the wornout
revolutionary watchwords of which
Russia is sick unto death.
All Papers Destroyed.
'"The first place I visited was the
late premises of the Extraordinary
commission. It's headquarters were in
a small lodging in the center of the
town. The tables, chairs and curtains
had all been carted away. OF the fur
niture there remained nothing but two
smashed cupboards whose empty draw
ers were lying about the floor. All
papers had been carefully burnt and
the ashes lay in heaps about the
stoves.
among the scraps on the floor
which l succeeded in piecing together
the only document of interest was an
order signed by one Nikolaieff that the
large number of deserters from the
Red army were to be shot mercilessly.
From these rooms the order went
forth to shoot all suspected of favor
ing the White guards. Poles, Rus
slams and bourgeois Jews alike were
shot on his charge. Among the bour-
geois Poles were an engine driver and
stoker who refused to drive a train
load of ammunition Sagainst the re-
treating Poles. an some cases in
quiries were held to try the counter
revolutionists. Some of the accused
were acquitted the inhabitants ex-
planned, but as they had already been
shot, 1t was rather too late
1.-THE work of spreading the prole-
tartan gospel dictated by Moscow was
carried out by the Karl Marx club
the headquarters of what is known in
Soviet Russia as the Cultural and En-
lightment Committee Notices of con-
certs and meetings still remain on the
walls of the rooms.
Communist Culture.
81 asked neighboring jewellers if they
could tell me in what the Communist
culture and enlightenment consisted.
They said they did not know unless 1t
was the revels and orgies which had
frequently taken place in the Karl
Marx club lasting into late hours of