The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-10-27
CLOTHING TAKEN
FROM AMERICANS
Letter From Lenine Zone
Tells Of Conditions
THIEvERY IS PAsTME
Laurence Johnston of Mapleton
Says Jaclies Are Prsctic-
ally Prisoners.

American sailors on duty with
American destroyers in the Black
Sea, at Odessa, Russia are virtually
prisoners of the Russian bolsheyics.
according to letter from Laurence
Johnson to his mother, Mrs. John
johnson of Mapleton. Shore leave
yof the sailors, he states, is hampered
by watchfuI Russian soldiers, who
check them up as they leave and
return. Russian people under the
rule Of bolehevics would &c any
thing TO get Struggled out OF the
terrluory. One man offering $4,000
10 anyone who would get him TO Con
stant1nople. johnson describes the
living conditions OF the people Ii
the city of Odessa as deplofaDle.
u. s. S. Mccormick, Odessa, Rns
STA, September %, 19z2.-Black Sea.
Well / do not know when you will
get this letter tor no mail leaves
this country, not even the people
can leave il they want to or not We
are the only foreign ship that Is al
lowed in here and we are guarded
Just like-a prison, but they give
US liberty three times week. the
English tried to send a couple Or
ships in but they fired at them and
drove them out. Our duty Is 10
look out for the American relief and
radio station. We cannot take AM
thing ashore or bring anything back
except by smuggling and then you're
up against it If the bolshevih cat
ches you. We are guarded day and
night by five soldiers and we have
to feed them. They check the lib
erty party in an out and tell us when
We are to be back
Ten Russians On Board
There are about ten Russians on
board who live in dry goods box oh
the deck, whom they allow TO comc
on board and work. We feed them
good and have got them all fixed
up in our old clothes They are all
good workers and had good homes
before the bolshevic took hold. They
say they had plenty to eat, plenty
good times and automobiles, but
will be looked after as long as the
United States destroyers come III
here. The people do not want mon
ey they rather trade for something
to eat, for the bolshevic take the
money away from them. One fellow
came down the other day and ne
was so hungry that he could hardy
eat We can get all of our clothe;
washed for bar OF soap. Most or
the men are soldiers and If the
want anything they just take it.
Held Up For Clothes
II is pretty tough when they holt
you up for your clothes. Well. that
is what they did with one OF our
boys t- other night while he was
coming back from liberty They
knocked him down and took eye':'
stitch of his clothes but underwear,
even his shoes and it was quite a
joke to see him come back One
man over here offers to sell out his
business and give anybody $4,000
IL they would smuggle him to Con
stantinopIe. You see if he can get
out they will let his family go. One
of the Gobs Is taking letter out of
here for an American woman to
send to her relatives in New York,
so they will get her out. You see
she had no way Of letting them
know how she was fixed. have not
received mail since we left Graves
End the last time we was there.
Will close.-Your son Lawrence.