Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-10-18
TOWN STRIPPED
BY JAPS AFTER
WEEK OF HORROR
Ship In Huge Stor OF
Army Goods TO
Nikolayeysk
B YJAcK MASON.
N. E. A. Staff Correspondent in the
Far Fast

Fdr East.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18.-(By
Messenger and Mail. )-The Japs have
undisputed control of the ashes of
Nikolayevsk-a symbol, perhaps, that
their whole conquest of Maritime ST.
IBERIA may turn to ashes in their
mouths.
Since June 2, when they re-occu-
pied the scene of massacre, they hav
systematically stripped it of every
valuable thing and shipped in 5000
tons of army supplies!
Some $500 soldiers were in the
town when went there. Mai Cen
eral Tsuno was in command. A
Jap squadron was in the vicinity, un-
der Vice Admiral Kuwajima.
Huge Army Stores.
saw enormous quantities of army
stores, filling several large godowns
(warehouses), and piled IL to Is feet
high over open spaces equal to three
city blocks. At intervals Jap
steamers arrived with more supplies.
Day after day 500 Jap soldiers
continued the salvage work. Every
ruin was dug over for metal. Cor
rugated iron-from the roofs of g.
600 burned buildings-Jwas CAREFUL
ly Strengthened and wired together.
Iron stoves, by scores, were set in
neat rows, awaiting shipment. Miles
of telephone and electric wire were
taken down from poles, rolled up and
carried to the river bank. Insulators
were unscrewed and boxed.
Anchors, buoys, chains, machinery
from the electric light plant, new
iron bars and ingots-every scrap of
metal on the 144 square blocks of
desolate Nikolayevsk was being recov-
cred, sorted and sent on steamers
flying the merchant flag of japan.
Sent where? l do not know. Why?
No Jap would tell. | was not per-
mitted to photograph this spoliation,
but I saw it, day by day, with my
own eyes.
The homeless Russians, struggling
back by hundreds from the interior,
were sent in patches to Vladivostok,
1000 miles by steamer
The Russian Red Cross steamer
Erivan carried food and medical
supplies to relieve the situation. Lit
tie parties were sent along the shore
to bury the bodies, now coming to
the surface in large numbers.
Capitalizes Massacre.
Every effort has been made byI
Japan to capitalize the massacre iul
two ways:
FIRST-As an excuse for contin-
ued military occupation of the mari
time province-to accomplish which
she had for two years alternately
fomented disorder and then suppress
ed it with iron hand; supplied arms
and money to reactionary white"
leaders like Seminoff, and signed
agreements with Red or non-Red pro-
visional government, only to tear
them up when it served her purpose.
SECOND-As a pretext for in
human treatment of thousands of
Chinese, which well may pave the
way for fresh enchoachments upon
PROSTATE China.
When the Jap relief expeditionI
landed, they Immediately rounded upl
and questioned every living person.
They could not understand how the
despised Chinese civil population of
Nikolayevsk had escaped massacre
along with the Jap soldiers. Were
the Chinese in league with the Reds?
Russians witnesses, who had never
thought of such a thing, suddenly
remembered" when handed five or
ten yen. Witnesses who had diff
Guilty in remembering also had diff
ficulty in either elaving or remain
ing in Vladivostok. Some disappear
ed!
One such "witness," with whom I
talked, admitted without blush that
he Remembered" for five yen, which
he needed to buy some salt to cure
his fish. Five yen would buy three
pools (10S) pounds) of salt. And
the entire valuable supply of salt isl
in Japanese hands!
Real Jap Head.
Many Russians told me that Mr..
s. Hanaoka, special representative of
the real head of japanese affairs in
at Nikolayevsk, had large number
of such statements. My personal
contracts with him, and other OBJ,
servations, convince me that he isl
tn ereal head of japanese affairs in
that section-above general or ad-
miral. He was formerly first secre-
tary of theJapanese embassy to Pet
rograd, and claims intimate friend
ship with former U. S. Ambassador
Francis.
The 4,2OO Chinese civilians at
Nikolayevsy were a peace full part of
that mixed population found in all
Siberian towns. The Chinese ships
tCcntinued on page 81