The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-26

49, after the lapse Of moro than
300 years still holds rank as the
greatest Of popular heroes stu y, to-day
There circulate by word OF mouth y over
the steppes OF Siberia countless songs and
legends which celebrate the prowess Of
i8this famous old warrior
NJ nhe story OF & ermak and what he did
for tho, empire throws light on HE great
contest which Is ira g1ng on the far East ~
ScrnS coast OF the Pacific. I'LL )
The struggle between the Russians and
the Nfongols Is older than the discovery
Of America BY 200 years In the th 1ii1r:.s.
lsteenth century Jenhlz Khan W oyerran
Southern Russia with his hordes OF Mon
5gols and captured and burned NJ oscowi
and other Russian cities. Still In the
minds OF the Russian people burn mems
l$ories OF the awful scenes OF Aiaug trter
and rapine which followed.
IF Again in 1882 the, Tartars captured and
50 ckcd MOSCOW, and for 10 hundred years
the Russians pnid an annual
tribute In money to the Tartar Khan Dur
1sins. this period the Princes Of Poland
|fnnd Lits,uania formed an alliance with
tho Tartars and helped them enforce the
|srbjection or the Prince OF Mos W. This
and ss{ other similar facts Xxx In st5 Rus
sian history help to explain the later
policy OF Russia IN dealing with Po-
| land. 5l t55 SIS y
" In 1882 Ycrnak camp upon the scene.
He was a. Cossack officer OF irregula! r.,
In the service Of the rich Russian trading r.
family OF strongonof. lust on the ot I'sr
side OF the Ural Mountains wed o lot
az nomndic, snyaiN tribes, who were con-
lgt.nually making preda tory expedite Ions
over the mountains and rn!ding the
scattered " Russian ettlements. s2s2 ! ne
| Strongonofs ware fur dealers. They cor
, responded to the great Northwest COM
~ al
/ or fur dealers whose agents did most,
OF the pioneering in the far west OF North
| America. The Strongonofs We're tired OF
| having their trading posts ralded by the
| Eayages and they commissioned iermaRs
Ito ID cross the mounts lns and cha s tlse'
| them. n And Yor1nnk knew his business! n.
| RI 4 organized a. corps OF 500 men may
were picked for their qualities as fig hit
|Eing men. Ycrmak' 3 chief lieuten ant was 3
MI outlaw under ntence OF dealt All
4 his men were hardy and adventure ONE.
| lust such an army as mis- have peen
made UP OF the fur trad ers ana hunt-s
ers OF 100 years ago lin the far west
gern part OF this CON inent Yermak was W :
furnished with firearms, Whic y! was MS MS
greatest advantage If Il 4s ISL
Yermak crossed tho low: Ural mountains 2!
and then embarked his whole party 3iWlt VAIN
| great stores of prov isions. ca q t!eet y =,
nome made boats, and. by dint 81 sincrea--9y
ibls labor. poled these boats for niles UP
tho Chusovaya River and Is VI
Their they dragged tho boats across !. !,
narrow tago nd - ~
1.-the rurn Rive. ID ss5 B2si 54g S4iS
AZ a narrow pla ce In the Tnra the ia IT: T.
|@tar chief. Kutchun. prepared an amp
cade Tor the party of invaders. lSutchum
IEstratched chains across the stream ana
posted his forces on the banks on .elt hcI
slde,- armed with great ston 81 es ana =, BOWS
and arrows. 4 But the crafty cossack.
Yermak, was fully equal to. the situa-ss
ton Ho made burdles OF sticks, wrap
| ped them In the garments Of his COS
sacks ana filled his boats with these
sdummics. He then sent the boa s, grl ded}
BY daring and heroic pilots. TO go on
| down he river and face the ambuscadeds
forces. Meanwhile, with almost h Y COM .l
plete force Of 800 men, armed with ire
arms, he landed and crept down {, lme'
bank to attack the Tartars IN the rear.
Kutchu1n the Tartar chief. was COM
pletely deceived by this stratag gem.
While he was attacking the empty boats
Yermak fell upon him and his men from
behind and sent them Ing IN coI,lu
| sion, i5i -,
q city named Tobolsk. Twelve miles from
Isits present location there stood IN the
days Of Yermak q little Tartar tow :,
called sibr-hlstoric name, for iron ~
has been derived 4 Inc $tttle Ntoh a4l sHos
vast Russian empire In Asia,
TO the city OF sibir the dauntless YER
max now advanced, At some distance
from 1t Tartar army, numbering thirty
times his own8llttle band, was waiting To-
meet him nut the JTartars, brave though
they were, could not stand before men
Who had the power of Sending thunder
and lightning aga inst their enemies, and
| the firearms Of the cossa cks We're re-
sponsible for an Overwhelming victory, !,
BY this time Yermak was II fty days
Journey away from his source OF sup.
plies. and the terrible siberian ~, wm feW
weeks the rivers would be covered WIFI
ice and retreat would be 5imposslble,& y eI-
max s men naturally wanted to SO back
Ia safety while they could. but their
dauntless leader would not listen 70
| them, He pointed out that they could not
hope hope to get back home before winter set
| lin. ana that, II they tried it they would
san be'icut to pieces by the Tartar
hordes, l He insisted that they 80 on and
capture the city OF sibir.
Meanwhile the Russian Gear, Ivan IY,
with the fear Of the Tartars IN bis heart,$
had heard with Indignation that Yermak
| 10 4 cone 10 Invade their country. Ha