Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-10-11
j. S. ELECTORATE TO DECIDE FATE OF LEAGUE
WORK OF JAPS IN SIBERIA
is SHOCKINGIY HUN-LIKE
Jack Mason, Noted Far East Correspondent, Bares
Bacts of Japanese Military Terror After
Long Trip

expeditions penetrated far from the
railroads she was ostensibly there to
guard. Soon the army numbered
between 10000 and $4,000 .men.
Then the powers sent a note to
Toxic. What it said never has been
made public. 1t produced some re-
suits. Troops began to sail back to
Japan.
But there are even now between
$4,000 and 100000 Jap soldiers in
Russian Siberia. This | know from
a source | am not at liberty to re-
veal.
Far and wide over Siberia stretches
the 'unspeakable Jap scar" Scare
hamlet, or isolated peasant home,
but suffered terribly in the constant
turmoil, pillage, rape and murder
all the denominations of soldiers free
to do their will.
Typical is what happened to the
once prosperous village. of Ivanoka,
on the Amur, far from the railroad.
Without warning a Japanese-Cossack
detachment opened fire on the town,
Five hundred and sixty children
were made orphans; 200 homes were
burned. The remnant of inhabitants
fled to the hills. Thieves looted
what was left of the town. Japanese
soldiers burned the homes not de-
stroyed by shell fire.
Cynical Explanation"
Such intense Indignation did this
arouse among the allied forces that
Japan made an official explana
20 nxv1,saaI oaI
document, expressing "great regret
and "heartache" that it was "neces-
sary" to resort to these "repressive
easures"-because the people, of
Ivanoka Continued to sympathize
with and harbor Bolshev1ks."
Nothing was left, therefore," it
says, "but for the Japanese COM
mand to execute the severe yet merit
ed punishment of the population of
Ivanoka."
Scores of towns were similarly out
ragged, whole populations punished
for the acts, or suspected acts, of in
dividuals.
By the fall of 1919 a Jap expe-I
dition had reached Nikolayevsk-500
miles down the Amur from the rail
road at Harborovsk, and 1000 miles
by water from yladlvostok. Gun
boats patrolled the Amur, to main
tain Flaw and order"-by shellingI
river towns suspected of harboring
Red sympatizers. / personally saw
little settlements that had been thus
destroyed.
In many villages the local Russian
officials-not Reds-bravely incur
red Jap vengeance by sending appeals
on behalf of mass meetings of the
inhabitants, begging protection from
the representatives of the united
States and other allies.
Some $40 Jap soldiers spent the
long, cold winter of 1920 at Nlko-
lavesk, with frequent disgraceful org
les.
In joint occupation the town was
a detachment of Russian white"
soldiers, under Jap control.
Hatred Makes Red Recruits.
Bitter hatred of the Japs sent the
Siberian peasants flocking to the Ked
standard. under the anarchist Tre-
petzin and his consort Nina.
On January %, 1920, Trepetzin
surprized and captured Fort Tchny-
rach, a few miles below Nikolayevsk'
Japs who escaped fled to the town;
Trepetzin turned the big guns OF
the fort on the japanese barracks and
wireless station. These were cap.
tured February and the town itself
was surrendered February 20 by the
Japanese and "White" forces.
Then began the sombre final act
of the tragedy of Nikolayevsk, culml-i
mating in the massacre as spring was
freshening the Amur Valley:
(The next installment of Mason's
reort will cover the climax of horror
in Nikolayevsk.)