Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-07-16
'GREEN PARTISAN.S" ARE
MODERN ROBIN HOODS
act IN hole OF Old English Philanthropic Bandit-PIun
der bolshevist Stores and Punish Soviets for In.
human Ofcnses Against Peasants

fen about the activity OF what the
'oviet government calls The Green
partisan Bands" in Russia. The rea-
non Is that the Soviet press seldom
n.n1ions these little groups of Hgh,-
fs winch are acting IA the modern
K"o'h Hoods, Of Russia. writes n cor
respondent in tho London Times. But
hetr activities are increasing. They
'"hsiSt Of night attacks upon lio!-
'h,NiSt ouiros,s and OF sudden WAITS
F" towns and villages. where all Com
8nunists arc summoned before courts
martial. which me,c out punishment
I'm the SPOT to NJ the crime.
The only mention made In Moscow
newspapers OF The Green Partisans 4,
rhen tn. Soviet government an
iounces that "a group OF bandits
operating in the y dis1ric, has been
fauidated by our forces" Tia items
3e"v"r mention the extent Of the
i liquidation" or tho number OF
troops involved in the task. and nil
N,"mmens in regard TO the Greens
ltre generally under the heading
4'Banditism."
AZ the present moment. in many
'srls OF Bolshevist Russin. and es-
9tecialiy in Tambov and kiasan prov.
nccs, In the Dom district. in the
Stev. Nolyn, and rodoIsk provinces
I'f the Ukraine. and throughout the
rho!e Crimcan peninsula numerous
Green dctachments arc continually
l,GhiinE against the Soviet authorI-
IN
|ions noT operating IN Russia viii
10 doub, confirm this. I, In In these
districts that they have found II al
nos; impossible TO administer relic,
mot because the Greens object to
Foreign aid being received By the
population. but because all OF this
.oreiSn aid has always been
administered by IN. local Com
runists and Soviet o1iciale, who gem
rally take care OF themselves arst
INA Others afterwards When cap
'ured by the Greens, III Reds are
hanged from the nearest tree. il the
peasants OF The village testify against
mem.
Victims of Boisheviam.
ne Graen attachments consist
ehv OF drserters from the Red army.
antS who have lost all their
- "Iii'bSH l.lt CcnUSCdll0l
2816$ RI AID the produce tax and peo-
Who nave lost their all through
Paevist oppression.
- fese bands are under the leader
Of former heads o! provincial
ernmcns. former Czar!st officials
Dd army officers, and even village
Tests "h~ join IN nshting ,he
8hntich-ist Of Moscow. The move
Il mt has no sp.c!al political slogan
aims. Their aTowed purpose is
. cbliterate Bolshevism.
Where they piunder, they plumber
,niy Sovie, food stores. Occasionally.
Asy call upon rich Spectator and
-iact toll for the privilege OF con-
|'inIiuS in business. Rut the ma
ority of their actions can all be
duplicated in the exploits Of tho hero
|rf English boyhood. Robin Hood The
'dod they seize and the goods they
:onfscate are quickly and Justly dis
r!bured. For ;hcy travel hight" nd
pave no h1ed rendezvous.
The Greens operate in small
rrou1s headed by Attamans uhe
Cossack word for CHIEF. and thus
far no outstanding leader has been
produced VINO has attempted TO co..
a general upri. ing. That is their
wcakness--and ihs strength Of the
whole Green movement.
vine attack * generally made dur.
ing a meeting Of the local officials.
The militia {. rv"rpoNcrcd and the
part!sans imm ,dia,aly hold court
upon the captu 80! rcpicsentativcs or
tho Soviet government Through
their own spy :ystcm, the Greens
generally have their charges pre-
pared hut the local population Is
always asked to testify. and is per
mitted either TO defend or condemn
the Communists.
Chcka Anihushes.
Generally all the members OF the
local Communist committee ar. sem
fenced 10 be hanged. for this COM
mlttee now acts in place OF the
Cheka. Al! Communist property is
then collected. the Greens taking
enough food for one or TWO DAYS
march and distributing the rest
among the impoverished peasants
SOVIET concerns are generally de-
stroyed and always. before IN. ban
dts leave. the corpses hanging from
the trees are disrobed. for thc COM
munists are the only weli-dressed
people in urban Russia
Frequently daring member az IN.
Cheka attaches himself to q hand Of
partiSans and arranges an ambush
Sometimes the Greens win and some.
times they lose. The rule is tb.,
every man for himself. and the hand
later congreEates again TO continue
its operations. The partisans of,an
hide among the population. who
Loyalty aid them 10 dodge the Red
army. Notwithstanding the death
sentence meted out to all aiding tho
bandits"
The most noted Attaman in Rus
STA at the present time Is Antonoy
VINO has been a terror to the Com
munist government OF the Tambov
for more than year. He has been
pursued by hundreds OF the ablest
Cheka spies. He has been sur
rounded on numerous occasions by
attachments of the Red army. Rut
thus far he has always escaped.
stories tell how. on one occasion. he
i'Ved at the bottom OF well for
week, and how. on another, he dis
Suised himself as butcher and
IerVed the Red army for a fortnight
feiofe ne was able to steal the Off
TaIs horses and make his escape.
Aas far back as the winter OF 1924
antonov had organized a small
aEmN OF Green partisans. He was
Jne hrst 10 give the name In his
2dherents. saying that he wished f.,
|distinSuish them f-cn Tho ia -.