Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-11-20
SOVIET SECRET POLICE
UNIVERSALLY DREADED
Few Good Deeds and Many
Evil Ones Charged
to Chcka.
boon onDEn IN EvID ENoE
NotwfthstnndinE Russia's Chaotic Con-
ditfons and Overwhelming Poverty,
Red Agents Maintain General
Quiet In Larger Part of Country.
IRy Associnted Pros

MOSCOW, Nov. 19,--"If sou sec a
Cheka agent on tho right sidn of the
street. tRkc.thc left SIDE" Is a common
saying in Russia, showing the fear
inst'llcd by the secret police which
Is credited here with untold crimes
and violence. Its agents look up pco-
pie, try and execute them, IL they see
ut, according TO popular Information.
AS there are no police In Russia, it
devolves on this organization TO keep
the peace and. when necessary. con-
troll the Red army.
While travelling through the entire
length of Russia. the Associated Press
correspondent was shadowcd. from
city to city, by these agents, but
never bothered by them. AS In
Turkey. their mission was possibly to
protect the correspondent and not in
volvc the Soviet government in fresh
complications regarding its treatment
of Americans.
Good Order in Evidence.
That the Cheka keeps order is evil
dent from the fact that there is at
present order everywhere In Russia.
save for bands of robbers among the
Don and Kuhan Cossacks, calling
themselves the Green army and now
and then holding UP trains In the
region between the Black and Caspian
Seas. along the line from RoStoy to
PetrorSk.
While passing through this region,
the correspondent learned Of one
good deed OF the Chcka, tho details OF
which indicate how frightfully Rus
sia's people have suffered from ,n,,r
revolutions, Commissaire Lander, of
the Kicv Chcka, was spending the
summer for his health at the beau
tiful watering place oc kislovodsk,
once one OF the most fashionable Of
the North Caucasus baths. One night
there came TO his house a young man
and woman, who told OF the sudden
disappearance of certain countess,
n pretty girl of 20, belonging to one
OF the most famous of tho old Rus
sian nobility.
Lander started an investigation.
and by morning had found the girl.
but in n dreadful condition. II de-
rcloped that while sitting in one OF the
parks OF the town the evening pre-
vious two men had placed her UNI
der arrest in tho name OF the Chcka,
as white" spy, and kept her
prisoner in a lonely house.
Executes NVretches.
Lander put ut once all tho machin-
cry OF the Chcka at work, had all
the trains watched and by night had
arrested two bandits who were idcn-
tined as the criminals. While tho
men were being returned to IIislo-
vodsk, they lcaped from the train
and escaped. Lander after twelve
days Of search again arrested then,
at Rostov where they were at once
executed.
Lander is now spending his own
money in an effort To aid the Girl
as she and her family are without
resources.
Against this good deed thousands
of evil ones are told. According IL
one Of these stories the Chcka
searched the home OF university
professor and physician. DR. Flor
iansky. year ago. in kiev. and
found in his desk n forgotten list,
dated ZOOS. OF forty-thrce members
of "a patriotic organization, many. OK
whom were notable professors and
physicians. The Cheka accused the
physician OF countcr-rcvolutIon, ar
rested the men named in the list
still in ktcv and shot all of them