Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-27
JAIL LIFE IS ROUTINE
FOR THE AVERAGE RUSSIAN
BoIshevik Power Not Wan
ing, Captain Fitzpatrick,
Who Was Arrested, Tells
Correspondent
BY VIM. BIRD
Qeasel Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1917


Copyright, 1921
PRUSSIA is the land of the Jailed. Those
who are out of Jail either have already been
in, or are about to go. Apparently there
is no escape. But simple arrest is a mat
ter of no Importance at all. Being SEN
fenced to death is almost certainty for
those who go to Jail, but, fortunately, not
all the sentences are carried out. One of
the American prisoners in Moscow, returned
to Paris chats entertainingly of life behind.
the bolshevik bars.j
PARIS. Sept. 25.-"There are just
three classes Of people in the Russian
cities today-those who have been
in Jail. those who are in Jail, and
those who are going to be in jail"
The speaker was Captain Emmett
Fitzpatrick, one Of the Americans
prison as a result Of the Hoover
bargain with the bolsheviks.
1 didn't ask Captain Fitzpatrick
much about the terror and bloodshed
in Russia. AS he said himself, why
talk about it? There have been SO
many stories written that were un-
true, SO many lies spread broadcast
Stockholm, Helsingfors and other
propaganda stations, that nobody
will believe the truth if it is told.
Going to Jail, however, is IAN in
cident Of small Importance. Being
sentenced to death is a formality
that most prisoners go through. Not
all the sentences are carried out
But there are executions, nightly.
Every prisoner in the Moscow jails
soon gets accustomed to rattle of
musketry outside his cell window
every night.
He gets used to having the guards
come and take one of his cell mates
out from time to time. After a while
he ceases to be curious, when the
guards step is heard at the door,
as to whether it is his turn this
time.
Bo1shevism Not Waning
Is bolshevik power waning? No.
Communism is dead, but the COM
munists will hang on a long time.
Their organization, politically, Is ad-
m1rable. They have trusted agents
everywhere-but not too much trust
ed. Generally they go in pairs, each
to watch the other. This was true,
for instance. in the case of Budien-
ny's army. Captain Fitzpatrick visit
ed Budienny on his way TO Moscow
where he expected to get his release
instead of a prison sentence. Bud
Jenny is not sole commander of his
wonderful mounted army. He has a
joint commander, Boroscheloff. No
order is valid unless signed by both
of them. If they disagree, the mat
ter is referred to Moscow.
In fact there are three command
ers, for, besides these two, there is
Menin at Moscow. He is the So
called political commander He does
not go to the front or among the
troops, but has charge of propagan-
da and the surveillance of the army's
morale. He is' communist through
and through. He was thrice impris-
oned in Siberia under the car. and
declared that he had no respect for
any Russian who had not been sent
to Siberia at least twice.
Budienny can read. but doesn't.
Asked what books he liked best, he
said he never read any. Boroschel-
off, his colleague, howeve1. reads
works were those dealing with the
campaigns of Stonewall Jackson. He
admired Jackson's strategy. and had
employed it extensively in his own
campaigns.
Captain Fitzpatrick laid no empha-
sis on the reasons for his arrest.
Reasons are hardly necessary, he
says, although it is sometimes diff
ficult to understand the motives. In
his own case. he was q Red Cross
worker with WrangePs army.
Pretext for Arrest
The preteXt for his arrest, after
travelling practically unguarded to
Moscow, was telegram from the
state department. asking f our at
tache with General Wrangel. Cap
tain Fitzpatrick" had been shot. This
proved, said the authorities that he
was a military spy. The wording
Of the telegram calls for eXplana-
ton, for Fitzpatrick was never an
attache.
Tho 1reatast raorat Ei1na trick has
is that he can now do nothing fol
his former companions N the pris-
On, who begged him. when he was
released, not to forget them. Many
were Hungarians, captured during
the war. who have been imprisoned
since 1914 and 1915. He showed me
a handmade wooden cigarette case,
bearing the autographs of many
We1l-knoWn Hungarian officers and
this inscription:
May the true love of your Hun
garian friends be in your remem-
brance forever. Moscow, Andronief-
sky Heard labor camp, March 4,
1921"
I smoked one of the cigarettes,
which bore the arms of the soviet
republic. 1t was surprisingly good
There are twenty thousand Hun
garians slowly dying off in the Mos
COW jails. But then there are one
nunOreQ anu lilly Thousand prlSOn-
ers in Moscow altogether.
AS to the food situation at Mos
COW, Captain Fitzpatrick told me to-
day that he will never feel the same
again towards lard. A year ago he
regarded it as possibly disagree
able necessity in the kitchen, a thing
that used sparingly and skilfully.
might go into the making of many
wholesome dishes, but which GER
tainly he could not consider in itself
as a food product. Today, after
six months of Russian prison life,
he considers lard one of the bless
ings Of the human race. Smuggle a
pail of it into any Moscow jail and
be hailed as deliverer b the pris-.
oners-yes, even the governor OF
the prison. if you include him among
the beneficiaries. All will gobble
it eagerly, preferably spread on
slab Of black bread to make it go
further, but in it's crude state il
need be.
Raw bacon is even better-pris-
oners have no facilities for cooking
and then, besides, to cook bacon is
wasteful, so much Of it goes away
in smoke A nice thick slice, with
as little lean in it as possible, is
a feast for the gods.
That is how you feel about food
when you come out of even the best
parts Of .Russia-for those outside
the prisons fare but little better