Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1905-04-05
CRAVE RUSSIAN AMAZON
Mime. Smolka' S Scouting Expert
ences In Manchuria.
HOW SHE FOILED A BANDIT BAND

From observation-disclosures of Her Life
In the War with Japan.
The attention of the crowd of people
thronging the railway station at Har-
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 woman, says
the st. Petersburg correspondent of
the London Globe. The Russian anna
ION WAS Nine. Smolka, and member
of the staff of the Messenger de Har-
bin has gathered from her own lips and
from some of the inhabitants the fol-
lowing highly interesting details con-
corning the life Of the heroine:
Helene Mikhallovna Smolka, the
daughter of a 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 a man and having taken the
name of Michel Nicolaievltch Smolka.
this eccentric and brave girl passed
with great distinction the examination
as interpreter held at the school of in
terpreters at Vladiyostok. Toward the
end of 1900 the girl was serving as in
terpreter and frontier guard at the sta
ton Of Ninguta. in Manchuria. She
had taken part In all the scouting and
skirmishes and had learned how to han
die her rifle and sword. In 1901 Smol-
ka was sent ut 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 of, and the traiterous Chinese told
them that the Russians were resting
for the night. The chunchuses resolved
10 profit from the night and their great
er numbers and to attack the house In
70
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 fred upon
them aad put them to flight. During
OH tah
her first wound. which was on the right
arm close to the shoulder
As reward for all the services rem
dered by her during the campaign in
China Smolka received silver medal
and u sword with a silver hilt and
bearing the inscription, ITO the inter
prefer Smolka for courage displayed
at Kaiga."
Immediately after the outbreak of
war with Japan Smolka sent 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 Hardin, with
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 a man, hung her medal round |
her neck and sought favorable OPP
portunity for undergoing all the risks |
and perlls 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 u 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 Nercbinsk, under
Lieutenant Vichniakotf. and once more
she was able TO bestrlde her charger.
She accompanied the detachment
when IL 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 a volunteer interpreter
under the name Of Michel Nicolaievitch
Smolka. Thenceforward she took part
in many dangerous pieces OF scouting.
but 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 10 20 10
sleep without taking OF her clothes
Wearing the same uniform as her com
rades. she rode her horse like man
She ate her rations with the rest. stand
ing around the Cossacks' huge kettle.
She sang their soldiers songs with
them. She wrote letters for those who