THE TRUTH ABOUT RUSSIA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1015, 7 November 1917, Page 5

THE TRUTH ABOUT RUSSIA.

ARMED BANDS SCOURING THE COUNTRY. WHOLESALE MURDER, ROBBERY AND DESTRUCTION. ALARM AND CONFUSION IN PETROGRAD. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. Receivod November 7, 10.20 a.in. LONDON. Nov. 6. The Morning Post’s Petrograd correspondent states; It is time to tell, the truth about the prevalent conditions in Russia, whole regions of European Russia are terrorised hv armed bands known as Tovansci, who arc laying waste the countryside., Horses and cattle are slaughtered and their carhd't rotting in the fields; bread-tails have been deliberately set alight and spin! titorofi burnt. 'The peasantry, who nave joined the bands, share the pillage. Debauches of drunkenness are alarmingly increasing. Thousands arc drinking inetliy- | ]atod spirit and others are instituting private stills. . „ , . jVt Moscow the revolt in 1905 fizzled out in a. pandemonium cl drink anti vice. It looks like the Petrograd revolt, doing the same Tiro Tovarisci are wearing the uniforms of soldiers and acting like professional criminals. Several hundred robberies with violence are reported at Petrograd daily, though many sufferers do not. trouble to lodge complaints. Murders are, committed with impunity, the numbers being bejonct estimate. . , , . , Gangs of ihe Tovansci openly, and m daylight, rob houses and shops, carrying oft ino proceeds on motor lorries. Yesterday ascore of Tovarisci held up the mam thoroughfare and robbed every passer of money and valuables. Occasionally the crowd lynches a few of .the robocis. . . * All the shops arc- clearing goods into the cellars, and the owners of private house, are barricading the lower flooiS;. i > many is importing into agents capable of becoming leiu revolt, it is not strange that Petrogrn if in a perpetual state of alarm and confusion. (London Time® Telegrams.) PETROGRAD. Nov. 5. The city is subject to daily alarm, and is expecting a Maximalist rising w. hj massacres. The dregs,of -the race seem to !h> gathering in the city .for the c p Delegates representing (he P‘' !lo p ment, after hearing a speech by rol/kv, the Maximalist loader, voted for a propel that the Maximalists should' demand the .seizure of the governing power. D * Jievecl that* the majority of th©' .support the Govei/nment, which is exchanging telegrams with the army commandeers. Genera j Tournanofi' has takr*i over t m Ministry for War, in place of Verkhovsky.