Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-09
Priests In Moscow
Take Up Collections
II Aid Prisoners

MOscow-(By The Associated PfeSS)
TO prevent the death by starvation
and disease of 200, 900 or so men and
women in the various prisons and
concentration uni of Russia, collec-
lions are being taken in the churches
by the priests and about the streets
by e~x-prisoners or by friends and rel
atives of prisoners.
Despite the amnesty proclamation
of the soviet government in November
last, the prisons and camps continue
crowded with men and women pOIttfca
al prisoners whose only crime appears
to have beer that they once were
rich or that they fell afoul of old enc
mics who used their communistic in
luence to avenge private grievances.
Conditions have been going from
bad to worse since the famine until
now prison means to be practically
without food. clothes, heat or medi-
cine. The organization known as the
Russian political Red Cross has had
it's meager supplies and funds cut off.
along with schools, hospitals and 9TH
er institutions.
The people in the famine region are
in a paradise compared to those who
are denied their liberty and all means
of obtaining food,
Iot 1SCAucIs 49,
In the camps of Novospaski and
Pokrofsky, near Moscow, to h GER
tain knowledge Of The Associated
Press correspondent, the prisoners are
reduced to eating bits of refuse, like
hungry animals. The best hat is serv-
ed them is greasy hot water called
soup and pieces of black bread. The
prison guards haven't much more to
eat.
Some WOMEN political prisoners
lave been released, but the corre-
spondent has information that aged
and middle-aged princesses, mothers
and daughters n wives, are still de-
tanned in overcrowded. lice-infested
cells or rooms with but one piece of
clothing to cover them and without
o to wash themselves.
Once such people as these getainto
prison they stay there almost auto
matically because they are of no spec
cial political importance in present.
day soviet Russia. 4
The Cheka (secret police) authori-
ties a just offered to send 400 real,
political prisoners-social revolutions.
lists or mensheviki-to some small
town they. may select at. least $50.
miles from a railway If they will re-
main there. They are now locked up.
in h Boutirsky prison at MOSCOW
and thus far have refused the offer.
Nevertheless a dozen or SO of these
prisoners have been released.
Arrested by Hundreds. j.
Mensheviki were arrested by tho
hundreds in every political n of
Russia and are still in various prisons.
Other political prisoners are an
archists, the cadets of Professor Mi-
luffok, former Russian foreign minis
ter, officers and relatives from the
various white, and volunteer move-
naents OF the old imperialist sets lin
Ecluding men from the Denikine and
Wrangel armies.
In addition, there have been scat
tered through north and central Rus
sian prisons and camps men connect
ed with the efforts to establish inde-
pendent republics in Georgia, Azerbai-
Jan; the KubanAand other sections Of
south Russia and the Caucasus, in.
! GLIDING Turkestan.
M. Umschlicht, the new chief of the
Cheka, has refused to give American
correspondents information on the
prisons and the causes Of the arrests.
A year 6 the Cheka issued a report
which was suppressed on issue.