BOLSHEVIK ACTIVITY.

Taihape Daily Times, 28 August 1919, Page 5

BOLSHEVIK ACTIVITY.

A ‘VDANGEQROUS AILIEN-.” -3 SENSATIONAL‘ MILITARY ARREST AT AUCKLAND. ' ,1 AUCKLAND, Aug. 26. Consequent upon complaints as -to the dissemination -of Bolshevik principles and literature in Auckland, the local police, acting upon a Warrant from -the Commandant of the New Zealand Forces, have arrested Leonard Copland B'oranofl", alias Bernstein, on the ground that he is a. “disaffected and dangerous alien.” The prisoner has been incarcerated in Mount Eden gaol to be detained at the pleasure of the authorities. As The arrest is a military one, the man will not be charged, but will be kept in internment. l

The arrest was carried out in an office in Queen street occupied by the alien, who was conducting business as a masseur. A quantity of literature and correspondence, said to relate to Bolshevism, was seized by the police, and this is being investigated, ‘ Recently Boranoff was charged with failing to notify a change of address as an alien, and on that occasion he was fined £2. It is new alleged against the man that he has advocated Bolshevism in street meetings; that he has spread broadcast Bolshevist literature; and has striven to create disaffection amongst workers, -‘and particularly amongst Jugo-Slave.

. “A CHEQUERED CA}REE[R.” BORANOFF AND HIS PAST RECORD. The. alien referred Ito in the above message is known to the police as Leo Arthur Coplan Boranofi. His career in New Zealand can be described appropriately as rather chequered,..and it has been spent nl_ostly‘in__ and out of. gaol. Boranolf arrived.-_in Wellington in August of T'f‘:()9, having ._Worked his, passage fronr-England. as _a ..firem:an_.:_ Very shortly-4.-afterwards he ca_n.le_‘un.-_ der theseye ;ofAthe,polioe, and ;was arrested .. for ’ false vprete-nces.p He wasconvicted and sentenced t-0. three weeks’. ‘imprisonment. To the court Bor_anofi” told. a romantic tale of-his alleged ex; periences-in Russia. He claimed that -he .be.longed‘to a coterie of gentlemen styled as-._“The Hunger Marehers.,.” He said‘ he was" a nledical student, and had obtained his degrees on She Continent. Inquiries were made at‘ Home by thepolicc, and they revealed the fact that Eioranofi’ had served a t-otal of about three years in -goal for various crimes in‘ Scotland. These offences were spread over a period of fr-om 1896 to 1906. The offences were mainly of theft and fraud which he perpetrated under the name of Albert Bernstein. Since making his debut before the Court in Wellington, Boranoff has got into trouble many times, and has served other terms of imprisonment. F_’art of his stock-in-trade was to pose is 'a medical student[.; and in support of this he produced photographs of himself Wearing the elaborate regalia of the Russian medical corps. His claim that he was a" ‘Russian -exile was elaborated by him in Various addresses he gave in Qifferent parts of the country_ His story was to theetfeet‘ that he was exiled on acdount of the part he took in a demonstration before the Winter Palace at Moscow. He painted pictures of the horrors of Russian pri~ sons and The punishments there, claiming‘ that he had gone through much sufi'm-ing and privation in this respect.

Ree.en’rl_y Rm'nnofl' has been acting as pmnter a? Various .~\.uCkland hofels, and l':l’rex.' eSf.'Lhli.<hr.‘d himself as :1 masseur. Some time prior to Hfis he had come out of gaol. where he had served six months for fa]so pretenees. Boranofi? is described as effeminate in appearance. He wean‘. glasses, mud gener:aHy has an asfvakan cap.