George Matulaitis Journal

177 January 10 The Bolsheviks have arrested Bir i ka, Janulaitis, and the Jew Wygodski—that is, those ministers of the Lithuanian Government who are still in Vilnius. 1 They say that they will hold them for a few days and then release them. The Bolsheviks are demanding that they make a statement renouncing the Lithuanian Council and its activities. I have heard that some Poles have been arrested as well. Otherwise, everything is quiet and people have returned to their normal jobs. Later, I found out that they have also arrested Sta inskas. February 10 I have not written anything down because there was no time to do so. After holding them awhile, the Bolsheviks have released the detained Council members. Only Mr. Sta inskas is still in prison. The new government has begun to get organized and to secure its position. They have elected a new City Council. Of course, the elections were set up in such a way that only Communists could get into the Council. As a result, almost all those elected were Communists. Doctor Eidukevicius 2 is the new Chairman of the Council. With the coming of the Bolsheviks, prices have gone up: a pound of bread has jumped from 60 kopeks to 5 rubles; a pound of butter — from 7 or 8 to 30 rubles, and so on. I have heard that in Vitebsk 3 a pound of butter costs between 60 and 70 rubles, while a pound of bread is 12 rubles. The people are complaining a good deal about these high prices. Factories have been closing down, and more and more people are out of work. Farm produce from the surrounding villages is no 1 Mykolas Bir i ka was Minister of Education, Augustinas Janualaitis—Minister of the Interior, Jacob Wygodski—Representative for Jewish Affairs, Vladas Sta inskas—Minister of the Interior. All of them were soon released except Sta inskas who was held in various prisons for six months. 2 Pranas Eidukevi ius (1869-1926): former member of the Lithuanian Social Democrats, who later joined the Communists. He had been Chairman of the Vilnius Workers’ Council and escaped when it was attacked by the Legionnaires. Now he was head of the Bolshevik City Council. 3 Vitebsk: an important Belorussian city, an industrial and trade center, where many Lithuanian refugees stayed after WW I.