The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-19
ONE LONE SAILOR
DEALS OUT DEATH
FOR AZERBAlDJAN
5000 Summarily Executed
by His Decree in Batum
Within Six Months.
KILLED BY THE SCORE
All Liquor Is COnfiscated to Be
Drunk by the Red Com
missiOners.
KILLED BY THE SCORE

Special Gable TO THE NEW Yonk HERALD.
Copyright, 1890, 81 THE NEW York HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
- Paris, Dec. is.
1.-THE State of Azerbaidjan is only a
fiction" was the declaration of NM.
Renard and Dobrowsli, two French
officials who have just succeeded in
escaping from a Bolshevist prison at
Batum, where they were held for six
months. They declared that the
"State" was nothing more than a
common sailor named Pankratof, ap-
pointed High Commissioner in Aver
baidjan and sent there from Moscow
with supreme authority"
Describing the terror in the Cauca-
sus. NJ. Renard said:
"Dr. Nerimanef, so-Called President
of the Republic, is only a machine for
signing death DEGREES. In Batum dur
ing the last six months more than
5000 persons were put to death on
summary judgments. Every night
scores of men and women, the latter
crazed by the horror of it all, stand
naked against the walls waiting for
tie SINUS " lIIlS Jul rum tile INNS
squads"
Hcrded With Vagabonds.
The Batum Soviet is running short
of prisons. and therefore is using banks
in which to hold political hostages.
In a small room less than twenty
feet square more than forty of us man
aged to live for more than three
months" he continued. "'rhe makeup
of the social groups was greatly varied,
one time Russian Ministers and in one
case n Polish dlplomatist being forced
to sleep under blankets with the COM
monest vagabonds. Separate accom-
modations are not provided for the
women, but, like the men, they are
forced to strip off their garments be e
fore the Soviet guards to exterminate
body vermin twice daily, the commits
sioner having ordered this when the
typhus epidemic was, threatened In
south Russia last year. Sometimes
there is a vacancy in a cell. and every
body In that cell knows what that
means. Prisoners are merely taken be-
fore a special commissioner. who reads
the charge against them and asks n
few questions. Instantly they. are con-
demned and put to death in tho court
room with a revolver"
According to NJ Dobrowski the orders
issued by the authorities of Baum are
like vaudeville jokes. For instance, any
one possessing more than two rooms
must furnish an extra pair of boots to
the Soviet officials The sale OF alcoho!
is strictly prohibited-except TO Sovier
functionaries. Violations of this order
are punished by death and the stock OF
liquor belonging to the person violating
the order Is confiscated and drunk In the
nightly banquets by Pankratof and his
colleagues.
Bolshevism It's own Cure.
When the two Frenchmen were es-
corted to the Georgian frontier and their
baggage turned over To them several
valuable articles were taken from them,
although receipts were scrupulously
signed for these articles. Apparently
In payment Of them. however, the Boz
sheviki substituted precious Persian
feathers and valuable carved wood pipes
NJ Renard expressed the belief that
Bolshevism will necessarily work out
Russa's salvation.
1T Is a necessary antidote for the pre-
war Czarism." he said. II am confident
that the absorption of this virulent pot
son will restore Russia to normal life.
To-day Boshevism is merely Czarsm
upside down II is merely an oligarchy
of adventurers who are ruling by tie
same means as the Car ruled. IL Is
neither dictatorship OF the prolctari1;
nor thc application OF Marxism. II Is
"a regime of terror FOR the benefit of n
few individuals rather than for the bcnc-
lit OF n few ideals"
There are still fifty English civilians
Including several women, interncd ~
Datum. although the Reds profess 70 b"
arranging for their deportation as fast
4 Lou
the British Consul In Batum. who was
offered his liberty, refused to accept %
until the last of his countrymen is safely
beyond the Azerbaidjan borders.