The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-02-06
RUSSIAN WIDOW
ASKS A HOME FOR
HER 4 CHILDREN
Niece Of Premier Trepov
Sends Appeal to Amer
leans in Her Distress.
REDS SEIZED WEALTH
Refugee, Once Of Nobility,
Now Stitches Towels to
Gain Livelihood.

SpeciaI Gable TO THE New YORK HERALD.
Copyright, 1921, by THE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Paris, Feb. D.
Torn between mother love and de-
sire to know that the future welfare
of her children is assured, her health
broken by the privations to which
she has been exposed and her wealth
which once offered the brightest pros
poets confiscated by the Russian Boil
sheviki, Nine. Tatania Trepov Hall
niece of the Russian Premier Trepov
and the daughter of Gen. Trepov, one
of the Cars trusted household Of
ficers, to-day Is asking relief organi-
cations here to find homes for her
four children, none of whom is more
than IA years old.
American Home Desired.
Nine. Hall is living in a one room
apartment at Auteuil unable to find
work to keep the family together, and
IL It were not for the sympathy that
is being shown the remnants Of Russia s
upper social caste she would long ago
have succumbed to hunger and cold. Eff
forts are now being made to place the
children temporarily In the home of some
philanthropically inclined American who
will educate and feed them without
adoption, but IL the family ties must be
entirely severed the unfortunate mother
has resigned herself to the worst and
is prepared to give up all legal rights
even to her two sons, 4 and years old.
whose resemblance to their dead father
make the separation more dreaded than
any of the hardships which she has al
ready endured.
Surely they will leave my boys the
mother said. at is so hard for q mother
to part with her babies, but am ready
to do the meanest sort OF work II this
will save our home from being entirely
destroyed. But everything seems so
hopeless. although Americans show the
sympathy which IS so eagerly aroused
in their hearts when the facts OF de-
serving case become known"
The Russian widow wept as she told
the correspondent for The New YORK
HERALD OF her plight, and begged hin,
that the rest of the world be told what
a terrible effect the Bolsheyist upheaval
has had on what had always been con-
sidcred one of the most intelligent and
progressive social groups in Europes
utilization.
A Typical Example.
Plunged suddenly into indescribable
: dependency, the Halls seem typical of
the highest type of Russian refugees.
many of whom do not know where they
Will get their next meal.
During the war this woman's husband.
Capt. Vladimir Hall. the descendant of a
British family which two centuries ago
III f,. IL fal - Ia
veloped In tho snow filled trenches dur
ing the second winter of the war.
Captain Hall left his family In COM
Portable and prosperous circumstances
as far as Russian wealth went. consist
ing mainly OF 100000 I'm jewels and
land titles kept in safety deposit boxes
in Petrograd. Then came tho crash.
The lands were confscated by the re-
dictionaries. while the drunken mobs
broke down bank doors and opened safe
deposit vaults with explosives AID then
distributed the Hall fortune among
the bowling Bolshevih
The widow and her four children
escaped to the Crimea with only three
small valises OF clothing, few rings
and pins of little value and a small
packet OF family pearls. But Dcnekine'
I failure forced them TO take refuge in
Bulgaria From Bulgaria they came 20
Paris two years ago, and from the sale
of trinlSets and Jewels. supplemented by
fifteen francs n week which the widow
was able 20 earn by handstitching towels
for Russian relief organizations. she
managed to keep the wolf from the door.
But now her meagre reserves have been
exhausted.
wealth Irrecovcrnbie.
There seems to be no possibility OF
recovering any OF the wealth connscated
by the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets.
although Premier Trepov's sympathetic
handling of the Russian troop transpor-
tation problems during the first year OF
the war made him one OF the most pop
ular figures during the first burst OF
war enthusiasm.
Both the Premier and Nine. Halls
father were killed by the Reds when
the regime OF terror was inaugurated.
Only two sisters remain and their stu
alton Is equally impoverished. One Is a
widow with three children, who escaped
10 the south OF Russia when Gen.
Wrangers success became doubtful and
finally reached Constantinople. where By
sweeping out bank offices she earns just
enough TO buy the bare necessities OF
food and clothing The other sister.
huddled In small boat left the Crimes
when the wrangel drive collapsed and
managed to Join her soldier husband at
Gallipoll. where. poverty stricken. they
are now living in rudely constructed
barracks on a daily dole OF bread, nour
and timed meat given out by Allied