Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-08-04
RUSSIANS IN TURK
CAPITAL HAVE NO.
THOUGHT OF FUTURE.
EVEN AMERICAN LOANS ARE
SoUANDERED BY NATION SAID
BY CHARITY WORKERS TO BE
MONEY BLIND.

Constantinople. July 1.-The Rus
sian temperament is proving a seri
Gus obstacle to American and other
relief and charitable organizations
here. Individual Americans trying
to help Russian refugees often give
up in depsair.
The Russian may be described as
money blind. He is careless with his
own money and with that of others
Thousands of Russian refugees ar.
rived here with plenty of money,
furs, jewels and portable valuabes.
Without a thought for the morrow,
they lived for time in the best no.
tells until the money was exhausted
and valuables pawned
Then the hotel proprietors asked
them to leave and they went cheer
fully to live in a squalid by.street, not
only expectant but confident the
Americans or some other good souls
would care for them. And often it Is
done.
One of the tragedy-comedies of the
foreign colony here is the story of
the attempts of Russian general to
get his seven daughters to Paris. |
Dozens of persons have spent much |
time and money in his effort and so
far three of the daughters are here |
and starving. The father has him
self spent $4,000 francs trying. The
general, a good and capable father,
got himself as far as Paris through |
the kind offices of United States con.
sui General Moser then in Tifis
In Paris the father mortgaged his |
estates for 100000 francs and sent |
5000 francs to his wife and seven |
daughters to join him. They got as |
far as Constantinople, bought a lot !
of new dresses, attended the seasons !
dances loaned the rest OF the money |
to needy friends and asked father for
more.
The general sent another $4,000 |
francs and after various difficulties |
about passports the father and four
OF the daughters departed New loans |
and expenditures made it impossible |
to take three of the daughters. An |
other 10000 francs was sent to the |
three daughters by the father thru |
Russian general who pocketed it,
or thoughtlessly spent it, and the |
daughters are still here, their clothes |
held for board and lodgings and they
and their family in Paris are cheer.
fully waiting until the American re.
lief organizations do something about
1t.
certain baron, member of the i'm.
nerial guard, eleven times wounded
during the war, was all but adopted
by Chicago dentist who met him in
Russia. The latter arranged for his
passage to the United States, sent
funds and turned up at the American
The handsome baron pocketed the
fonds and turned up at the American
embassy within a few days describ-
ing how his pockets had been picked.
"A cable was sent the dentist and
fresh funds arrived. These funds
were dissipated and still the baron
did not sail He is now awaiting
more funds from Chicago.
An American army officer on sta
ton here was told by his Russian
friends of their difficulties with the
cruel landlord who was about to
eject them. The officer gave them
the needed money and was invited
to dine with them. The dinner was
splendidly served, including cham,
payne. The landlord had to renew
his threats. but in vain. The rent
money had paid for the dinner
All Americans here love the Rus
SLAMS and do much to help them, but
those with experience have ceased
making heavy sacrifices to do so.
The incurable optimism of the Rus.
sian leads him to build air castles
and into foolish acts that have to
be paid for in cold cash When his
optimism is exhausted the Rus
sian is SO pessimistic he takes to the
river. Many young men have COM
mitted suicide here. Their families
In France and England and Italy
send them money TO join them. they
spend the money for champagne or ,
silk socks, or what not. and when the
money is exhausted they shoot or $
drown themselves.
The devotion and the childlike
of the Russian women
here is source of constant wonder I
TO Americans. Many of them have
forgotten they were countesses or t
princesses and gone to work. Their
charity to one another surpasses be- S
lief They will pawn their last jewel
to help friend. The correspondent
found one woman selling her eye
glasses. and dofhg IL without thought t
of making upoasaI canr;Gna