The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-03-20
C0SSACKS ARE THE
RUSSIAN SCOURGE
In lime of War Their Char
acters Change
THEY MAKE GOOD HUSBANDS
When at Home These Redoubtahle
Soldiers Are Quiet and Peaceful
But Under Arms Are
Terrors to Civilians.


The Scythians of every age have been
celebrated as bold and skinful riders
and constant practice has seated them
SO firmly on horseback that they were
supposed by strangers to perform the
ordinary duties of civil life, to eat. drink
and even sleep without dismountng from
their steeds, from their excellence In the
dexterous management of the horse"
Thus Gibbon wrote Of the ancestors of
the Cossaeks in the cars army today
These Cossaeks have preserved the
Scythian characteristics, and every one
of them might easily gain place as trick
rider in circus If he cared to do So
One of their commonest tricks is to pick
up glove from the ground at full
gallop..
The Cossacks originally settled on the
Don, and later on the Voga, but now
there are several bodies of them scat
tered throughout the Russian empire in
Asia. A large colony has been planted
In the Ussuri province, which borders on
Korea and has Vladvostok for its sea-
port and there are also large settlements
of them in Manchuria, created by the
Russian military authorities with the
idea of guarding the East Chinese rail-
way
In former times the Ataman, or mill
tary chief, of the Cossacks was praeti-
cally an Independent monarch allied to
the car of Russia; but his power was
gradually curtailed until now the car
Is himself Ataman and crowns himself
by that title, among fifty-nlne others,
when he assumes the throne Subordi-
nate atamans hold command over the
five principal divisions of the Cossacks,
as follows: Don Cossacks, Prince Svia-
topolsk Mirski H.. Terek Cossacks, Lieut.
Gen. Kachanov; Astrakhan Cossaeks
Gen. Won Hasenkampf; Oural Cossacks,
MaJ.-Gen. MaXimovitch; Kuban Cos
Sacks Lieut.-Gen. Malama.
BY all odds the most popular Cossaclx
officer is General Chicagov, who com
manded division In Manchuria during
the suppression of the Boxer insurrec-
ton, which was mainly composed of
Ussuri Cossaeks, and did splendid work
General Chlcagov is a Cossack by BIRTH
and is now military commander at
Vladivostok.
Kind Husband; Good Citizen.
AT home in his native village the Cos
sack is a remarkably quiet and peaceful
person. He tills the soil and raises his
floeks and herds without giving the least
trouble to the authorities or anybody
else. He is a thoroughly domestic man,
kind husband and a good though stern
father. Indeed, his character is all that
can be desired He is honest faithful to
his friends, extremely sensitive to points
of honor and chivalry, most hospitable
to strangers and frank and truthful in
all his dealings. Everybody who visits a
Cosack village comes away with the
highest possible opinion of the inhabi-
tants.
When he Is nineteen years of age the
Cossack youth begins his military SER
vice. For three years he undergoes pre-
paratory instruction in his birthplace, or
in the nearest village If he lives at an is
olated homestead. The following four
years are spent in the first line of the
active army, and four years after that
in the second line. which means that the
man lives at home and is called up for
three weeks drill every year. There fol-
low four years in the third line, with only
one drill of three weeks during the whole
of that service. The fully trained veteran
is then transferred to the depot reserve
for five years, and in that branch of the
army is only liable to be called out in
time of war. After those five years his
military obligations are not cancelled, for
all Cossacks capable of bearing arms
may be called out by the emperor in a
national emergency.
Character Seems to Change.
When he goes abroad on his military
service, the character of the Cossack
seems to change entirely. From a quiet
domestic youth, he changes into the law
less Scythian depicted by Gibbon and
other writer's. He has profound contempt
for the people among whom he is quar-
tered. and nothing gives him greater
pleasure than to dispense a mob of riot
In, I9t,u1 H. he l,
use of his terrible leather whip. In time
of war the Cossack is a scorge to the
civilian population. well as to the en-
envy in arms. Until recent times he was
given unrestrained liberty to loot and
massacre. but he Is now subjected, in
theory at all events, to the same discip-
line as the rest Of the Russian army.
Unlike other Russian soldiers, the Cos
sacks are very intelligent in military mat
tiers and do not hesitate to criticize their
generals freely among themselves. They
have bitter tongues and a genius for sa-
tire. There is a favorite story which has
been told in Cosack camps for genera
tions. 1t is handed down from father to
son. the names being changed to fit the
military commanders of the day. Freely
translated it runs something like this:
The War God of Russia was asleep in
heaven one day, when he was awakened
by the confused clamor of two hosts in
battle on the earth beneath. He shouted
to the Angel Gabriel:
Look out and see what my Cossacks
are doing"
"They are fighting the Turks. and
Prince Potemkin is leading them"
"Oh, that's all right said the War
God. He's good man"
So the city went to sleep again only to
be awakened by another turmoil
whats that?" he asked sleepily.
They are fighting the Turks again,
under Suwarrow."
Hes fine fellow. They'll do all
right"
And so the story goes on interminably
around the campfire each man adding
the name of his favorite commander
Skobeleff, Kuropatldn, Grodekoff, Stoie-
toff and the rest-until at last one of
them makes the Angel Gabriel mention
the name of some general who happens
to be regarded by the Cossacks as
duffer Then the next man makes the
War God reply in accents of great alarm:
"Oh. my beloved Cossacksi They must
be perishing under that mani 1t is time
/ interferred. Hasten, Gabriel and bring
me my long boots. for / must go down
at once and save them"
Wives and Sweethearts.
Alike in their native villages and in
their camps, the Cossacks are inordinate-
" fond of amusements, especially of
songs, dances and listening to their own
wild, barbaric music. Their women are
worthy of race of warriors. for they
always encourage the men to go to war;
and no Cossack girl thinks of marrying
man until after he has finished his