The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-02-28
BRAVERY OF
JAPANESE
Russian DeSerter'S Tribute to
Their Fighting Qualities.
COURAGE IS RESISTLESS
Lite Brown Men Fought Like Demons
In Bayonet Fighting Utter Disre-
gard for Life Was Most
Forcibly Shown.

Among the roustabouts in the Pan
handle freight depot at Columbus. o.. is
a man known as Ivan yasilieyitch. I'M
til early last August captain in one
Of the companies that went to make up
General Stakelberg's army. which set
out from Mukden to the relief of Port
Arthur. Today he is simply deserter
from the cause for which he found no
sympathy, says the Columbus CORE
spondent Of the st. Louis Globe-Demo-
GRAFT.
One morning he quietly appeared
among the roustabouts, went about his
work without 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 off the CRIME VasiIievitch
may not be his name. When one ques-
tons this, he simply shrugs his shout
ders. He is well educated and talks
half dozen languages.
THE heart Of the Russian trooper is
not in 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 d 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
without his understanding. When we
started to the front there was exhilara-
tion 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 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,
as 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 antllke upon us.
'They fought like demons. 1t was a
pretty sight to watch a bayonet con-
test single handed between one Of
them and Cossack. The little man
knew every trick of parry and thrust.
He would circle about the big man like
a hawk, pinktng him here and there
until finally there would be an opening,
quick, hurtling lunge. and it was
over What it was with the peasant
recruit you can easily imagine. He was
MS 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 tile peasantry this summer
'The courage and dash Of the laps
are resistIess. Not one Of them but
il willing to lay down his life il 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.
1T was in the bayonet lighting 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. Ii was b.
this system, BY these tactics, that they
broke through our lines They put us
to rout, the rout became d defeat, the
defeat butchery. we were irretriey.
ably scattered
'Hither and away we ran like rats
through the country we had marched
over in such a splendid show OF
strength 1t was every man for him.
self. With thirty survivors Of my
company | made for the Chinese coast.
Most of our force of $4,000 returned tcI
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 tcI
Hongkong. reaching the latter place
finally by sailing vessel.
All Of us talked Italian, and wei
passed for Italians We scattered
there Half a dozen of us remained to
gether shipping aboard vessels plying
between Hongkong and Manila and
finally getting aboard a vessel bound
for England Once there with our saw