The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-10
FORCED TO FIGHT
IN RUSSIAN ARMY
REVOLTS ALWAYS EXPECTED
SAYS NJ. B0BOLAsKY WHO SERVED
FOR TWO YEARS.

Most Trivial Onenses-MethOd OF
Imposing the Lashes - Soldiers
Have hut Two Meals Day, Break
fast Being UnISnOwn-sauer I<raut
and Bread for Dinner and Bread
and Water for SupDer-Pay for n
Soldier Is $2.7O "a Year-NearIy All
Are Very IngnOrant.
One of the police patrol drivers,
M. Bobolasky, served for two years
in the Russian army, during part of
which time he saw active service in
the war against the Turks. With his
knowledge of the Russian army and
the conditions which exist within it,
he is inclined to believe that the Japs
have an excellent chance of winning
out, despite Russia's superior numbers.
"The Russian army" he said, lis one
which is governed by fear. The men
fight because they must fight, not be-
cause they love their country. The
vast majority of them are so ignorant
that they cannot read nor write, and
many cannot even tell one figure from
another. They are in the army be-
cause they have to be there, and not
because they are rushing to their coun-
trys aid or because they like military
life.
THE treatment to which they are
subjected is of the harshest and if they
were not subject to such fear of their
officers, they would revolt. If they are
given half an opportunity 1 believe
they will shirk real fighting, if they do
not actually revolt.
Then, too, Japan, has educated men
in her army, and this is better than
an army of dissatisfied serfs, forced
into fighting, and fighting only because
they are compelled to do so. They are
underpaid, their provisions are scarce,
they are whipped and beaten for triv-
ial offenses, and kindness is almost
unknown.
Soldiers Receive 1910 Yearly.
1.-THE private soldier" he continued,
receives S2.70 a year as payment for
his services. This is paid him in in
sIallments, his captain handing him
80 cents every four months. 1t is with
this money that he is supposed to get
anything that he needs beyond cloth
ing and poor food furnished as his
daily rations. And the food is sufii-
cient to drive any man to revolt.
1.-TWO meals is all that a man can
get in the Russian army unless he has
money, or is an officer. Breakfast is
unknown unless you save enough bread
from supper, and If you do that you
are likely to be accused of stealing
from the government. For dinner you
get sauer kraut and bread. and if you
served for twenty-five years you
wouldn't get anything but sauer kraut
and bread. For supper you get bread
and some water, and once in great
while they throw in a little something
else. 1t is no wonder that the men
object to the food. II never want to
see sauer kraut again.
THE harshest discipline prevails. II
there is any fbreach OF the rules YOU
are whipped the number of flashes de-
pending entirely upon the offense and
the humor in which your officers are.
Sometimes these whippings are kept
up daily, particularly for theft or
drunkenness. A Russian soldier Is a
slave and fear of the officers is all that
keeps him at work.
Terrible Punishments inflicted.
Those lashings are things which are
never forgotten. Long thin branches,
kept in water until ready for use that
they may be green, are used. When
man is sentenced to fifty lashes, a not
uncommon sentence, this is the way
they do it:
s'The man is stripped and stretched
out on a plank. Then one officer stands
with a whip on one side of him and
another officer with a whip on the
other. They each strike him, alternat-
ing the blows blow from each Of
ficer counts as one lash. often when
they are through whipping him, the
colonel takes a try. This is sometimes
kept up every day for more than
week
IF several men get in a group and
talk long and earnestly, they are at
once accused of conspiracy and whip
ped, if they do not get something
worse. 1t is a criminal offense in Rus
STA to hold any gatherings, even of
social nature. For soldier to get
drunk, or steal piece of bread. or
something else of that nature, means a
whipping.
"All these things tend to make the
men uneasy and ready for revolt. 1
think Japan has a good chance to win.
Our officers were often no better than
their men, and / understand Japan has
excellent officers. Then Russia can
borrow no money, and you can't carry
on war without money. If Japan had
struck a month or more ago she would
undoubtedly have won and may do so
yet"
Bobolasky spoke Interestingly of his
life in the army and of the war against
the Turk. Owing to the fact that he
was appointed escort of the captains
wife he did not suffer as some did on
the march, but rode in the rear in a
carriage. He described the different
maneuvers of the army and said as far
as mAchine-li like training went, the
Russian army was almost unexceIled.
Rebekah Lodge Entertain ment.