OUT OF THE DARK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1906, 23 November 1918, Page 1

OUT OF THE DARK.

LETTER. FROM DATUM,

RUSSIA IRRETRIEVABLY RUINED.

BRIGANDAGE AFFECTS ALL RACES.

The following letter was received by Mr A. B. van Liew, secretary and treasurer of the Martin Dennis Company, 850, Sumer Avenue, Newark, N.J., from his brother, Mr W. R, van Liew, a mining engineer connected with an English company, operating copper mines located near the fortress town of Datum, on the Black Sea, South Russia. The letter came in the British Foreign Office hag, via Teheran, thence 3000 versts by horse via the Persian Gulf to Bushire, and finally reached England: —

Datum, March (i, (your style 38) ; .■ . .In the past two weeks a big change has conn 1 over the political situation. The Turks have entered Trebizond. It is true there 1 arc but hiJOO or 3000 of them and they are without shoes and coats and are hungry, so they had to be given clothing and food by the Russians. But it has stalled a panic. All the Greeks, numbering from 20,000 to 25,000, in and about Trebizond, who robbed and pillaged the 'forks when the Turks withdrew from there, are now afraid of the Turks’ vengeance when they return, and have lied by steamer.

Now has come by rado news that the Bolsheviks have signed peace, giving the provinces of Datum ami Ears to Turkey. All Ihe Armenian and Georgian labourers at the copper mines 38 versts from Dzanznl, have loft, causing all the Mohammedans also to leave, resulting in the shut down of the works.

Some ten miles further up the river, at the town of Artvin, all of the 10,000 Armenian inhabitants have tied to Batum, entirely deserting the town. Batum is overtlowing with refugees, and our own workmen have caught the panic, and are all leaving to-day, so I suppose we will have to (dose till the boundary is settled with Turkey. The Caucasus Government has refused to recognise (bo Bolsheviks’ giving up of provinces of Batum and Kars. The Georgians, who are in say (hey will light for it. I suppose In a month it should he settled.

GERMANS AFTER COPPER

The Hermans, of course, waul the manganese and copper here. It may bo necessary lo destroy the works, or part of thorn, should (hey conic and lake the place. Such a moss as Russia is in It is impossible fo conceive! In fad, disaster, disorganisation everywhere! The worst that was done in Hie kreueh RevoluI ion is as nothing to what is going on all over Russia. All the properties have been destroyed. Whole families murdered in cold blood. Everything carried off. Thousands of officers have been murdered. Recently the sailors murdered 200 officers at Sebastopol. Again a few days ago there were three days and three nights of murder of both officers and bourgeois. Everything is very expensive—from 200 to 11,000 per cent, more than normal. Men’s shoes cost 200 roubles, and a sac suit 1,000 to 1,200 roubles; eggs, GO kopecks each; turkeys, 35 to 50 roubles each; chickens, 20 to 25 roubles each; meat, 21 to 3 roubles per lb. Linen dresses are unprocurable. Butter —there is none, .Bread in Tin is, if bought without a card, costs from 2J to 10 roubles per lb., and is full of straw and chaff. In Petrograd, bread is so full of chaff and straw that much sickness and appendicitis exist. Also in Moscow. In both places there is practically famine. We here have had everything practically, so far. although some days there is nothing in the market. Our meat is now almost entirely pork. Bread is all black, and much of the time is none too finely ground, being heavy bread made of maize. As compared lo the rest, however, we are fortunate. As compared to Moscow, Petrograd, and other places, we have plenty. How long it will last I do not know. If the Turks come, so we are cut off from getting things from Russia, there will he a bad time for us. Down the Turkish coast there is famine. In Tifiis (here is almost famine. Breakfast costs S roubles, lunch 18 to 20 roubles, dinner 20 to 25 roubles, and very ordinary, being about what a 75 cent, dinner would he at a cheap restaurant in Xew York. MISERY IX PERSIA. In Persia there lias been no rain for one year*, and the Russian troops have destroyed everything there. In Persian towns from 20 to 30 people are found dead each morning, and the. Russian officers > tell me you can hear the people

howling all night who nve dying of starvation. It is Iho same around Erzerum, Reiburt, and Erziugan. In Russia I do not think the Germans will get any help in food this year—there will probably be famine in Russia herself. It is impossible for anyone, even one knowing the Russians, to have imagined the Revolution would take the course it did, or that the Russian soldier was sueh a beast and a traitor to his country. Xo one could have imagined that ho would have murdered his own officers by the thousands, and that bo would on the one hand refuse to salute his own officers and on the other hand salute a common German soldier. Xo one could have thought that it would be possible for him on (he one hand to refuse to tight the Germans, and on the other hand be willing to take up the Held against his own countrymen as (he Russians are now doing in (he Don and elsewhere.

They have sold their machineguns and cannon and rides and ammunition by the million to both Turks and Germans. A machinegun sells for two bottles of vodka. At Trezibond they left automobiles, lOinch cannon {American), storehouses full of all kind of war material —about a billion of roubles’

worth. No words are too strong to condemn (hem. Xo foreigner could speak of (hem or against'them so badly as (lie educated Russian, whoso position is one of terrible humiliation. All the big properties and little properties have been burned and sacked, the breeding cattle and cows and herds driven off, the managers or properly owners—whole families —murdered, and even tortured: and this ail over Russia.

GEORGIAXS INFECTED TOO,

Even the Georgian peasants near Gorin, near Tillis, have murdered whole families of Georgian proprietors. Russia is ruined. There is no hope of anyone in Russia putting order in the eountry or downing anarchy, not e\’en after peace. No one has (lie strenglh or hacking, or character. All the rifles are in the hands id' (he moh, over one-half of whom have taken their xMles home. It will take from ‘IOO,OOO to 400,000 men to pul order in the country, and it must be done either by I lie Allies or by Germany, and with an iron hand; her masses understand only the whip. ■ . . *» We have been In danger several limes from returning llolshevik troops who tried to get control of the town, but thank Heaven we are on the edge of Georgia, and the Georgians are in control and have prevented excesses. They (the Georgians) hough) the fortress in Batum from the Russian artillery .for 30,000 roubles, so the Georgians have control of (he fortresses, and the sailors dare not come and bombard the place and commit excesses Some one is murdered or robbed every night, and there is shooting all night —mostly in (he air—but little things like that don't count. The brigands from over the old border (one of whom I stopped with at Arkave two days, and is a very nice fellow and a friend of mine) raided the smelt r ers once. A few days ago they shot at my chauffeur, broke (he glass on the lamp, and broke the skin on his neck with a bullet. Yesterday some Armenians in (he road were robbed, killed, and a man wounded.

Measures are being taken to clear out the brigands from (he Tehorak Valley. lam going over alone with one of (hem to arrange so (hey won’t raid the sme,lters again.

. . . . Emerio Ims started school, and is doing finely. He is studying four languages now—one of (hem is German, which is compulsory. s