BOLSHEVIK OUTRAGE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11760, 20 February 1919, Page 7

BOLSHEVIK OUTRAGE.

BRITISH EMBASSY ATTACKED. DEATH OP CAPTAIN OROMIE. Ths Petrograd correspondent of the Morning Post who was arrested at the British Embassy last August, and cofined for two mouths in the fortress prison of S. S. Peter and Paul, describes his experiences under Bolshevist rule and the attack on the British Embassy and of the death of Captain Oromie. Saturday, August 31st, was a fine afternoon, he wrote. Most of the officials left in Petrograd were in the Embassy, having been detained later than usual owing to its being the last day of the month, and the accompanying arrangements for drawingq salaries. Consul Woodbouse, Engineer Commander Lepage, Royal Navy, had been arrested about midnight on Friday, within a hundred yards of theJEmbassy, when returning home from dining with military officers at 30, Millionaja Street. Opposite the Embassy, moored at the quay, was a destroyer, fully manned flying the red flag. The Embassy doors are only locked at night, and anybody having business there enters to find the hall porter waiting for him.

Shortly before five o’clock armed sailors began to surround the building, stopping all approach, and arresting anybody who could in any way be construed as connected with the British or even proceeding to the Embassy for inquiries. These arrests included even German and other foreigners. Soma twenty rough-looking man, not in unifoim, but formidably armed with revolvers, many carrying one in each hand, quietly entered the Embassy and secured the porter, afterwards mounting the stairs to the Chancery rooms on the left. The rooms on the right, formerly the residential quarters of the Ambassador, were occupies as offices by the Consul and the heads of the Naval and Military Liquidation Commission. The state rooms above were used as-ktores or occupied by typewriter i girls. [ CAPTAIN OROMIE’S DEATH.

Without a word of warning these armed hooligans crept into the Chancery and “hands-upped” all present. The cashier, with the safe open, was engaged in paying out salaries. He had a sheaf of paper money in his hands, when a couple of,revolvers were pointed at his head Captain Cromie, the only armed man on the premises, was not .in his own room, but had gone across to the Chancery side, and was in one of the smaller rooms behind. Grasping the situation in a moment, ha rushed out and was fired upon. He shot down one man, and broke through succeeding in getting to the foot of the staircase, where he was shot down from behind, the bullets entering his bead and lungs. The shots were fired from the staircase landing by men who had failed to stop his charge. Captain Oromie was unconscious from the first and died within three minutes, passing away with the smile of duty ac complished. One of the typewriter girls who was in a cloakroom downstairs preparing to leave showed great daring in coming out] among the excited revolver-waving hooligans to see if anythbing could be done for Cuptaiu Cromie. She brought water, but the brave captained; submarines, who above all the other British, save perhaps the Naval Armoured Cars Division, had done most to help Russia, was beyond human aid There was little chance of success, and Captain Cromie knew it, but British soil had been violated, and the one thing to do was to vindicate the inviolability of the British Embassy at all hazards. LOOTING THE EMBASSY. This one daring deed cost two, perhaps three, lives to the attackers. Captain Oromie shot one man dead. Two others were hit, one in , the abdomen fitally, but whether In the promiscuous firing that followed Captain Oromie’s dash or from Captain Cromie’s own weapon cannot he established. The Embassy was then very thoroughly looted. After an hour of waiting, during which various non-Britisb casuals arrested in the vicinity ©f the Embassy were released after various formalities, the prisoners were thrust into the common of tue Prefecture. This was 11 o'clock at night on Saturday. There they remained till Tuesday afternoon, September 3rd, when they were again marched through the public streets to the fortress, passing by the Embassy on the way. They then saw the outer door was sealed up.