Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-03-09
BRAVE RUSSIAN AMAZON
Mime. Smolka's Scouting Experi-
 onces In Manchuria.
HOW SHE F01LED A BANDIT BAND

the Chinese Tongue and Customs
 She Saved Some Frontier Guards
 From Death-Incidents of Her Life
 In the War With Japan.
 The attention of the crowd of people thrOnging the railway station at liar bin, in Manchuria, was attracted re- gently by Cossack with rosy cheeks and whose beardless face and womans voice told clearly that the soldiers garb was being worn by d woman, says the St. Petersburg correspondent of the London Globe. The Russian anna zon was Mme Smolka, and member of the staff of the Messenger de liar bin has gathered from her own lips and from some of the inhabitants the fol- lowing highly interesting details con cerning the life of the heroine:
 Helene Mikhailovna Smolka, the daughter of Jewish soldier of the days of Nicholas l., was young girl of seventeen years of age when during the disorders in China she resolved to enlist in the ranks of the frontier guards. As she had lived from her girlhood at Nikolsk- Ussuriisk in the company of Chinese and Koreans she had perfect knowledge both of Chi nese and of Korean, and she hoped that she could be of use during the trouble with China. Having clothed herself as man and having taken the name of Michel Nicolaievitch Smolka, this eccentric and brave girl passed with great distinction the examination as interpreter held at the school of in terpreters at Vladivostok. Toward the end of 1900 the girl was serving as in terpreter and frontier guard at the sta tion of Ninguta, in Manchuria. She had taken part in all the scouting and skirmishes and had learned how to han dle her rife and sword. In 1901 Smol- ka was sent at the head of about a hundred frontier guards to reconnoiter at Kaiga. Overcome by hard days work, the men went to sleep in peas ants house. The chunchuses were not far off, and the traiterous Chinese told them that the Russians were resting for the night The chunchuses resolved to profit from the night and their great CT numbers and to attack the house in which the Russians were sleeping. However, they had overlooked Smolka's vigilance. In moving among the Chi ,nese Smolka had got wind of the plot. {; She aroused the frontier guards in time to let the chunchuses approach the house. Then, as the latter came, near, the Russians rushed out and fired upon them and put them to flight. During that little skirmish Smolka received her first wound, which was on the right arm close to the shoulder.
 As a reward for all the services ren- dered by her during the campaign in China Smolka received a silver medal and sword with silver hilt and bearing the inscription. "To the inter, preter Smolka fon courage displayed at Kaiga.
 Immediately after the outbreak of war with Japan Smolka sent a request to the commander of the forces to ask him to allow her to be enrolled among the volunteers. Without waiting for a reply Smolka went to Harbin, with a view of supporting her request at the hands of General Volkoff. but she did not receive the desired permission. Then this brave woman disguised her self as man. hung her medal round her neck and sought a favorable op- pOrtunity for undergoing all the risks and perils involved in serving with the army in southern Manchuria. At that time railway tickets were given only to such persons as had special au- thority to travel by rail. Still Smolka was undaunted. and she resolved to reach Liaoyang at all costs. So she slipped into cattle truck, and in that way she reached the headquarters of the army. where she met many of her former comrades. Thanks to their aid. she managed to get enrolled in the scouting detachment of the Second Cossack regiment of Nerchinsk. under Lieutenant vichniakoff. and once more she was able to bestride her charger. She accompanied the detachment when if was sent out to reconnoiter the outskirts of the town of Kuangensian. Again. owing to her knowledge both of the Chinese language and of Chinese customs. she was able to find out in good time the approach of consider able body of Japanese and to warn her comrades thereof. with the result that the detachment had to defend itself while rejoining the main body. After that expedition report of the affair was drawn up and handed to General R.. and this led to Smolka being en- rolled in the Second regiment of Nerchinsk as volunteer interpreter under the name of Michel Nicolaievitcb Smolka. Thenceforward she took part in many dangerous pieces of scouting. hut she was wounded only once slight ly in the foot
 During all the time that she has been on active service Smolka has shared the privations and hardships of her comrades in arms. She used to go to sleep without taking oil her clothes Wearing the same uniform as her com radeS. she rode her horse like a man. She ate her raiions with ;he rest stand ing around the Cossacks' huge kettle. She sang their soIdiers' songs with them. She wrote letters for those who were unable to write -. C> all she asked was that they shouiu treat her as if she were man. But the young