Part 15

of the Extraordinary Committee, the confiscations, requisitions, and a number of over-harsh measures affecting various departments of life, all these disconcerted and angered the ignorant mass of the suburban bourgeoisie, which had always been a willing instrument in the hands of the local clergy, the officialdom, and the military and commercial elements. Such was the situation in the city. In the country there was going on an organization of an uprising against the Soviet regime, carried on by the agents of the Directory and by peasants and country intellectuals in general, who, for one reason or another, were discontented with the Soviet government. At the same time in the ranks of the Uman garrison and the Extraordinary Committee's detachment an agitation was carried on by Ukrainian Left Social Revolutionaries, using anti-Semitism as their chief motive. The heads of this agitation were the Ukrainian Left Social Revolutionaries Shtogrin and Klimenko. In the middle of April they raised an armed revolt of the garrison, arrested the Executive Committee, replaced the Jews, forced out the military commissar of the government (gubernia), a Jew, and the military commandant, and disarmed a company of (military) instructors which was loyal to the Soviet. However, disorganization began within their own ranks. A punitive detachment came from Vinnitza and disarmed the entire garrison, and re-established order. Shtogrin was arrested, but escaped, and fled with Klimenko into the country, where by their agitation they soon set all the country districts of the region of Uman against the Soviet regime. The principal card of this agitation was invariably the argument that the power over the people had been seized by "strangers," "newcomers," and more precisely, Jews. The Soviet detachments began to go out into the villages to "pacify" them, which exasperated the peasants against them still more. Early in May one of the punitive Soviet detachment? captured Shtogrin, the leader of the rebels, in a fight. He was shot along with others at Uman. This infuriated the peasants, since Shtogrin and all those who were executed were very well known to all. The rebellions became constant in the district, and it began to be evident that the weak Soviet detachment would not be able to cope with the numerous armed rebels. The local organs of government applied to their superiors for help, but the latter were not in a position to help with the considerable military forces that were needed. Around the tenth of May Grigoriev's uprising began, and the rebels of the Uman district immediately adhered to it, when they received the well-known anti-Semitic manifesto ("Universal") of Grigoriev. At this time the rebellious and anti-Soviet, and likewise anti-Semitic, feelings in the villages and the city reached tremendous proportions. (Appendix 4.). The local Soviet detachments, few in numbers and partly disorganized, proved unable to withstand the attack of the rebels, who surrounded Uman in a ring. After some fighting they abandoned the town, taking with them the Soviet institutions and almost all the Soviet workers. The train left on the morning of May 12, before the eyes of the rebels who had taken their positions there, and who fired on the train as it left from a distance of some paces. Immediately upon the departure of the train with the Soviet garrison, the rebels rushed into the defenseless town from all roads leading to it. (Appendix 5.) The principal crowd of them entered from the direction of the station about 11 A.M., May 12. The rebels, mostly on horseback, and firing uninterruptedly, rushed to the locations of the Soviet military institutions, the Executive Committee, etc., where they cut the telephone lines, and seized weapons, if any were found. The Jewish population in a panic hid in their houses, garrets, and cellars. Many found refuge with acquaintances among the Christian intellectuals, thanks to which they escaped being robbed, beaten or murdered. As many as twenty or thirty cases are known of Christians who concealed Jews and actively or passively took their part. There were about five cases in which Christians, with danger to themselves, took the part of Jews and saved them from ruin or death. Finding no "communists" in the public institutions where they looked for them, the peasants who entered first began to rush into private dwellings, mainly of Jews, asking for "communists." The most of the eyewitnesses declare that in these dwellings where the village peasants a'ppeared they only hunted for arms and "communists," not pillaging or killing anyone. This was, however, only up to four or five o'clock on May 12. By that time the local petty bourgeois from the suburbs had had time to arm themselves, with arms which had partly been previously hidden, partly just procured. They joined the rebels; and also thieves, robbers, and murderers, who had taken the opportunity to escape from prison and were enjoying freedom. These elements had always been anti-Semitic and quite inclined to plunder Jewish property. By their participation in the uprising they immediately changed the whole aspect of what had happened before their interference, that is before 5 o'clock. The Christian officials, clergy, former officers, and all the enemies of the Jews were not slow in carrying on a violent anti-Semitic agitation amiong the peasants, bourgeoisie, and criminals; and under this influence