davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
, 1923-03-04
Continued from last Sunday

TN February. 1920. an i~nterpella-
ton was addressed to the repre-
sentative OF the Provincial Elk
~traordinary Commission at a meeting
OF the Saratov Soviet concerning tor
ture OF prisoners by the agents OF the
Cheka. The interpellated agent ad-
mitted that torture had actually been
inflicted. but mostly at h county
Chekas lat that time not yet abol-
ished in Saratov Province, which was
then in the war zone). regional trans
port Chekas and railway Chckas, but
that the offenders . . had been
punished -
The CArka representative denied.
however. the practice Of torture at the
provincial Cheka. Was ii because he
thought that nobody would verify his
statements? And, besides. how could
they be verified? For such an at
tempt a person was almost certain to
pay h penalty either in prison or
su-bterranean dungeon. II not in tor
ture. And the cellars n stables OF
the Cheka. the torture chambers of
the "sT ecial divisions" and the old,
half rotten river barges used as
prisons ~kfnNorlte places OF CoIuHe-
ment of what was at that time the
Czaritsyn county Cheka in Saratov
Province) guarded their CHASTITY Sc
crets somberly and closely.
Or was it that he knew that all the
evidence had been buried in the
ground of that ravine which had
proved so terrible to the people of
Saratov (on the outskirts of the city,
near the monastery suburb? A ra-
vine that had proved equally terrible
to the bourgeoisle, TO workers n
peasants, to intellectuals and all polit-
zeal parties. the Socialists included?
A ravine whose soil has covered such
members of the Socialist-Ttevolution-
list party as Boris Alexandrovich Aver
kiev, whose mother had been n mem
Der of the old Peoples VIII" party
and one of the "193"? CRevolutionists
who had a famous trial by a Czarist
tribunal-Translator's note.) And she
did not long survive her only son,
having been denied permission to see
him before his execution and herself
threatened with arrest by Kravchenko.
president Of the Saratov Cheka. And
Zinaida Murashkina, Alexander Gus
sew and Gusseva?
, 1923-03-04

TIME first woman singer imported
by Giulio Gatti-Casazza from
Germany since the world war
began in 1914 will arrive in America
soon.
Members OF the Metropolitan Opera
Company r on the Out vive over the
advent of Barbara Kemp, brilliant
dramatic soprano. who is TO make her
initial appearance here In the Amer
lean premiere of n new opera after
having become an Inter den Linden
favorite in Strauss and Wagnerian
roles.
To one who has heard her at the
Staat opern Haus in the last two
years in such pieces as Strauss's "Dio
, 1923-03-04
A Higher Soviet oAfciar
Gets Into Trouble

There was In the Cheka prison.
among others, the whole staff OF tho
revolutionary committee of the stanit-
sa OF Ladozhskaia, represented by its
president. Shadurski. and its secre-
tary, Sharov. They were accused of
robbery, bribery and similar exploits.
Their arrest was made by order of
S~araiev. representative of the Maikop
Cheka.
it transpired that Cheka R%epresen-
tative Saraiev was there on n charge
of criminal assault, This little Gar
of his stanltsa held the power of life
and death over its inhabitants in his
, 1923-03-04
r AM we'll acquainted with the Kuban
Cheka from personal experience
October IL. 1922.

T AM well acquainted with the Kuban
Cheka from personal experience.
During n OF those periodical
raids on the Socialists I was also ar
rested and taken to OF the police
stations OF h city of Yekaterinodar.
Arrived at the CheKo. I had to fill a
question blank and was then taken for
n preliminary examination to the in
v~estigator. a youth of IS 10 20. seated
Importantly in a richly furnished cabi-
net, reminding me of the private cabi-
net OF some wealthy bourgeois. I was
perfectly willing TO plead guilty to
harboring Socialist ideas. and / was
conveyed to a cell.
These cells. built for a capacity of
200 to 24o prisoners. now held over 500.
They had TO sleep on top as well as
underneath the sleeping platform, be-
sides using the aisles. There was
scarcely any room to move about, one
could sleep only half reclining or stand
on his feet. The filth was truly phe-
nomenall
In the whole course OF the tour
months / had to spend there the cell
floors were scrubbed only twice. Bath
ing was not permitted. And the brutal
treatment OF the prisoners by tho
guards, who would indulge in the
choicest Bolshevist profanity, was only
in perfect harmony with tho general
cattlelike treatment of the prisoners.
No fresh air exercise was permitted.
except during the very rar and ir-
regular periods OF 1--WE &c ten minutes
all depending on the within OF the
koepcrs-when the rollcall would take
place in the yard instead OF the cells.
, 1923-03-04

hands, coniscating. requisitioning and
shooting people at his pleasure. Hardly
a good looking woman could come un-
der the eyes Of Saraiev. He would
imprison the nearest relative of his
intended victim-a brother. husband
or father, and sometimes all of them
and have them condemned to death.
And all these things were committed
with impunity amid a population de-
MED the most elementary human
rights that would enable them to seek
redress.
II Saraiev at last found himself in
the Cheka. 1t should be borne in
mind. in the first place. that he was
set free about one and a half months
later. resuming his regular duties in
Yekaterinodar. and. in the second
place. it was due only to mere acci-
dent that he finally got himself into
trouble. His last victim happened to
be the wife of the district chief OF
police.
1t should be said. however. that he
was not alone in such practices. The
state of total o%utlawry of the popula-
ton. combined with the labor con-
scription. is breeding sadists of SITS
kind as profusely as weeds grow In
rich. black earth. In one of the stanit-
sas President Kosolapy of the revolu-
tionary committee had set his eyes on
the local puoiic schoolmistress. An
order was then issued appointing her.
under the pretext of labor conscrip-
ton, secretary of the Soviet executive
committee. All her arguments in IA
vor of being left at h school proved
unavailing. She disappeared one day
from the stanitsa. kilograms were at
nee dispatched in every direction.
reading literally as follows:
IAN outspoken counter-revolutionist
and sapoteur of the Soviet regime, a
woman by the name of X. has alb
seconded. All local Government insti-
tutions and authorities are requested
to arrest and detain her and TO return
her under convoy to the Jurisdiction
of this executive committee. (Signed)
Kosolapy. chairman OF the executive
committee"
, 1923-03-04

member OF the Constituent Assembly.
had been tortured. He vas dragged
out to execution from the hold OF a
barge with a broken arm and leg and
with one of his eyes knocked out. He
was shot in 1918.
On October 20. 1919. at the examina-
ton Of the arrested members of the
observation-disclosures party. NJ. and
V. women. having refused to betray
their party comrades. were told by the
investigators that they would be
forced to tell what they knew and
that the Cheka would compel them.
The Cheka agent. Ozolin, then gave
an order in their presence to bring
the wagon and the lanterns and to
make preparations for stripping the
prisoners. Both then realized that
something would be done TO them
. and waited for their fate.
While awaiting the things that had
been ordered the Chska agents occu-
pied themselves with target practice,
with loaded revolvers, over VS. head.
An hour and a half later the wagon
and the lanterns were brought. We'll,
are we goinE2" a henchman asked
Ozpllu. NJ, LOO ldlt, ne Ttpllths LAY
was dawning. The night was gone.
and the thing that was TO be done
under cover of darkness could not be
done in broad daylight. Two days
later, in the common cell of tie Pro-
vincial Extraordinary Commission.
both women saw with their wi yes
a gray haired young woman and her
sister Sophia and Ida U--n) who
had not been spared the ordeal which
NJ. and V. had been fortunate to es-
cape thanks to dawning daylight.
These two sisters were carried to that
CHASTITY %ravine. stripped naked and,
threatened with %revolvers on the very
brink of h yawning chasm. they
were ordered to reveal the hiding place
of a relative. But as they a no
knowledge whatever of it they were
actually unable to tell. Their subse-
quent fate has not been learned.
, 1923-03-04
Crimes Charged to Innocent:
No Suspects Included in List

During November. December and
January there were many executions,
both In large and small groups. The
lists were always signed by Lobov.
who later became n member or tho
saratov Soviet Executive Committee.
These lists, when published in the
Soviet papers. were often accom-
panied either by commendatory or
apologize articles by Vardin Nigel
adse. n member OF the All-Russian
Central Executive Committee. The
offense OF the executed person was
also mentioned in these lists. Here.
for Instance. we have a list of per-
ons shot in retaliation for the explo-
sion In Leontievski Lane On Moscow.
where bombs had been thrown into n
session Of the Communist party
Translator's note.). the work OF the
so called underground anarchists"
But who figure in this list? Members
OF the organization responsible for
that explosion? Accompiices2 Sus-
poets? No. nothing of the kind. This
list. which has come to be known as
the list of the blood levy contains
mostly names of local public spirited
citizens who have been living quite
above board and even working in
Soviet institutions.
1. 1. ~Gilgenberg. n former member
OF the WIN OF the People" Party, had
spent o long time in Czarlst exile,
guilty OF having been n member of the
town council; B%rinardelli, guilty of
being an engineer by profession and
n member OF the constitutional Demo-
cratic party Poliak. guilty Of having
been a candidate Tor election to the
, 1923-03-04
Cheka Prisoners in Four Groups:
Smallest of These, Profteers
Protests of No Avail;
Waste Basket Gets Them All

All ChelSa prisoners were divided
into our different categories. accord
ing to the nature of their crimes.
First there were the spectators
(prohteers), composing the smallest OF
these groups. Then came army de-
serters, forming a somewhat larger
group. Next was n rather numerous
group charged with all kinds of NAL
in office. And the last and
most numerous group OF all was made
up OF prisoners charged with being
counter revolutionists.
In the cases Of deserters and Greens"
lighting organizations. mostly of
peasants, attacking the "Reds") these
unfortunates used to be shot without
mercy. 1t is to be noted that Machia-
vellian tactics were resorted to in such
cases. For. while the official amnesty
proclamatlons issued by the local au-
thorities stated plainly. black and
white. that complete amnesty has
been granted to all those who have
actively. weapon in hand. fought the
Soviet authority. INT persons now in
prison for such offenses are to be i'm
mediately released" all deserters and
Greens" to the last man. were shot.
however, tne hinnesI was Ctual
never applied to any but spectators
and policemen.
The third group OF prisoners. moro
numerous than the first two. consisted
OF officials charged with crime in
office. There was ono characteristic
feature to these cases; they would all
land at the Cheka on denunciation by
their fellow officials. and not. as was
the case frequently with spectators
and counter-revolutionists, through
the reports OF ordinary citizens. Thus.
whenever there was a president OF
some Soviet executive committee
among the prisoners, 1t was a safe
guess he had been sent there. thanks
TO the report of some other Soviet
official or Cheka agent. or. more
often. OF the police. Again. II a police
man found himself behind the bars 1t
meant that some official of an execu-
tive committee was responsible for his
plight. In short, the inhabitants live
In such n state of outlawry that COM
mon mortals don't risk to complain
about Soviet officials. The crimes COM
mitted by these officials represent a
great variety. but most of them are
bribery, theft, fraud; however, a con-
siderable proportion we're also charged
with robbery. holdup. murder. &C.
, 1923-03-04

- .
enough water, not alone for washing
purposes, but even for drinking. The
plumbing either freezes or gets out OF
order six times a week. through lack OF
roper care, so that we were left time
and again not only without our tea,
but even without a drop OF drinking
water, parched with thirst. AS for the
food, apart from Its abominable prepa-
ration (the bread is as stale as a rock
and soup is made of millet and maize).
It is served as II to cattle.
Protests of No Avail;
Waste Basket Gets Them An
The actual conditions OF conine-
ment may be inferred from the COM
ment made by Armavir Soclalist-Re vo-
%lutionlsts who were at hat time at
the Cheka. Among these were K NJ,
Varsonobiev, p. L. Nikiforov. a son OF
Leo Pavlovich Nikiforov. who was a
prominent member once upon a time of
the Peoples VIII" party. and others.
These men had been through the
mill' under the Cars regime. and had
tasted aplenty OF the delights OF
Czarist prisoners OF every description.
All llHty Ntit unanimous III
that one year In a Czarist prison was
equal to but one month spent at the
Cheka. as far as suffering and abuse
of prisoners was concerned.
Although the prisoners confined at
the Cheka were only under investiga-
ton. they were deprived of their most
elementary rights and their human
dignity was outraged at every turn.
This applied especially to women
prisoners. Every day, in cold and filth,
they had TO scrub not only the mag
nificent cabinets Of the Cheka judges
and other officials. but the stone floors
of those long corridors as we'll. And
this in spite of the TACT that every one
knew perfectly we'll that these floors
were bound to be just as muddy as
before within FIVE minutes after they
had been scrubbed. for hundreds and
thousands of soldiers and prisoners
would again be tramping back and
forth all over the place. These poor
women. irrespective of age, were made
to work in the penetrating cold, Icy
water and dirt, under the vulgar leers
and taunts of the moro brutal of the
guards.
The complete outlawry OF the pris-
oners, as well as their cattlelike con-
finement, could not but breed the most
unrestrained arbitrariness among the
guards.
Mondays and Fridays were officially
set aside Us days on which relatives
and friends were permitted to bring
food packages for the prisoners. At
times. however, such packages used
to be accepted also on days other than
these. AT first sight this may appear
like generosity on the part OF the au-
thorities. But the sad truth is that
the God Is stolen by the guards In a
most shameless manner. Scarcely
half of 1t. and sometimes perhaps only
one-third, reaches the prisoners.
, 1923-03-04
All Highest Fate Determines
Dress in Swell Clothes, Act as Lords

- - ~ @SAhS
After that unfinished preliminary
examination" NJ. and ". were turned
yer from Cheka Agent Ozolin to the
agent of the Saratov Provincial Ex-
traordinary Commission, Lobov. and
his assistant. Flashy. well groomed.
dressed in the extreme of fashion,
with the airs of lords who are free to
dispose OF the life and death of their
captives. their manners were correct
in the highest degree. your case is
very serious they said. I'VE will
not conceal hat from you. But you
have a chance to save you lives. Tell
US all about your comrades. What
You will not? oh. well. you are done
for, anyhow. See these proclama-
tons? The Red Army soldiers read
them and refuse TO fight. and tho
peasants refuse to bring us grain
(these were the proclamations issued
by the Central Committee of the So
st-Revolutionist party ITO An").
You are going to be shot"
V. was examined separately. It
could not be learned just what It was
that they had proposed and demanded
OF her. But no sooner had she been
transferred to solitary confinement at
The provincial prison, where she found
o kerosene lamp in her cell, than she
poured its contents c herself and
set fire to the oil. However, there was
not enough kerosene in that lamp and
she was saved. After she had re-
cuperated she announced that she had
left the party, apparently crushed by
some heavy moral burden. What was
1t hat the Cheka agents had ~extorted
from her? And HOW mad they done
It? This is something that Lobov
ought TO know. During a visit v. told
us hat they had threatened to shoot
her father. the sole bread winner OF
the family; and V. far from being a
coward. yielded. In the same prison
Kokoreva. a member of the Russian
Social Democratic Labor party, set
herself anre and died in frlghtful
agony.
In Prison No. 3 (the death housed
a certain Maltsev. frantic with fear
because of the examinations, com
mitted suicide by hanging himself in
his cell. At the same place n drug
gist. Paul by name. burned himself
The prison administration was headed
by the "ex-workingman'' Gas he called
himself). Drozhnikov, who was never
sober n always swearing obscenely
During he hunger strike OF the an
archists and Socialists in March, 1920
one of the demands OF the hunge,
strikers had been that Drozhnikov be
compelled to keep away from the cells
OF the women Drozhnikov had the
half burned sufferer Paul thrown into
the dungeon. When they dragged
him from the cell he cried: Don't
torture mel XIII me at once!"
Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-12-13
1t S Our Theatre

Remember, only a short time ago
how we all were planning and prom
ising what we would do if only we
had real legitimate theater?
Remember, our delight when the
good news was heard that Americas
was to have a theater second to
none? You recall what we said
and about the benefits that
would accrue to the city by reason
of the theater.
Wen, we have the theater. In it
has been shown some of the best
that is to be seen anywhere in all
the South, both in pictures and
legitimate.
A few have given the theater
their support. A number have
absolutely neglected it, forgetting
its very presence.
Americas will never be city I'M
til Americas men learn to pull to-
gether; to support Americas insti-
buttons; to smile more and frown
less; construct and not DE-struce.
The Rylander theater can not
continue to operate at loss. Man
ager Kincey is bringing good shows
here for you. Unless these receive
your support, he will be compelled
to cancel all dates--unless the
booking offices beat him to it and
cancel out on him.
The theater, in 1ense, is a mu-
nicipal institution deserving the
unstinted support of Americas peo-
pie. And when we say support we
have reference to both pictures and
legitimate shows.
Those towns that have grown are
the ones where team work predomi-
mates; where local institutions are
supported; where selfishness and
eternal pessimism are hard to find.
Do you recall what Kipling said
in 0The Law of Jungle?'~
Now this is the law of the Jungle
as old and as true as the sky;
And the. Wolf that shall keep it
may prosper, but the Wolf
that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the
tree-trunk, the law runneth
forward and back
For the strength of the PACK is
the WOLF, and the strength
of the WOLF is the PACK.
Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-12-13


fIeas, presenting to the British Mu-
scum the greatest collection OF
fleas in the world.
Rothschild took great pride in
his fleas. He ransacked the world
for them. Expense was no object.
He even sent a costly expedition
into the Far North to get a speci-
men of the flea that annoys GER
tain kind of Arctic seal.
Strange things happen in World
Vaudeville, but rarely anything
stranger than his hobby CT the rich
banker.
Arthur of Samme, Englishmah,
has ZIG different specimens of
match boxes and he boasts that it
took Id years to acquire them.
Samme claims, with dignity ana
confidence, that he is the worlds
greatest authority on match boxes.
No doubt.
In two ways, it's a striking hob
by.
Mans instinct for accumulation
is, in its simpler form, the quality
or virtue known as thrift. Carried
to extremes, to it's logical concius-
ion, it is responsible for some peo-
pie being too rich at the expense Of
others who remain too poor.
Many a millionaire will smile at
Mr.. Samme collecting match box
es or Mr. Rothschild collecting rare
tleas. But the match boxes and
tleas have benefited their owners
about as much as excessive posses
sion of dollars benefits the ex-
tremely rich.
A queer animal, at times, IS man
In justice to Rothschild, it must
be admitted that his hobby did the
world a little good, since fseas
spread diseases and a knowledge Of |
them is obviously valuable. Which
is more than can be said of some
collections of dollars.
Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-12-13
TRAIN $4,000
IN SOUTHERN SCHOOLS

NASHVILLE, Tenn, Dec. 13.-
(By Associated Press) Over 3d.
600 students are 1o~1..!ad = the
Baptist institutions Of learning in
the South, according to a survey
that has just been completed by the
Education Board OF tne Southern
Baptist convention, it las been an
nounced at Baptist headquarters
here
Of this number, over 1900 arc
ministerial students and yer o.
600 other young men and women
are volunteers for other definite
forms of Christian service. This
gives to Southern Baptists the larg-
est number of ministerial students
they have ever had at one time.
There is a total of 119 Baptist
institutions in the South, it is re-
ported. This number includes 5
theological seminaries and mission
airy training schools, 80 senior coll
leges, 30 junior colleges and 80
academies. These institutions have
property valuation of S29,439, no
and endowment in the sum of SIS,
380,215, giving combined assers Of
$44,819,961.
Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-12-13
NAME THEM, MR.. PERUVIAN

From an article printed in the
Talbotton New Era of last Thurs
day under the signature of Rep
resentative A. J Perryman we
take the following excerpts:
THE writer states without fear
of contradiction that if self-inter-
est on the part of office seek
ers We're not 50 apparent in this
session, that the same would
have been concluded last week.
There is a strenuous opposition
to the audit bill and the public
can draw its own conclusions as
to where this opposition is COM
ing from--a propcS auditing sys-
TEN in this state is highly neces-
sary and imperative if the state
government ever gees on tia
proper business basis"
Unfortunately, the, PEOPLE have
to depend on its representatives
for information. We are there
fore asking Representative A. J
Perryman to make public the
names of the self-interested Of
tlce-seekers, and also to let us
hear from what department
comes the opposition to the audit
bill.
The Enquirer-Sun will be very
glad to print this information, if
Representative .Perryman will let
us have it.-COlumbus Enquiries
Sun.
Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-12-13

Big windstorm did lot of dam
age in Houma, La Oh, that re-
minds us, congress is in session.
Presidential aspirants are worry
ing over a dark horse appearing
and giving them the horse laugh.
Better a dark horse before a
nomination than white elephant
later
There's Ford, but he isn't dark
horse Henrys scare horses.
Here's exciting radio news. Dish
pans are being. used for antennae.
Now more girls will see them.
Sometimes our radio sounds as if
dishpans were being broadcast.
A man captured in Mckenzie
Tenn, had $1,000, but was not on
his way to buy ton of coal.
Imagine the surprise in Cincin-
natl when an explosion turned out
to be d bomb instead of still.
A million dollars may be spent
fighting New Jersey mosquitoes,
which is less than penny each.
New York man ate So hot dogs.
This is dangerous. He will be
barking and chasing bats next.
Terrible news from London. Doc
tor has a serum to make men tire
less. These serums make US tried.
What if your boss hears about
the new serum to make men tire
less?
Experts says Eyes, We Have mol
Bananas" is made of old tunes.
Well, now they are old twice.
The most fascinating thing about
popular songs is trying TO guess
where the music was stolen.
A bottle cork plant burned in
Bayonne, N. j., possibly while
rushing out the Christmas demand.