The Washington times., 1929-02-18
7 BURIED ALIVE
INFANTASTIC
RITES

MOSCOW, FeD. ia tale OIL
superstition and horror iivalling
in reality the fantastic and ter.
rible theme of Poe's "The Fau of
the House of Usher" has stirred
Communist circles within the past
few weeks. Strangely, It follows
directly on the track of q weird
expose of Suicide pacts" in which
voluntary death by hanging or
shooting depleted the ranks of a
Siberian Communist youth group
of a dozen youths not over 20
years old.
Though the latest affair has not
been mentioned in the Soviet press,
beneath the highly religious exte-
rior OF Russian life the story has
been whispered sepulchralIy. It is
credited to two highly authentic
sources.
Girl Aecosted by Stranger
The story begins with a young
girl hurrying home from work in
the early winter dusk along Tvers.
kaya, which is Moscow's Broad
way. At the corner where Push
kin's statue stands gazing cynically
at the fantastic domes and min
arets OF the empty monastery of
the Passion Of Christ she was de-
layed for a moment by traffic. A
tall. dignified man with dark beard
accosted her.
Are you a pure girI?" he asked.
Blushing. she nodded affirmatively.
Then you must do us a service,
the man continued. ut won't take
long-no> one shall harm you-and
we will pay you 100. rubles."
Something In his tone and bear.
ing gave her confidence-there have
been five similar cases recorded to
date and in each the girls declared
to the police they felt that the man
was telling the truth. She accepted
his offer and entered a high. powered
Moscow except those of foreigners
and small machines marked by a
yellow stripe, owned by chauffeurs
plying for hire.
In the automobile the man told
the girl 1t was necessary to put a
silk bandage over her eyes. but
still she somehow retained con-
fidence. The car drove. it seemed,
in circles, round the city for half
an hour, then ran straight for half
an hour more as II on an open
highway. When 1t halted the man
led the girl. still blindfolded, through
doors and passage and down
many stone steps. Then he re-
moved the bandage.
She found herself in a large
cellar room lighted by a duh cleo.
trio globe in the center of the
ceiling. Three OF the walls were
draped with white silk and the
fourth presented an open niche with
Jagged brick edges. Two wheel
harrows with bricks, mortar and
troweIs stood near this niche.
Otherwise the room was absolutely
empty save for a wooden chair
in a corner on which the girl sat
and an ordinary kitchen broom
and dust pan against the wall be-
hind 1t.
Then she heard distant music
as in a church. The door opened
and a procession of 10 white-clad
figures with hoods over their faces
and long lighted candles in their
right hands entered two by two
and stood in two files facing the
niche.
Finally in came two other persons.
q young man and woman. also clad
in white but mnmasked- Without
word or sound the newcomers ad-
and entered the niche, where
upon the others, tremendously plac'
ing their lighted candles in two lines
on the floor. proceeded to immure
the two victims in a living grave.
The girl watched horror-stricken
until the wall was again smooth, and
covered like he rest by a silken
shroud. Then the white figures took
up their candles and filed out as
silemtly and solemnly as they had en-
tered, leaving her alone.
In a little while one returned, sttll
masked, to say in a voice she and
the other girls who went individually
the experience identified
with that of the black-bearded man:
ACCORD & to our rites It is neces-
sary that a virgin not belonging to-
our society must clean the room after
our brother and sister have passed
beyond"