The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-26
YERlMAK REATEST
OF RUSSIAN HEROES

! xgAIA55X N x&65A1ANNlxlAll..1aAll.::.Il'&
would gain march into r ussln and per- 4
haps capture and destroy 1foscow for the 4
third time. ZIG sent word to- the Strog-i
oEof family, expressing. his great dis !
pleasure and ordering them TO recall
Yermak and his Cossacks Il from their
dangerous errand But luckily for the Il
future of Els empire, the Car m ssaga 4
came too late. Already Yermak. was In 4
the heart OF the eiiemy's country. and 4
There wasf no possible way Of ching
him. & 81 III q G{5 ~ $
85s IN the history or her countries there 4
are instances where bold 9adventurers
have IlwoE great victories III the face OF y
1.-the fears sof their rightfn rulers L, 55.6%
~ Before the little army OF Yermak8 lay
the townSof& SIbir and IL about 1t the
great Tartar, utchum, had built rough
Qualifications 4 Behind these walls and !
brstling abnttis the Tartars lay in over
whelmihg numbers. Yermak led his little 4
force boldly forward to the attack. Out
from their ubattfs the Tartars rushed
to meet tho Cossacks IN such immense
numbers that presently = ermak's men
were entirely surrounded BY the horde
and It appeared that this was to be their
last battle But that god which watches
over the fortunes of tho brave sen H.
single bullet which took tho life OF tho
creates Of the Tartar; chieftains next
to Kitchum n himself. and his followers.
seeing their leader fall. iledl in terror,
superstltion won where valor! was ms
effectual. 5s Si8 ~ AZ ~
W OnSthe 2sth Of October, 1852, Yermak
marched into the Tai tar4c city or sbir and 4
took possession OF It In the name OF tta
Gear. The Russian empire IN Asia had I
found n beginning and a name. II III
I. t1Sr
duced In numbers. settled down to spend
the winter In Sblr They found theirs
great stores Of furs and silks aed gold.
but no food and their provisions were
exhausted. But the defeat OF Kutchum
had lost him the allegiance OF several
OF the other wandering tribes. who now
came to make friends with the Cossacks
and brought with them most welcoms
offerings OF food.
The cossacks. too. who were hunters
as well ms soldiers, formed parties and
secured the surrounding region for food (
supplies. But all the time the hordes OF Z
kutchum fingered about. One band ofs
twenty cossacks was massacred to man
and several times Yermak was forced Ia
sally forth & from the 81 town and II fight
pitched battles with the enemy. Finally,
In one of his fornys. he captured
Mahlme tkul, 5 the chief warrior OF n the
Taltars. That. for the time. broke their
power completely, and Yermak, was left Il
com lete master Of the situation. ~
sSSS New Yetmak commissioned HIS chief
lieutenant, Koltso.& the outlaw, still under
ntcnceA Of DEATH to carry n letter of 4
congratulations back to the Strogonofs,
his employer Il ltsot also born a, letter
to- Ivan he n Terrible 'r the great white
Car, bunderSwhose death sentence he wa
living. In this letter Yermak told the
emperor that he laid at q his feet. this (
whole land OF Sibif rs an Offering and
begged IN return that he would be graz
ciously pleased to grant jpardons for Il he I
past misconduct OF his followers. 50 in-&
Guiding, II first Of all. the man who bore
the message! Al IF - TIN
This message quickly allayed tho pre.4
syiously expressed wrath Of IVAN. to
whom was 4 del iYered at tho same tima
the captured Tartar cbieftnin, Mahkmet-
tkul and presents Of rich furs and gold !, ~ I
ss from that day Yermak has been ex.5
halted to the position Of a great I,a-3
honal hero. To-day; the visitor to- To-
bosk, 1 he nearest citytof importance to 4
tho site Of the ancient sibir,$ may
see Ills monument. appropriately
standing in the center Of the clty'ss
square.
But Y,rnas did not live long to en-.
Joy tho honor viii h he had won. Koltso,
Who had come back with 2 pardon q from,
the Car was twaylald and killed by the,
Ta1tars, who then besieged the Co.'S
sacks in the town OF slbir, Yernak.
with n little band, broke through their
lines. attacked them from the rsar, and
again drove them In flight. A month
or two later Yermak left the town with
only fifty men for the purpose OF res-
culng a party Of Russian traders. Willis
5encamped OH the banks Of the IrtyshS
iRiNeh the Tartars surprised Yermat and
his men and massacred all but three Of
them, One Of those who escaped was
SYermak, butt In attempting to swim the :
river lie was carried down by the Weight
OF his armor and drowned, The Tartars
found his body and buried It with spss-E
cial honors. distributing the pieces Of
his arnaor among their chiefs, with the
idea that they might absorb from It sons
of the bravery of it's original owner.
Seventy years later the Russians secured (
this suit OF arllole and preserved bit az
a memorial of the man Who had done
more for his fatherland than any other
single Rcssan. III. M. HI In Chicago
Tribune, e. "a 4, sigi M HUI
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