The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-02-21
STARVING RUSSIANS ARE
EATING HUMAN BODIES
PRACTICING CANNIBALISM IN
FAMINE ZONE, MANY ARE
GOING INSANE.
MILLIONS ARE FACING DEATH
CHASTITY Feasts of Mad Russians Inter
rupted by Soldiers. Death Is De-
creed for Sane Male Offenders Who
Violate Graves. Fuel Famine, Too.

Violate Graves. Fuel Famine, Too.
Ghastly stories OF cannibaIism, saw.
agery and madness, arising from star
walton and desoation in the Volga
famine zone OF Russia, have been Of
fcially confirmed for the first time by
the soviet organ Pravda. Hitherto
these tales of horror had been denied.
For some time stories have come out
OF the famine district, telling OF graves
being opened, the bodies removed,
cooked and eaten.
"A nightmare of cannibalism is the
newest spectre in the famine zone" ac--
cording to an official correspondent of
the Pravda. Brought to utter despair
and insanity by their suferings, the
people in some instances have been
reduced to eating corpses, even de-
vouring their children in secret.
Sane Cannibals Shot.
The English and American Quaker
relief workers, who have established
food and medical stations throughout
the ravagcd areas, report that the local
authorities are trying hard to check the
spread OF cannibalism. When man
or woman is found to have eaten hui
man flesh he or she is detained Tor
examination. II found insane, the pris
oner is detained in an institution, and
If a male prisoner is found rational
he is shot
In the village of Andreyefka a wo
man named Natalia Semetina was dis
covered eating the flesh OF a dead
neighbor," the Pravda correspondent
asserted In the village OF Liboumllf-
ka a man took from a grave the body
of a 14-year-old girl, which he cut up
into pieces and placed in cooking pots.
When discovered, the girls head was
partly cooked. Cannibalism is quite
general in some villages, the inhab-
itants indulging in their hideous
meals OF human flesh especially after
nightfall.
Millions Facing Death.
In the military store house in An
dreyfka human head and few ribs
were found The soldiers arrested
man named Pirogof, who confessed
that in his dreadful madness OF hunger
he had eaten most of the body OF
.6O-vear-old woman. He attempted to
head away for proper burial
In some districts. it is reported, men
and women are killing each other III
the frenzy of their despair, With mil
lions OF persons in the central part OF
Russia facing death from starvation,
'pestience and exposure there IS eV-
ery indication that this tragedy VIII
be the most appalling in centuries, the
reports OF relief workers show. / nous
.ands are said to be dying daily in the
ice bound valley OF the Volga, in the
heart OF the Samara district.
Fuel Famine in Moscow.
In Moscow an acute fuel famine eX-
lists. and many of the beautiful man
sions have been stripped OF all wood
work. This practice has been the
cause OF many accidents. Recently Il
persons were killed when brick build
ing collapsed. due to the cutting away
OF the interior wooden supports.
The authorities forbid the use OF
wood taken from buildings as fuel,
and there have been some cases where
Imarauders caught red-handed have
been shot. There is no coal i'll Mos
cow and wood is at a premium. The
1uGl shortage, ilOWSNNLs rNNNPo - -
minimum, despite the TACT that many
water pipes are frozen. The inhablt-
ants watch their little stoves so close
Nv that few Of the wooden buildings
ever catch fire from defective CHM
neys or stoves.
Skeletons Strew Steppes.
When the SHOWS melt next spring,
| if is said the Russian steppes will d.
strewn with skeletons OF unfortunate
peasants who fell exhausted in their
quest OF bread Thousands OF men,
women and children are said to have
succumbed to famine and exposure.
The bodies which lie along the rail
roads are collected on cars and hauled
to centers where they are piled IN
frozen. snow-covered heaps to await
burial. Freezing refugees remove all
garments from the dead, so the bodies
are nude when the scavengers collect
them. Many peasants, after trampmg
through towns and cities, prefer death
In the open, and stumble out into the
open country, to sink exhausted IN the
snow and let the wolves strip their
bones.