Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-05

Only Chance OF Assistance
Lies In American Relief
Administration; Starving i,
Peasants Have Abandoned
Hope; Typhus Adds To
Terror.

samara, Russia, Sept. 5.--(By the
Associated Press.) - Hunger and
death go virtually unnoticed in the
neglected streets and alleys of Sa-
mar Refugees fronl famine districts
near this city, estimated from 10000
to $4,000, are huddleL together in
deserted buildings unuscd factories,
tattered tents and in wagons rnassed
IN the open spaces about the railway
stations and the docks along the
Volga river.
:. Hunger. typhus. cholera and cx-
haustion are carrying off hundreds
of these miserable fuEi.iTes, young
Bedraggled refugees are constantly
carrying pine collins to the cemetery,
where unpainted wooden crosses mark
hundreds of new graves. From fifty
to one hundred starving children are
gathered up daily from the streets,
or turned over to the central refuge
by parents who cannot feed them,
Many of these little sufferers have
typhus. but the hospitals are without
beds and medicine.
Expect No Help.
Samara's only newspaper. a single
sheet of brown paper, has printed an
announcement that the American re-
lief administrations workers have
reached Moscoy and that 100000 tons
sia. The discouraged and hungry
population. however. hardly believe
that aid will come and with Russian
stoicism, they camp along the high
ways and endeaNor to obtain railway
rides to any place where food may be
secured.
Vladimir soksolsky, chairman Of
the Samara provincial soviet. told the
Associated Press last week that 500
carloads of seed grain had already ar
rived from Moscow and that enough
was expected to enable the peasants
Of Samara province to. SOW approx
mately 100000 acres of wheat for
/ the next harvest. Samara usually
plants an, area of ten times this ex-
amounted. to only 100000 acres,
and the crop was almost failure be-
cause of the drought. 4 ..
Dependent on Aid.
Although transp ortation is difficult,
NJ. Soksolsky said the entire peasant
population Of 2.5oo, 900 would be- de-
pendent upon outside food by n oveni-
/ without bread. this number including
| so, 900 children who have been placed
Fin soviet homes. s.st2i}} q. ~, rs
I Conditions in semayenkena, vii
lage 80 miles from Sarnara and re-
! mote from railway or river communi-
cations, are typiral Of the misery ex-
listing throughout the province y of
Ing bread made from melon rinds,
sunfiower seed and grass seed.
! Mothers Kill Children.
| One mother killed her baby last
week, saying she could not bear.to see
it starve. Other mothers are threat
ening to kill their children. One
woman with six children said to the
n foH DNao I. -. t.
You know it takes children 50 long
! to die. 1t is too horrible to watch
them shrivel up
One old woman showed the CORE
! spondent a loaf Of mouldy green
/ bread, and then pointing to a -four
mill surmounted by a windwheel she
begged Eseda >. .or, .,,i,,s : ,na ;.
has been so long since there has been
any real bread"
Hundreds of families were moving
! toward Samara when the correspond
ent passed through semayenkena
They were carrying all their belong
ings on rickety wagons, drawn by
starved horses which were dropping
off, a peasant, was found standing
with his wife, grown daughter and
young son. watching their horse die at
the top of long hill. He told a
story almost identical with those OF
! thousands OF other families who are
| trekking from the famine area.
| Familiar Story.
II had ten acres of good land" he
said II used to be, railway man
but took up farming. ! raised moth.
ing this year. l have no bread and
no money, and have come 80 miles
on the wayfto San,ara to find work
and food, but here is my horse dead
j and we still are 20 miles from Sa-
mara"
| The wife and daughter, typical
peasant women Of the better class,
stood weeping beside the dying horse
which was lying near small wagon
! bearing a few cooking utensils and a
| h,,,a1e of e1o and ha5Ajpr .