As each man appeared he was seized by the
self-appointed committee, who went through his pockets and looked
under his coat. Everything that was plainly not his property was
taken away, the man at the table noted it on his paper, and it was
carried into a little room. The most amazing assortment of objects
were thus confiscated; statuettes, bottles of ink, bed-spreads
worked with the Imperial monogram, candles, a small oil-painting,
desk blotters, gold-handled swords, cakes of soap, clothes of every
description, blankets. One Red Guard carried three rifles, two of
which he had taken away from _yunkers;_ another had four portfolios
bulging with written documents. The culprits either sullenly
surrendered or pleaded like children. All talking at once the
committee explained that stealing was not worthy of the people's
champions; often those who had been caught turned around and began
to help go through the rest of the comrades. (See App. IV, Sect. 3)
_Yunkers_ came out, in bunches of three or four. The committee
seized upon them with an excess of zeal, accompanying the search
with remarks like, "Ah, Provocators! Kornilovists!
Counter-revolutionists! Murderers of the People!" But there was no
violence done, although the _yunkers_ were terrified. They too had
their pockets full of small plunder. It was carefully noted down by
the scribe, and piled in the little room.
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