shooting, as if it had taken for its aim the wiping out of a certain fixed quantity of Jews. In this group was Fedorovsky, a degenerate with earrings in his ears, a human beast, who had no use for money. In this same group also "worked" some of the "intellectuals," who had succeeded in dividing among themselves money from the treasury and consequently had no need for more, but did their work as "amateurs." The killing was done by orders; such orders were issued, or given orally, by Grigoriev, as follows from the following scene. In one place the stony heart of Fedorovsky shuddered, and he was on the point of sparing his victim. "You forget, sir, Ataman Grigoriev's orders," one of his companions in arms reminded Fedorovsky, who had almost forgotten his role; and — the Jew was killed.
Other similar gangs, but without leadership, added looting to their primary duty of killing "Jew-communists" and Jews in general. From these it was possible to purchase safety, unless there were local people among them; the latter, fearing to be recognized afterwards, put an end to their victims without mercy. After them came the "manufacturists," as Grigoriev himself called his soldiers. These were "commissary"-soldiers, collecting household supplies. The majority of them wore red bands or ribbons. After these came "marauders" — local inhabitants, servants, boys and girls, who grabbed and carried off all that was still left. The Jews' own servants came — and they knew very well where everything was, and even where anything was hidden; for you could not hide things from servants who had been in service five to eight years. However, we must be just to the servants. There were some among them who guarded their employers and their property with their own breasts. There was even one who was killed along with her employers. Except for the first gang, which did its work calmly, — I should have said, mocking their victims in every possible way (in one place Fedorovsky offered to grant his victim life in exchange for his daughter's honor), — all the other gangs were in a terrible hurry, worked in haste, and were very cowardly; they were afraid to go into cellars and garrets. This, perhaps, explains the absence of violations of women. They were afraid, apparently, because the force of soldiers consisted of not more than 300 men in all, and it is said by those who were at the station and at the cars that they kept running away every couple of hours to the station of Smela, because the bolsheviki were firing on the town very often and they feared an attack. It can be said with confidence that 150 to 200 men could have
UKRAINE
driven them out of town, and that the two hundred or two of Jewish youths who perished on the left flank in covering the retreat of the bolsheviki would have been sufficient, if disposed to advantage, to have saved the whole city from the frightful massacre.
On Friday, May 16, when the Grigorievists began to press upon Cherkassy, and the bolsheviki, not relying on their units, began to evacuate their establishments, they started in to mobilize the trade unions and dispatch them to protect and cover their retreat. On the left flank were Jews, namely in the center of that wing. There a butchery in the literal sense of the word took place. Almost without rifles, without cartridges, without defense, and with a flank uncovered and not connected with the general staff and the other units, they were hurled to the attack, surrounded by Grigorievists, and almost all killed.
To complete the picture it will not be superfluous to add that from Friday the 16th to Wednesday the 21st the city was under unintermittent fire, bombs kept tearing over the houses, and only for a few hours at night the cannonade ceased. The Jews had to hide both from the bombs, and from the bandits; they went from garret to cellar and from cellar to garret. Even now, when I shut my eyes, I see before me those men, women and children, rushing around in frantic fear, like a frightened herd of sheep, not knowing where to take refuge, where it would be best. They have just got up into the garret. They are afraid there. They clearly hear the hissing of the bombs. They rush to the close, dark, gloomy cellar. There they are still more afraid. Their minds are numb with the cries and wailing of children. The cannonade quiets down. All drag themselves out of the cellar into the yard and again up into the garret. And this continues for five long, long days and nights. And then... then the sight of the killed, lying about the streets, torn corpses, pools of blood. Then the common graves dug, the recognition of one's family and friends by buttons, by marks, since the bodies were mutilated. The funeral... and lamentation, long, incessant lamentation of the whole great city.