Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-11-21
the monopolistic program of the gov

the monopolistic program of the gov
eminent.
LAS the son of preacher, l was
denied membership in the labor un-
ion, and this meant that no bread
card could be secured. For this rea-
son, Christian brethren throughout
Russia have only food to eat that
dogs would refuse in America. One
finds saints of God everywhere in
Russia chewing dirt, and eating such
things as grass and weed roots"
Northern Russia has territory
which is known as "a living ceme-
terry" My friend, Mr.. Vorsky. de-
scribes it to me in these words:
ITEMS of thousands of Christians
have persisted in Solovetsky, that hor-
rible place of torture beyond the Arc
concentration camps. l have only
known five Christians in my life to
come back from their alive. During
1929 and 1880 an average of about six
hundred thousand prisoners were kept
there all the time-mOst OF them
Christians sent to die at forced labor
because of their religious faith.
Each Christian is given a certain
amount of work to dc every day, re-
curing about fourteen hours OF hard
labor. The tasks usually consist of
chopping down trees. making roads
and working in silver and copper
mines. No prisoner is allowed to re-
turn to camp for food until the work
allotted for the day is finished. They
live in mud huts and are denied
clothing to cover their bodies. Null
titudes freeze. starve and die trying
to do the work placed before them by
the guards.
although a Christian banished to
Solovetzky may be so weak he can
scarcely stand on his feet, IL he
pauses to rest, a guard beats him
with a club or the butt of a rifle.
Prisoners are beaten for making the
slightest protest for grievance. Hands.
feet and other parts of the body often
freeze.
AT certain times in the year there
are many mosquitoes in this region.
They come in swarms and are SO
large and numerous that they fire.
quently kill horses and cattle. One
way the guards have of prosecuting
Christians is to strip the clothing
from a man and tie him to tree
for the night. The mosquitoes do the
rest His skeleton becomes a grim
reminder to other Christians the next
day"
In explaining to me something OF
the horrors which Christians endure
when thrown into prison cells, Mr..
Vorsky said: "Other Christian preach
ers whom I know personally, have
been made to stand straight on their
feet without touching walls, for six
and seven days at a time without
food, drink or sleep. One by one
they would drop in their tracks. This
happened to Brother X, who labored
beside my father and served as assO-
ciate editor of our magazine at the
time the officials allowed us to
print it.
when K. collapsed, the guards
were unable to arouse him even with
kicks and curses. Remember, the
only crime of which these believers
were guilty was the fact that they
believed in God, Christ and the Bible.
Another brother of our Christian
group was put in the cold cell The
windows were knocked out in this
place 1t was in the dead of winter
and he was forced to remain there
naked The G. p. U. officers were try
ing to get him to sign confession
that he was a spy.
"Other brethren were put in the
hot CELL These places of torment
have twelve inches of water on the
floor The heat is turned on hotter
than humans can endure. About sew
enty people. men and women, are
crowded in so close they can not sit
or lie down. When one dies, his
body can not fall. Many are driven
insane under these circumstances.
Few can endure such treatment more
than five days"