Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-13
Sem nenoff
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ass.utCher
Col. Morrow and Gen. Graves
Tell Of Murder and Pillage
Prscticed by An,i.Bol.
sheyik Leader.
Menace to u. S. Soldiers

Washington. April IAN orgy
OF deliberate murder, pillage ane
rapinc. costing the lives OF 100000
men, women and children. was iaid
al the door OF Gen. Gregoric Semen.
of, Cossack. by Col. Charles IL
Morrow, testi,ying today in the sen.
ate investigation that may cause
Semenoifs deportation.
Col. Morrow's testimony was
backed up by the testimony OF Maj.
Gen. William ). Graves. who COM
manded the American expeditionary
iorccs in Siberia The two officers
appeared before the senate commit
tee on education and labor, presided
ever by Senator Borah, Idaho. who
wants to have Scmenofi officially
driven out OF the country.
So black picture did they paint
OF the Cossack leaders activities in
Siberia that hurried steps were taken
by his counsel, John Kirkland Clark.
TO bring Scmenoff to Washington 10
defend himself. Mr.. Clark promised
the hetman's presence before the
committee tomorrow. il he could
surmount the legal difficulty present.
ed by the fact that the general is now
under arrest in New York for al
legged robbery. There is danger that
Semenoffs bondsmen may quit him.
In that case the Cossack leader will
have. to go to Jail.
Furnishes Affidavits.
Colonel Morrow qualified as a
witness against General Semenoff as
the commander of a regiment that
occupied the sector adjoining the
territory controlled by the Semepoff
forces in 1880. Colonel Morrow ia
brother of Governor Morrow OF
Kentucky. He furnished bales Of
official reports and afiidavits to sus-
tain the testimony he gaye against
the Russian general.
Seldom if ever has such a narra-
tive of wanton destruction of human
life come to the ears Of congress.
The organized massacres of the
reign of terror in the French revolu-
ton were relegated to comparative
insignificance by the outrages which
Colonel Morrow charged against
Semenoff.
The coloneIs testimony showed
that instead of being the friend Of
the American troops in Siberia, SEM
enoff was constant menace, far
more dangerous than the bolsheviki.
Frequent clashes occurred, resulting
in the killing of American troops,
and when the American army was
ordered home, it was compelled to
forcibly disarm a portion of Seme-
noffs forces before it could move
with safety. ~
Killed U. S. Soldiers. 1
General Graves described to. the
committee how Semenoff's troops,
without the slighttst provocation,
fired on boxcar filled with Ameri-
can soldiers, killing three and
wounding two. The affair was re-
ported to Semenoff, but he never
even expressed regret.
Aged peasants and women and |
were largely the victims OF
Semenoff's reign of terror. accord
ing to Colonel Morrow. He told Of
instances of whole villages complete
ly wiped out by the Cossacks and |
Mongolian cavalry under Semenof's
command. One Of Colonel Nor
rows subordinate officers, Captain
Finney, counted the bodies Of 12O
women and children, lying in the
snow on a hillside where they had
been driven and slain.
Here are some Of the high spots
n Colonel Morrow's indictment OF
Semenoff: =
Ten carloads of bolshevik troops cap
:ured by Kolchak forces we're taken
rom train passing through Seme-
1off territory and executed by Seme-
1of officer of high rank, Gust to
show that executions could be prac-
iced on Sunday as we'll as week
lays"
One of the Semenoff colonels,
Stepanoff, was quoted as saying he
lever felt right in eating a meal un-
il he had murdered somebody and
hat. he never went to bed unless he
lad caused an execution to earn his
;Iumber. Both officers were soon
promoted to be generals.
Trains Named.
Armored trains operated by Sem
.noff troops were called by such
names as Horrible" TERRIBLE"
Master" Destroyer" and "Seme-
1off."
Semenoff and his generals sat
iown to sumptuous banquet the day
after their troops had slaughtered
900 persons.
Only the Intervention of Japanese
roops prevented clash at one time
Semenoff troops and those
II Admiral kolchak, although when
he mood moved him. Semenoff CO.
operated with the Kolchak forces.
Col. Morrow informed the commit
ee that the United States had sup
,lied III, 900 rifles to Admiral kol-
,hak. Semenoff's ally. to combat the
,olsheviks. Semenof tried to con-
iscate $4,000 of these rifles and open |;
iostilities nearly ensued between the
>erenoff forces and the American
roops as result. Ii
SusDended by N. Y. Curb. !