RUSSIA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 6524, 26 December 1917, Page 3

RUSSIA.

SACK Or THE WINTER PALACE. AND CAPTURE OF PETROOrRAD. HOW KERENSKY ESCAPED. "MAD, SENSELESS BAHBAKIANS, ' MI'KDKU. OrTII.UIK. AND I.OOTINC London, December lit). The .Morning I'nsi 's J'etrugrad correspoidcni. in describing ilie sack of the Winter Palace, says the whole opcrulion of rapturing Pcnograd was carried out in an admirable military manner. The approaches to the Winter Palace «ere taken without opposition. The cruiser Arora and three destroyers took up positions opposite the palate. M. Kerensky during his tenure of the palace as Prime Minister, with his fraternity, maintained u royalty extravagant stale, lie was guarded by Cadets whii were trust worthy and by'soldiers. The W en's Battalion «ere also ordered to remain. The armament consisted of six guns and a score of maxims hut no provision had been made for victualling the force, which exceeded L'IMHI. Owing to repeated defections less than loilli, chiefly boys and women, were left to defend the 'palace, which was Ilie last territory Korenskv should command. The garrison at the palare passed, the Tuesday night in a state of panic.

Kercnsky escaped aboard ii i'a.-i m i lii-.iii.-li in tlic curly hours nf tin- tin ruing along :i litUc waterway between tl:" palace mid Iho Hermitage. Hi! mill mi liiljiiliinl. disguised us [ni|H'riiil lite - keys, slipped mil of the danger zone uiiporeoivcd. Naval guns could liav,' reduced tinpalace In ruins ill ti*ii iniiiuli's if they had In properly served. Imt tin; cruisit mill ilir destroyers merely fired liluiik salvos al intervals fur live hours. A few iiiinur nuns used shells, without doing inii.-h damage. Tin' attack mi 111.' land sill,' was ri|iially farcical. Tile soldiers win. s.'i/..'d I'etrogiad went In pieces when ill.' bullets began |„ n.v. ami dun who wore attacking 111,- palace ll.m| in all directions when tin- women opened lire. ■l'll,' Gnvorment surrendered mi Ilir Tliiirsday. and marched mil with the ('adds,, while the women were brutally hiinilled. Many women n.'ir Hung int•• the Neva, and in rolls "ihers sulVered indignities al ill,' hands of the uniformed in,il,. who -.pent the next l,i\o '<hyt destroying and removing pri.-eles* Like mad. s.'iiM'le.-.s barbarians. Ihey slashed inniuuetal.le works of art. I'ortrails of the Tsars were torn to shreds. Moltke's portiaii almii' was untouched. Carpels, rugs, and ta|iestries were cu 1 In ribbons or used as wrappings for other lean. The palace was like an anthill fur two days, men carrying ureal loir.lens and motor lurries still larger loads of loot, including precious can - iii! l .". old rhiiia, and gold aud silver ~linm--r Services.