The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-19
K|LPATRICK TELLS TRUE CONDITIONS
 IN SOVIET RUSSIA
UniontoWn Man Arrives in New York After Horrible Experience as BolShevik
 Prisoner
By Associated Press

New Aork, October lS,-Astounu- ing conditions in Soviet Russia were given today in a statement made to The Associated Press by Capt. Elm nett Fitzpatrick of Uniontown, Ala, who was captured by General Bud enny's cavalry command in october, 1920. while doing American Red Cross work and suffered for more than nine months in soviet prisons. Cap tain Fitzpatrick, under sentence of 20 years at hard labor. was released August [. last, through efforts of the American Relief Mission in Rus sia. He returned to the United States yesterday.
 Thousands of Austro- Hungarian prisoners of war, many of them taken by the Russian armies in 1914, still are held by the soviets, Captain Fitzpatrick declared, but their num- Der is fast dwindling through deaths from starvation. From figures ob- tained from certain persons holding high offices in the soviet government, he added. he conservatively estimated the loss of life in Russia since 1914 trom famine, execution and war at 20,0oo, ooo
 My figures and my story may seem ridiculous," Captain Fitzpatrick said. but during my prison life in Russia l talked to several thousand prisoners-generals and aristocrats, as well as politicians business men and peasants-and I think I know what l am talking about.
 The soviet government is nothing more than system of prisons oper- ated by the extraordinary commits sion, and over this commission Lenine and Trotzky reign. Nowhere in soviet Russia Is there a shop, restaurant or industrial plant in operation. The only mills that run are those turning out soviet paper money. The entire population is ruled by a scant 300, 900 communists
 In Moscow alone there are 30,000 government spies working, and 1t Is almost certain death to utter a word against the government.
 Executions go on like the falls of Niagara. have stood in my prison cells and heard the work going on hour after hour, with never a let-up. When l first was placed In prison the majority of my comrades were aristo- crats and members of royalty. When l came out they were all gone-- Killed. have sawed logs with beau tiful arlstocratic young women pull | ing the other end of the saw"
 Captain Fitzpatrick was engaged in typhus survey in villages of the south front of Wrangers offensive in a section north of the village of ferikop. When returning by train. his party was attacked by a detach- ment of Budenny cavalry. All their clothes were taken away, and they were treated brutally, he said. His l secretary q young Russian woman, and his interpreter, also Russian, were captured with him.
 They were driven through 20 miles of snow and sleet and forced to do Hed Cross work among the Dudenny wounded in number of engage ments. He said they had barely enough food to keep alive. They were then placed In a box car and travelled eight days with but morsel of food a day to the grand headquarters of l Budenny.
 General Budenny is simple little fellow and he treated me very de- cently,' Fitzpatrick continued. We had dinner with him and discussed d his work. I attribute my success, Budenny told me. to the fact that I kteach my soldiers that they always N In and never lose. He refused how eSSr, to pass on my case and we were sent to Kparkov, general head quarters of the southern bolshevist army.p
 After a series of terrifying ex- periencss in soviet prisons, he final ly obtained his release on August z. Captain Fitzpatrick said he would make report to state department of- ficials at Washington