The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-03-02
BRAVERY OF JAPANESE
Russian Deserter's Tribute to
Their Fighting Qualities.
COURAGE AND DASH RESIsTLESS

The Little Brown Men, Says a For
sner Captain, Fought Like Demons
Hn Bayonet Fighting Their Utter
D.sregard For Life Was Most Fore
1bly SIiown-Says Hearts of Cars
soldiers Are Not In the War.
Among tie rouStabouts in the Pan
ian;i.e freight depot ct Columbus, O., is
Il man known Us Ivan Vasilievitch, un-
III early last August captain in one
of tie companies that went to make up
General Stahclbergs army, which set
oui from Muhtlen to the relief OF Port
Arthur Today he is simply deserter
from the cause for which he found no
sympathy, says the Columbus CORE
spOnGent Of the st. Louis Globe-Demo-
csrat
One morning he quietly appeared
among tie roustabouts, went about his
work without a word to any one OF
them and every day since he has been
the same. His dress Is rough, but
however rough the work there is al
ways something about him that seems
to keep OF the CRIME. Vasiiievitca
may not be lis name. When one Ques
lions this, he simply shrugs his shout
ders. lie is we'll educated and talks
half a dozen languages.
THE heart Of the Russian trooper is
not III the fight" he says. Il do not
expect Russia to win. Russia has
great = almost exhaustless = resources,
but they are too far removed from the
scene Of conflict. The railroad has
proved great failure.
THE Russian army is torn with dis.
sension, with jealousies, with con-
stantly rising spirit of Righteousness.
The war does not appeal to the man
who is being drafted for the summer
rushing to the front. The war is a for
eign thing to him, an evil thing which
Is thrust upon him without cause and
started to the front there was exhilara-
ton in the ranks. 1t seemed an easy
thing to push the forces of the mikado
back to the sea. The ambition of the
officers was enthusing them. 1t Is not
SO now. Daily the patriotism is numb
ing beneath the bitter cold and hard
ship.
when we started to the relief OF
Port Arthur all were eager. We felt
then that We were going to the protec-
ton Of our own. But for Manchuria,
however fruitful a land, the Russian
soldier does not care. He knows it is
never to be for him.
1--WE marched for twelve days to the
south of Liaoyang before we encoun-
tered the forces of Kuroki. There was
much preliminary skirmishing until
one morning before daybreak the en-
envy hurled themselves upon us. For
four days we fought necessarily. All,
such fighting, such charges, such dare
devil bravery, such utter lack of fear,
Rs those little brown men displayed!
We had thought our Cossacks the
grandest fighters in the world until
they met hand to hand with these little
fellows who swarmed antlike upon us.
''They fought like demons. 1t wes a
pretty sight to watch bayonet con-
test single handed between one of
knew every trick of parry and thrust
He would circle about the big man like
a hawk, pinkfng him here and there
until finally there would be an opening,
e quick, hurting lunge, and it was
over. What it was with the peasant
recruit you can easily imagine He was
as a child in the hands of the Jap,
trained to fight in most instances from
childhood. 1t will be even worse when
the raw recruits are sent to the front
from the peasantry this summer.
1.-The courage and dash of the Japs
ere resistless. Not one of them but
Is willing to lay down his life if need
be. Such patriotism we had never
dreamed Of, much less seen. They fal-
tered at nothing. They played away
their lives with heroism supreme.
ut was in the bayonet fighting in
strength that the Japanese utter disre-
gard for life was most forcibly shown.
Frequently our lines met in such con-
fict. Then one Jap would deliberately
sacrifice himself, gathering to his
breast when possible three bayonets.
Before he was dead his comrades had
trebly avenged his death. It was by
this system, by these tactics, that they
broke through our lines. They put us
to rout, the rout became defeat, the
defeat butchery. We were irretriev-
ably scattered.
"Hither and away we ran like rats
through the country we had marched
over in sven splendid show Of
strength. It was every man for him
self With thirty survivors Of my
company I made for the Chinese coast.
Most of our force Of $4,000 returned to
Liaoyang We marched twenty-five
days across the Chinese country to Che
fu, where we secured a change of cloth
ing and later got aboard Chinese junks
and worked our way by degrees to
reaching the latter place
finally by sailing vessel.
''All Of us talked Italian, ans we
passed for Italians. We scattered
there. HALF a dozen of lis remained to-