Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-03-01
FAMINE RELIEF
WORKER PAINTS
CHASTITY SCENE
Administration Member in
Russia Says Famine
Terrible.
DEAD LIE IN STREETS

NEW YORK. March IA CHASTITY pic
ture of famine conditions in Russia,
where the American relief administra-
ton is feeding one million children and
giving hope to all Of Russia, was given
here by Carl E. FIoete, one Of the ad-
ministration's workers, who returned re-
Gently after three months spent in the
Volga district. Floete broke down under
the strain Of the work and being cut OF
from the outside world for weeks, and
had to leave temporarily.
Il hope to go back" he said. THE or
ganization is saving that part OF Russia
and could do much more IL 1t had more
funds. No one who has not seen it can
have any idea what famine is like. 1t is
terrible beyond words. People are dying
in the streets every day, their bodies
bloated and distorted by starvation.
Those who exist from day to day do so
only by eating the carcasses OF horses and
dogs and coats that also have starved.
Il went with a child-feeding station
that has headqu7Eters at Samara and
feeds $1,000 children. Ny own headquar-
tiers IN this district were at Pugachov,
a village about 12J miles south Of Samara,
but which, owing to poor transportation,
it took five days to reach by railroad.
Most OF the supplies went in over this
road, although some were conveyed by
haf-dead horses
STRICKEN ARE
WITHOUT HOPE.
The most awful thing about the peo-
pie is their apathy. They don't care, and
just wait from day to day until they
shall drop beside other members OF their
family who went first. The dead lie in
the streets where they fall In the houses
the men, women and children sit hope
Iessly against the walls staring into va
eancy and waiting for death. I was
the only American man they had ever
seen, but they were hardly interested in
me, even when they knew l brought food.
.-phey used TO take It IN their hands,
with tears in their eyes, and look at it
and say 'espiabO, which means thank
YOU They were more pathetic than
anything / have ever seen. 1 used to go
down there to feed them and cry by the
hour. What misery. Their little arms
were mere sticks, their stomachs were
bloated from eating clay, their eyes deep
suuken. But after we had fed them q
little we could see their eyes become
clear and their cheeks I'LL out a little, and
they got better. Those We could feed
viii live, the others will die, and at pres.
ent we can feed only from % 10 40 per
cent.
Women used to come in and beg for
food for their children, but we did not
have enough r0r all and il was the hard
est thing I ever did to refuse them. We
gave them white bread nearly every day
rice pudding twice a day, beans twice
q week and cocoa twice a week. That is
not much. but it was luxury for them.
CAMEI.S SOURCE
OF COMFORT.
There was so little food in the dis
trict that after my beans ran ont in the
first few weeks I had only two meals
a day, bread and soup. And felt
then as if I were robbing the people.
The Isolation was trying, for aside from
my Interpreter there was no other white
man in the village. The camels were
my only comfort. I always thought
cnmeIs needed a warm climate, but there
were hundreds Of th>S, and all were
f. Row hey kept fat I don't know,
although they would eat anything, even
nails When ! got unusually downheart-
ed one Of these ludicrOus camels would
bray and cheer me up. The people
don't kill them because they are too
valuable. hey are the only means Of
transport lift.
There is absolutely no seed left In
the district. and what the people will do
for crops next year is more than I
% my trip out I did not see
section used TO be the great granary Of
Eur.re-
Mr. FlOete was in Pugachov at the time
q woman bandit, famous throughout all
the Volga region as the companion OF
the Co>sIck Chief Sarof, raided the town
at the head Of 500 other men anu wom-
en- cOssacks. The bandits took all the
food and stores in the town, with the
exception Of American stores, which they
did not touch.
BANDITS WILL NOT
TOUCH [. =. STORES.
we heard they were coming the day
before" Mr.. FlOete said. IAN the vii
Iage offi,ials, all the Communists. were
much alarmed. All the officials left
town. only the Communist troops re-
naming. On the way in the cOssacks
passed some OF our wagons, but as soon
as they learned who they belonged to
they gave orders that the wagons were
F3t to be touched Sarof also told his
band that any one who went to the
American warehouse would be shot.
when they rode into town they were
led by this woman, one Of the most beau
tiful women I ever saw. I suppose she
had charge Of the women in the band
They were all dressed in sheepskins and
rode splendid horses. There was no sign
Of famine among them,> and l learned
that they raided the country at will for
food and other supplies. and that every
body was afraid of them.
THE troops put up a fight, but the
c0ssacks killed about fifty OF them and
then rode unmolested into town They
ritied all the government warehouses and
took the little reserve supply of food
The chief wanted to see me and 1
wanted TO talk to him, but nv inter
prefer had been praying constantly since
he heard they were coming and that left
me without any one who could speak
English did see the woman, however,
and she was worth seeing. although while
I was watching her It seemed that I
must be at a meIodrama and that il re-
ally wasn't true. After they had pa
trolled the streets until dark they went
of, taking their wagons and loot with |
them"
RFCH MATAD0D