ON THE FRONT LINE IN LITHUANIA, 1915:
STORIES OF JEWISH EYEWITNESSES
by Anatolii Chayesh http://www.jewishgen.org/litvak/1915fline.htm
The Town of Krasnoe, District of Vilieka 42
From August 1915, our troops began to pass through Krasnoe, behaving
themselves peacefully toward to inhabitants. However, starting with the
battles near Molodechno, Cossacks appeared in Krasnoe. On September 4
they began to rob Jewish shops: they plundered the colony store of Shlioma
Movsha Brudner, robbed and destroyed the property of the rich merchant Iona,
the flour shop of Iosel Gordon, and others. Some of the local residents
helped the Cossacks, and the latter gave them part of the loot. They handed
700 pounds from the steam mill of Getsel Bik. Aron Monin saw them rob the
crypt of Rakhila Gordon and pointed out four of the robbers to the commandant
of the town and to constable Bokhan.
In fear of the pogrom, Jews left town, some of the Christians also
left, frightened by the expected battle. Then Christians from neighboring
villages (Rekuvshchizna, Osovtsy, Ulianovshchina) came to Krasnoe and, taking
advantage of the absence of the owners, broke open one cellar after
another and plundered the goods stored in them. A certain Adam Mankovsky went
around town and noted who the robbers were. Two residents of Krasnoe, Aron
Monin and Movsha Brudner, hid in the house of the nobleman, Stanislav Targonsky.
On September 7th or 8th, peasants told the Cossacks that German spies
were hidden in Targonsky’s place. Cossacks went to Targonsky’s, but he
explained that he had neighbors as guests, and they went away. At that time, the
lame Varfolomei Bogachevsky said that Monin and Brudner were hiding Germans,
and that at all costs they should be gotten rid off.
The robbing went on for several days. During the night of September 14,
the plenipotentiary of the Society of Artisan Labor, Slonim, passed
through. There were no residents in the town. Captured Germans were put in the
synagogue. The Torah scrolls were torn and cut, and Cossacks rolled
their own cigarettes out of pages of the Talmud