LATEST PICTURE OF RUSSIA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 149, 19 March 1919, Page 7

LATEST PICTURE OF RUSSIA

EXTRAORDINARY DEMORALISATION

AUTHENTICATED STORIES OF

OUTRAGES

London, March 16. Tho Australian Tress Agency learns that the latest official news from Russia reve-ils a state of extraordinary demoralisation. Appalling outrages are general. The British Consul at Ekaterinburg, as the result of special inquiry in the Perm distrio';, reports that the number ot victims amounts to several thousand, who were mostly shot. Tortures, usually precoded tho murders. A girl, aged 19, aociwed of espionage, was slowly pierced with a bayonet thirteen times in the same wound. She is still alive. There aro other cases of victims being wounded witn the bayouet fifteen and twenty times. Forty-six priests out of 300 n the Perm district were killed, bixty-oix children taken as hostages were mowed down by machine-guns. In some cases the Bolshoviki took ransom from the relative after tho victims had been secretly killed. , ~ , M. Dueherse, who was formerly Irench Consul at Petrograd, has revisited Bussia He reports that the military and civil power of tho Bolsheviks is declining owing to the supplies for feeding their followers being exhausted. • The paper money is valueless. Frequent desertions among the peasant troops aro demoralism° tho Army. Thero is constant dissension between the Soviets of Petrograd and Moscow and those of .the provinces. The peasants refuse to bring stocks into the towns and are hiding their food. Official reports from Vladivostok state that most of tho 'commanding officers ot the Red Army are Germans, who are in-■t-oducing German methods. The Eed commissaries are mostly Jews. In order to prevent the desertion of officers thev are constantly watched, and their families are held as hostages. The wellto-! o people aro living in constant tear of death. The Eed commissaries mostly are ill-educated. They condemn people to death without making any accusation and frequently assist in the murder of their victims. Starvation is giving rise to epidemics, exterminating entire, villas. The educational system has been elitiruU' disorganised by the Bolsheviks appointing teachers chosen by the stu-dents.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

SHOTS FIRED AT LENIN CHAUFFEUR INJURED. Copenhagen, March 16. Show fired from a- house in Moscow inlurcd Lenin's chauffeur. Lenin es-caped.-Aus.-N.Z.. Cable Assn. ... THE CAMPAIGN ON THE DVINA BOLSHEVIK ADVANCE CLAIMED. London, March 17. A Russian wireless message claims that the Bolshevik forces advanced tp the Dviaa River, and captured Vystavka, HO miles south-east of Archangel.-Aus.-N.Z. Catfe Assn.

LETTS ADVANCING ON MITAU [ REPORTED BOLSHEVIK RETREAT. . London, March 17. ' The Lettish troops are advancing to Jlit.i'l. and have captured Kandau and Zabelii. The Bolshoviki are reported to be retiring in panio.-Aus.-N,Z. Cable (Rec. March 18, 11.5 p.m.) London, March 17. The Lettish troop 3 have capture'd Tukkum The Bolshevists aro retreating. Tho Letts have reached the middle of Courland—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ORGY OF SLAUGHTER AT KIEFF (Rec. March 18, 8.15 p.m.) Helsingfors, March 13. After entering Kieff the Bolsheviki murdered the professors, several municipal officials, eleven journalists, Baron Ovskv, tho Ukraine emissary from Pans, Dr Li Uolontny, the eminent surgeon, mid M. Etimouko, a philosopher—"The Times."