The village of Chinkov is 25 versts from Chernobyl; has about 100 houses; only two Jewish families lived there. When Struk's gangs appeared there and began to pay special attention to these two Jewish families (to visit them often, take away what they liked, and threaten), one of them left the village, while of the other there remained an old man (he hoped that his age would save him from danger) with a youth of 16-18 years, his assistant in his mill. This boy is the only witness of what happened in the village. He is now in the Chernobyl alms-house, seriously ill, according to the physicians. He is all done up in bandages, and cannot move his arms. On one arm are four open wounds, on the other hand one finger is entirely cut off. On his head are several serious wounds, and his nose is badly injured. Here is his story:
We got used to frequent visits from guests who grossly reviled us. The visits always ended with the receipt of small sums of money or of articles having no special value. My employer had rented the mill for a long time and was on the best of terms with the local peasants. He always hoped that the peasants, with whom he had grown up together and with whom he constantly associated, would save him. I cannot say that the peasants instigated the bandits or sympathized with them. But they did not do the least thing on their part to avert the actions of the bandits. The word of a single local peasant was enough (of this we have seen ocular proof) to stop the action of the bandits. I don't remember myself on what day this occurred. A tall, vigorous soldier came in and demanded money. The old man agreed with him on 2,000 rubles. This was the last cash which the old man had. Several days later the soldier came again and demanded now 20,000 rubles.
UKRAINE
Three other soldiers were waiting in the street. The old man had no money. The soldier became furious, and, shouting "Damned Jewish communist,'* struck him so violently with his bare sabre that the old man fell dead on the spot, without even uttering a sound. I started to move for the door. The soldier noticed this and struck me on the head with his sabre. I fell. The soldier called his companions from the street and they all began to run around the place and take everything they liked. As they left our house one bandit noticed that I was still alive. He struck me several times more with his sabre. Then they set fire to the house and barn. I did not lose consciousness. When I began to suffocate with the smoke I tried to jump out of a window. But the bandits noticed me and I had to go back into the house. The barn was already in flames and the fire was beginning to penetrate the house. I approached the window. The bandits were gone. I went out from the house in the direction of Chernobyl. What happened afterwards I do not know. They say that peasants found me on the road and took me to Chernobyl. Recently they brought the charred bones of my employer there, too, and buried them.
F DITIATKI
The fortunate village of Ditiatki got off without human victims. It consists of approximately 300 peasants' huts; it is eight versts from Gornostaipol. In December, 1918, the Strukists began to appear there. They were young peasants from the neighboring villages, with rifles. They permitted themselves frequent taunts at the Jews, of course not without blows and threats with revolvers. The peasants soon fell under the influence of the Strukists and began to dig up ancient sins of the Jews. They began to hunt for old "unpaid" debts and to think up various crimes (the Jews served as spies of the bolsheviki, had invited the Hetman to return to Kiev, etc.). And they demanded unconditional fulfilment of their demands and claims, otherwise they would summon the Strukists thither. The Jews were compelled to pay and pay. This became a chronic phenomenon. "For a lark" they would arouse the Jews by night, or would stop them on the street, saying, "Why, those shoes are mine." The Jews could not endure this any longer and left the village, abandoning their property to the will of fate. And they did well. Soon they heard that they were being searched for. It is difficult to believe that the search was for the sake
YELISAVETGRAD:
of money, of which they long since had no more. Even yet the Jews of Ditiatki have not returned to the village.
Testimony of Gusovsky, Joseph Berkov, 45 Years Old, Married, Shop-keeper
The Strukists often visited our village and every time came to me and took whatever they liked. Often they divided my goods among the peasant children, who followed them in throngs. If anything was not given to them quickly enough, they would beat me, threaten me with rifles, etc.