Beginning in December, 1918, the gangs of Struk visited our village endlessly. They were peasants of the neighboring villages, mostly former soldiers, or simply scum with a very bad reputation. From our village also some young peasants, who loved to live well and had little hankering for agriculture, adhered to the Strukist horde. When the Strukist gangs passed by not far from us, groups of them came in to the village to visit their people, and on the way, playing with their rifles, to empty Jewish pockets or carry away some domestic articles from the Jews. This lasted for a rather long time, and we got used to such a condition of things. On April 10 there appeared in the village seven such bandits. One of them came to me while I was sitting at work. At the time several peasant customers were with me. When the soldiers came in they said to the peasants: "Take your cloth, and if you recognize cloth belonging to other peasants here, take that, too, because we are going to clean things up here right away." The peasants did so and left. The bandits demanded money from me. I felt at once by their tone and all their behavior that a more serious matter was impending than in the previous attacks, and I gave them all the cash I had. Having taken the money they began to pack up the linen, clothes, and household goods, as much as they could carry away with them, and departed. I hoped that I had gotten off with this, but I was mistaken. After about ten minutes one of them returned with an order from the leader to bring me to
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him. I tried to buy myself off with money. The soldier took the money, but nevertheless took me, too, to the leader. The latter demanded 200 rubles of me. I had no more money. The leader began to beat me with a whip and the handle of his revolver. I was covered with blood. I began to implore him to let me go into the village, where I would be able to borrow the amount from an acquaintance. The leader consented and went in person with me. On the way we met a crowd of peasants. The bandit began to beat me, make me sing Jewish songs, dance, fall on my knees, and cross myself. I was compelled to do all this. The peasants did not interfere. But the spectacle was apparently not very pleasing to them, because they began to disperse. The leader took me farther. Meeting a Russian girl he knew, the bandit bade me repeat the dance, the singing, etc. The peasants to whom I applied for money would not lend it to me. Blows rained upon me without end. In one hut, where I went for money, I found a Jewess of the place with black and blue marks on her bare arms, in tears. Three bandits stood around her. What happened afterwards it is unnecessary to relate. With great difficulty I got 200 rubles from a peasant lad. The soldier let me go. For several days I hid, and then went away to Chernobyl. I was informed that absolutely nothing was left in my house and establishment. I must add that they took my clothing and shoes off me and compelled me to perform the "comedy" in nothing but my underclothes and bare feet.
Khatutzky, Moise Duvidov, 42 Years Old, Married, Shop-Keeper.
With the appearance of the Strukists I had nothing left to sell in my shop. The goods were stolen by troops of bandits, who paid me for them with vilest epithets and blows. To hide the goods anywhere, to bury them in the ground, did not help. They did not spare the trouble of hunting everywhere, and the longer the search lasted, the more blows were inflicted on me and my wife. I don't remember when this was; but two soldiers came to me and demanded money. I gave them two hundred rubles which I had. They were not satisfied with this and commanded me to go with them. I knew that this threatened serious danger for me. because there had been several similar cases. The Jews returned with such disfigurements that it was hard to recognize them, and told of horrible things. I began to entreat the soldiers and offered them various things. But nothing
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helped. They began to beat me, and I had to go. The soldiers took me to a brook and threw me into the water. They apparently wanted to drown me. But the water there was very shallow. They threw me around every way; in spite of all, I remained alive. Then they took me out of the village and threw me into a pond which was near the distillery. There death appeared inevitable. But it happened that two peasant acquaintances went past, and they interceded for me, saying that I was a "good Jew." Cursing, the soldiers left me in peace.