The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1921-08-12
RUSSIAN HORDES
FLEE FAMINE AREA
Fugitives From Devastated Dis
tricts Besiege Cities Crying
for Food to Save Lives.
REDS FIGHT 0NRUsHING MASS
Amazing Migration Toward Eastern
Europe as 100000 Face starva-
tion. Many Victims Reach Cities.
Bolshevists Admit Concern.

Berlin.-Betveen $4,000 and 10000
persons are dying daily of starvation
in Russia, according to Bolshevik
newspapers reaching Berlin. With each
succeeding day the situation in Russia
appears to grow more critical.
The horrors of the great plague that
swept Europe in the fourth century
are being recalled by the Russians in
their present disaster. The number of
famine sufferer Is estimated at 3d.
100000. The huge masses of people
that are fleeing from the villages are
aow actually besieging the cities In
demand for bread
AT some of the crossings on the
Volga there are thousands of wagons
with miserable human freight gathered
in a desperate effort to escape from
the starvation area.
The elemental movement has given
rise to bloody battles, in which the
Red soldiers have fought with bullets
md sabres to check the advance of
the starving. ragged peasants and save
the cities from pilIage and destruction
at their hands.
IZvestia, the Soviet official news
paper in Moscow, announces the es-
tabishment of regular famine front
at which the Bolshevik army is trying
to halt the mad onrush of the starving
millions. This front runs southwark
from Murmansk, past Petrograd and
through Pskov, Minsk, Kiev, Ekateri-
noslav,. Mariampol, Taganrog and
Rostov-on Don to Torgovaya, in Kuban
province. Thence it swings toward
Turkestan and stretches into Siberia
as far as lrkutsk.
The entire region within this front
line is under martial law and admis-
sion beyond it is permissible only on
special passes from the extraordinary
commission.
The population nvthe famine strick-
en- region, which covers three-fourths
Of Russia, is subsisting on insects,
frogs, roots and the bark Of trees.
Rats have become a deIicacy in many
places.
The lack Of food Is rapidly flaming
the cholera epidemic throughout Rus
sia. According to the Pravda. 24,0OO
cholera cases were registered in Mos
COW in the month of June.
Premier Lenine has again offered to
place the entire relief work in stricken
Russia in the hands of American Or
ganizations and give them complete
freedom of action. He hopes thus to
bring sufficient relief to the country to
counteract the demand of the eXtrem-
lists for q mass foraging advance into
Poland, Rumania and the Baltic states.
Unless relief comes, Europe may wit
ness a titanic invasion by Russian
hordes, such as has not occurred since
the advance of the Mongols across the /!
Russian steppes. 1t is feared that the |
Soviet army cannot indefinitely hold |
the famine front against which the |
hosts of starving people, driven mad |
by hunger and disease. are trying des- !
to break.
Although the leaders Of the Soviet
government and the Communist party
IRE trying desperately to organize and |
put in operation some sort of a relief !
plan, the rank and file Of the Red
parties are throwing up their hands,
feeling that the situation is hopeless.
The latest DEGREES of the Moscow
government regarding the so-called tax
'ree trade Nave proved useless, as the
peasants have nothing to give or to
;ell According to the Krassnaya Ga !
.ette, bread costs more at Perm, Che
ibinsk, Orenburg and Viatka than in
Moscow and Petrograd.
A fact which is regarded as symp-
omatic of possible developments In
Russia is the open discussion in Mos
,ow of expected changes in the Soviet
government. These changes will de-
,end uEon which faction is victorious,
liz, whether the extremists, demand
ng an invasion of Europe in search
# bread, get the upper hand instead
# Lenine, who still hopes to keep
within bounds the calamity which has
'efallen Russia.