Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-07-03
AMERICAN WAR PRISONER
MSOVIETIALL NEAR MOSCOW,
ESCAPES TOPOLLSHBO BORDER
Walks Part of Way; Rides
Rest on Freight
Train.
MASSES WORSHIP LEVINE;
TROTZKY LOSING GROUND
Success of Soviet Regime Due
to Cheka or Terrorist
Spy System.

| i'i'A July 2.-captaiu Merriam c.
| Cooper. OF Jacksonville Fla who cs-
| capped from Soviet war prisoners
camp near Moscow on April II and
who walked and rode on freight
trains to the l.atvian frontier. has ar
rived here with new stories OF tho
| government in Russia. During his
eight months in Soviet Russia Captain
Cooper found the prisons bad. but
well administered and as good as
can hc expected"
credit for his successful escape to
Lieutenant Sokoloski and Captain
Ialcski. two Polish officers who ac-
companicd him. These officers. he re-
| iatcs. succeeded in convincing the
! peasants and even some OF the guards
on the Iaiiroad bridges that they were
cscarinS Austrian war prisoners and
| that Cooper was "a German prisoner
anxious to get home. He sa vs. that
both men have real American nerve"
| for they bluned every one they met
and learned how TO Nip freight trains
with the expert case or an American
| bobo. Th4y also aided Cooper to
build the brush lcan-toS at night.
| ThcS. lcan-tos were not very warm
and Captain Cooper tells how they
would drive them forth at and )
o'clock in the morning TO continue
| their tramp munching on their daily
ration Of a pound OF black brca d. their
| only food during the entire trip.
Traded Clothes for Food.
"Thc peasants refused to give US
food so we had TO trade the extra
suits of undertaking which we took
with us for bread" said CAPITA in
Cooper. When we had traded all Of
! tho clothing that we could possibly
| spare and keep from freezing at night
] traded my pipe. which had a silver
band on II. for seven pounds OF bread
and with this we finished the trip.
The most exciting moment came
about three days out OF Moscow while
| wc were waiting by the railroad for
II freight 10 pass. Two guards came
along and we had 10 lie In n ditch
| fun of icy water for two hours while
they talked OF the probability OF
| trade. Another time that was
scared was when VIC were lying on
in the home of the peasant smuggler
who agreed 10 get us into I.atvia for
The price OF my shoes and Lieutenant
| Sokolcski's ovcrcoat.
| The entire family sleeps on these
ovens during III. winter and beneath
| there is generally a space for a few
pigs or calves. We were up there for
twcnt%-four hours ana the lieutenant
| slept most Of the time and kept me
busy holding his nose 10 stif. his
SHORES when the family was receiving
Red soldier callers
My information about Russia was
| gathered from the influx and outflow
OF the prisoners in the various prison
camps where WAS stationed and also
| from the peasant. whom ! met dur
| in. the winter when | worked on rail
roads entering Moscow and during
my escape.
"l.eninc is still the most popular
| man IN Russia today and his personal
following far outnumbers Trotzky. He
is idoliZcd and his pictures are found
| in every conceivable place. Other
| pictures and posters bear quotations
from his SPEECHES which are accepted
| by the peasants like the gospel as
| the neGrocs say in Florida
According To Captain Cooper, ira vel
ers in Russia today will sec two pic
lures OF Lcninc To every one Of Trot :
Zky. y favoritc poster is one depict
ing Karl Marx in the center and
| Ranked with two smaller pictures OF
the Russian leaders. Trotzky. Cooper
| declares, mas not the confidence OF
the masses OF the people that I.cninc
has. and many persons expressed tho
opinion that the biggest single fac
tor holding the Russian government
today is Lcnine's personal prestige.
Despite the faith of the people in
| Lcninc the masses OF the people are
dissatisiicd.' continued Cooper. but
they are dissatisfied in a hopeless
way. for they have accepted the Com
munist government with an air of
latalsm, and those who might have
overturned the present government
and established q new government in
Russia have all been disposed of. The
people are hopeless and say that Rus
STA faces TWO extremes. One is the