THE BOLSHEVIK TERROR

Evening Star, Issue 16991, 13 March 1919, Page 7

THE BOLSHEVIK TERROR

FEARS NEITHER GOD NOR MAN. HORRIBLE LEEDS IN THE NAME OF LIBERTY. There are people whh persist in saying theft the Russian revolutionary creed is cased on humane ideals and avoids excesses, when there is abundance of trustworthy evidence to the contrary. One of the officers of H M.B, Australia, writing from the Black Sea on November 30, confirms recent cablegrams in which horrible infamies were chronicled. Ho says: “Something- occurred to prevent me finishing this'letter, a-nd in the meantime we have visited two more places. We went alongside at the first place, and though it was dusk the pier was crowded with people, and as soon as the ship was near enough they covered ns with flowers. EVeryon-o seemed to have an armful. The light being dim, one could easily imagine oneself back in Australia, with our own people welcoming us back, but I doubt if even our own kin will be as thankful to see ns as these people arc . The same question is on everyone’s lips that can make themselves understood: ‘Will Britain help ns?’ Not- France, America, or the Allies, mind you. but Britain. It makes one feel rather proud of one’s nationality to know that all over the world Britain is looked on as Hie champion of right and freedom. The Bolsheviks had left this place a few weeks ago, after ransacking every house. They left the people only the clothes they were wearing, and murdered thousands, though from what I could learn they were not quite so bad as in Novorissisk. There, after getting charge of the town, they requisitioned every girl and woman from 13 years up. and served them ouiL-to their rabble—l won’t call them soldiers—-with the result that it- is estimated that- 90 per cent, of them are now diseased. Even the Hun could show these no points. “ I used to fee! amused when I read in the papers about the enormous prices of things in Petrograd, Berlin, etc., and wondered now an editor could imagine people so credulous as to believe them But here are a few prices J can. vouch for: First, the pre-war value of the rouble was less than 10 to our £l. I priced a small reel of cotton ashore yesterday—2s roubles. I mode sure there was no mistake by asking a lady who spoke French. That is the price A thin pair of cotton stockings cost 100 roubles. In Novorissisk a’civilian suit costs 3,000 roubles; a pair cf slippers (not shoes) 300 roubles; and so on. It takes believing, docs it not? The different crowds that nave been in power have just gone on printing paper money as fast as the presses could turn it out, with no thought of a- gold reserve; and though outside Russia I don’t suppose these paper roubles are worth the paper they are printed on, it is the only form of currency in the country now. You- never see a silver, gold, or even a copper coin. Yet all we get in exchat%o for our £1 note is 4 roubles —not enough to buy two reels of cotton!”