The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-19
WAS SHOT TO PIECES.
A Russian Soldier Had II Bullets in
His Body.

| Correspondence of Associated Press. }
| Moscow, Dec. 1.-KirinchenkO proba-
bly, the most thoroughly shot to pieces
man who has survived the present war,
arrived recently from Hardin, where,
after weeks in the hospital, the doctor
extracted IL bullets from him, ampu-
tated one leg and discharged him as
cured. He gave his experiences in a
quiet, matter of fact way, and one can
hardly do better than quote his own
words. He said:
| ''It was at Lao Yang that I got put
/ out of commission for good. On the
evening Of September 2, we had been
ordered to attack some of the japanese
trenches. We had to cross good piece
| of open ground under a heavy cross
| fire and there were men falling every
step from the time we broke cover to
| the minute we rushed the trenches. We
| had to cross good piece OF open
ground under a heavy cross fire and
| there were men falling every step from
the time we broke cover to the minute
we rushed the trenches at the point of
the bayonet. Nothing happened to me
until we were close to the Japanese
| lines when / got a bullet in my right
foot that brought me down. From that
time was no more good except as a
| target, but L must say drew a good
deal of Japanese ammunition, If that
counted for anything.
"Our fellows went on and carried the
Japanese trenches on the left in a hand
| to hand fight for We can usually whip
InOSG fellows we can get close enough
to them. But there was a long line or
| works on the right that we did not take
and where they kept on shooting. They
were the people who did for me. 1
was on the ground with my teeth chat
| tering mostly with pain. Scared, of
course was 1 guess anybody would
be scared under the circumstances. It
seemed to me when those fellows found
was dead they did not take an inter-
est at shooting at anything but me.
That probably was not so but that was
the way it seemed at the time. Any
how made up my mind to get out and
crawled along toward the trenches
where our men had gone over the top.
AS no one came back 1 thought they
must have captured them I had no
more than started going until bullet
in my right shoulder rolled me over
again. 1 got my gun in my left hand
then and kept on crawling. Then got
shot in the left leg just above the knee.
Then two or three bullets got me in the
right leg [ dropped my gun and help
ed myself along with my left hand. But
they must have thought 1 was having
too easy a time of it for I got shot
through the left shoulder and that
brought me down fiat. There was moth
ing for it then but to wriggle along like
a snake on my breast and S+omacn. L
kept on getting shot in my right leg
but all the feeling had gone out OF IL
so did not mind that much. The last
time recollect getting shot was again
in the left shoulder.
cit was just dawn by the time got
to the trenches and when L finally
wriggIed over the top I thought they
were full of Japanese. But it hap
pened what Japanese uniforms 1 saw
were on corDses and the nVe people
were talking Russian, so I yelled for
help. The men took me to bandaging
station two miles away and the doctors
did not think 1 was much good keep
ing. had thirteen bullets in my r1ght
leg and side and four scattered around
other parts of me. But they tied me
up and sent me on to Hardin and there
they cut my leg off. 1t was not fit to
keep. So here I am crippled, but that
is better than being dead or a pris-
oner.'