THE HORRORS OF BOLSHEVISM.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1920, Page 10

THE HORRORS OF BOLSHEVISM.

REMARKABLE LETTER BY AN OFFICER. London, Nov. 21. The Times print a very remarkable letter sent by a British Officer in South Russia to his wife. Tbe letter is not' able not only for its revelations of Bolshevik atrocities, but as a human document. The man who lias seen what Bolshevism really means cannot 'est without enlisting his wife and all his family into a crusade against it and a campaign for the enlightenment of the British public. The letter is published exactly as sent, except that names and dates have been altered, so that the writer and his wife will not be embarrassed. The Times makes no apology in present circumstances for publishing certain passages of a nature generally considered "unprintable." Dearest, This should be your birthday and wedding day letter. I'll send the postal order for your hat and silk stockings and gloves along with this. M., dear, how I shall think of you on the 26th and 28th —or is it 31st by now? I wonder whether you will feel me near you— I shall dedicate these two days to my Molly. I want you to do war work. WAR WORK. I want you to spend one hour, or, if you cannot, only half an hour, daily, in doing the Bolshevik harm. With your typewriter. In thought, word, and deed. I want you to put heart and soul into helping General Denikin and his cause. For if ever there was a crusade it is this. I shall put my heart and soul into helping to organise and supply in my area, into creating good feeling and moral values, into actual fighting, and into collecting and forwarding to you such information and photos as I hope will set England blazing with indignation ancV disgust. Both in the rough and in the letters to Cousin Masterton. And much that is unprintable, but MUST BE KNOWN.

It all goes homo officially and gets held up —somewhere. And I hope and pray that I chall rouso you, and all our friends, to such a white heat of enthusiasm for this crusade and holy hatred for the Bolshevik that you will do everything in your power to enlighten people at home. GERMANS' SUBTLE METHODS. To start with I want to give you a few points on the situation: 1. The Boelie is still fighting us, through the Bolshevik, but in a subtle way, and by underground means which it is hard to counter

The G.ermans, in the beginning of the war, hoped to be at France in three months. Detached forces were to drive the contemptible (or contemptibly, what does it matter?) little Army into the sea. They then intended to turn on Russia, to defeat her, reconstitute her as a vassal State, firmly allied and bound over to Germany, to organise and utilise her vast resources ,of men and material as a means of ruling the world-

They did not succeed in breaking the French or us in a short time. They thereupon used every means of peaceful penetration in Russia, and had prepared to paralyse Russia's eiforts as an effective member of the alliance. They worked through spies, agents making propapanda, the many German bankers, etc., who had always been German agents, and some unfortunately corruptible Russians. That devil Rasputin was in their pay, but arrangements for his death, merely as getting too big for his boots, were being made by them when he was killed fortuitously, but, too late for Russia.

At the same time they made every effort, unfortunately with Wis greatest success, of discrediting the Tsar anci Imperial familv in Allied countries. When it was seen that Ru-sia could not be got out of the war under the ancien regime, they helped to bring about the revolution

When it appeared that Kevensl-y, a fool, but not altogether a kna.-o, and liis Government intended to continue the war, they redoubled their efforts to undermine the Army and Navy. I have described some of the means they used often to you.

They succeeded. Thev "sent Lenin to Russia" (vide Ludendorf), organised Bolshevism, pained a footing in the Ukraine, commenced exploiting the resources of Russia, and were contemplating the raising of Russian troops for use on the Western front. Since the Armistice they have not lost hope or interest in Russia. They continue to organise Bolshevism and Bolshevik propaganda in Allied countries. They hate De'nikin and oppose him, because Denikm is fighting for a united Russia, free from German influence and exploitation. Bolshevik Russia is a channel of communication to the Committee of Union and Progress, to Egypt, India, and ghanistan2. Unless beaten by us, the Bolshies will beat. us. It's a'side issue for the present, but the danger of their rousing and letting loose the Chinese is not so verv remote. 3* They have declared war on Christianity. The Bible to them is a "coun-ter-revolutionary" book, and to be stamped out. They are aiming at raising all nonChristian races against the Christian countries.

The Bolsheviks form about 5 per cent, of the population of Bussia—Jews (80 to 90 per cent, of the commissaries are Jews), Chinese, Letts, Germans, and certain of the "skilled labor" artisans. The conscribed peasantry, originally captured by the catchwords mentioned in the pamphlets, now often goaded beyond endurance, is rising against them over wide districts. Still conscribid and put up to fight under severe penalties, they form most of the "cannon fodder" used by the Bolshies. They desert, often en masse, and many a peasant who mtu'ched for the Bolsheviks last week is fighting for Denikin in the Volunteer Army today.

Ref. Jews—ln towns capturjd by Bolsheviks the only unviolated sacred buildings are the synagogues, while churches are used for anything, from movie-shows to "slaughter-houses." The Poles. Gal'eians, and Petlura |ave committed "pogroms" (massacres-of Jews). Not the Russian Volunteer Armies under Denikin. Denikin has, in fact, been so strict in protecting the Jews that he has been accused by his sympathisers of favoring them. If, however, a Commissary, steeped in murder, with torture and rape, with mutilation, happens to be a. Jew, as most o5 them are, should he receive exceptional treatment?

The very enemies of General Deiiikin, who have committed pogroms, accuse, him, of all men, and his Volunteer Armies of massacring Jews. It is one iiiore c.-pedient to turn the sympathies of ..Western countries against Denikin—fcQl very successful, on the whole, and a

side issue. I don't know why I. wasted so much time on this minor point of the Jews. 'Possibly because they are one of the largest non-Russian contingents among the Bolshie.s, and the most influential. The Chinese and Letts act more as executioners and torturers. UNPRINTABLE PHOTOGRAPHS. 4. The Bolsheviks are devils. I lio'pe to send you copies of f>4 oflii.-ial photos taken by British officers at Odessa when the town was retaken from the Bolsheviks. (The French and Greek divisions had cleared out the. Bolshies and taken the town, and were finally driven out by Denikin's ''lron Brigade." The successful assault was made by a detachment of 413 of the Volunteer Army.) As no paper will print them I suggest that you should have copies done. If we're too hard up you could pay for them by sending me no parcels, or selling my Caucasian dagger, or Persian book, or something. And 1 suggest that you should then do with them as you t jink fit, to make them most widely known. Their horror may make people realise. Tliey must realise. By God, they shall realise!

They show men who've been crucified with the torture of the "human glove.'"' The victim gets crucified, nails through his elbows. The hands are treated with a solution which shrivels the skin. Tha skin is cut out, with a razor, round tha wrist, and peeled off, till it hangs by the finger nails —the "human glove." I'm not sparing you. I hope you'll show and send them to everybody we know. People at home, apathetic fools they are, do not deserve to be spared. Tltey must be woken up. John and Katie ought to see them. Most of the photos are of women. Women with their breasts cut to the bone. Women with their bodies cut open. One woman with her stomach cut open and unborn twins half dragged out. It is not surprising that such people can't stand up to Denikin's men in anything like even numbers or equipment.

General Denikin started the war with 403 officers and 200 roubles ( £4 lis 6d.) With 4000 he liberated a large area, with 8000 he walked through over 80,000 Bolsheviks.

The worst of it is that, though his armies are numerous now, their equipment and supplies of all kinds are still insufficient. That's where we try to help them. And that his enemies are active in making political trouble for him—everywhere. And everybody can do a bit to counteract this, surely, every little helps.

OUTRAGES ON WOMEN". Two little bits, referring to Bolshevik atrocities, you might type in as many copies as you can. If you and several others left them in different tea-shops every afternoon, it might touch quite a lot of people. I shall send you chapter and verse if I can. If I haven't sent chapter and verse in a month, do your best without. Papers are no good, because papers would put it more delicately.

"We have hero at H.Q. passes issued to Bolsheviks by commissaries on occupying Ekaterinodar. These passes authorise their holders to arrest any girl tliey fancy for the use of the soldiery. Sixty-two girls of r.U classes were arrested like this and thrown to the Bolshevik t'toops. Thee who struggled wore killed quite early on. The rest, when used and finished, were mutilated and thrown, dead and dying, into the two small rivers flowing through Ekaterinodar.

"In all towns occupied by Bolsheviks and re-occupicd by us 'slaughter-houses' are found choked with corpses. Hundreds of 'suspects,' men, women and cliildren, were herded in these—doors and windows manned and the struggling mass fired into until most of them were dead or dying. The doors were then locked and they were left. The stench in these places, I am told, is hair-rais-ing. These 'slaughter-houses' are veritable plague-spots and have caused widespread epidemics." I want you to proselytize Robinson and galvanize the Colonel and everybody else you can get hold of. I'd like James to see this and No. 4' and Dorothy. Above all the Mater. For I feel sure tlint, whatever happens, she and you will be glad that I've come out. I shall not be able to send you, the Mater, Dorothy, or anyone else any more detailed news. J want to start the letters to the Colonel. If I made the first (to Taranto) cheery and amusing, the second (Constantinople and Black Sea) interesting, I can then start propaganda. So please get your news out of them. And share with the Mater and Dorothy and anybody else who cares. This lias been a full letter for your birthday, dearest, and just when your two dear letters had helped me to find a lighter tone. But these things do move me so. I've been inoculated and have such ft headache. I've got to stop. Ever vours, X.