The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-10-22
RUSSIAN SOLDIER
TELLS0DDSTORY
Hs'ates How Attack Of the czsr's
Soldiers Interrupted Execution
by Germans

Petrograd, Oct. 19.-I have devot.
ed the last few days to visiting mill.
tary hospitals here and in the sub.
urbs. Few Of the wounded have any
notion OF the results of the battles In
which they fought; most of them have
vivid but confused Impressions OF
their immediate experiences. At a
private hospital directed by "A Mos.
COW lady | found "a soldier who
could describe events clearly as wei!
as wildly. The soldier Is Osip Tuer-
mer. who, Judging by his appearance
ana name is of German origin.
Tuermer was present at the fight at
Soldau in which the army of Narew
drove back the German rear guard.
lie was later present at the battle of
Hohenstein. His commander was
the late General Samsonoff.
Tuermer's first story is OF 4 soldier
at halava who voluntarily sacrificed
himself When guarding a bridge at
night the soldier discovered German
engineers on the Orders underneath.
He hrei arst in the air to summon
help and next at the Germans. The
Germans fired back. They shouted
something, presumably advice to the
Russian to leave his post and sur.
render, as the bridge was about to
be blown up. The guard stood at
his post and continued to fire. The
Germans fled from the bridge. A mo-
ment later the bridge ana the guard
flew into the air.
Tuermer has that confidence which
Ia characteristic of all soldiers that
whatever the general result of the
battle, his own side wins in all de-
tail fighting that comes within his
personal observation. He described
to me the fight near Soldau as the
fercest he had seen. quote from my
notes:
1--WE drove the Germans out of
three lines OF trenches. From the
prisoners We learned that seven COM
panies who were surprised by and
enfiladed lost $40 killed and wound.
ed. A thing occurred in this fight
which would make your flesh creep.
We acted as executioners for the Ger
mans. We surprised German out
post on hillock with a camp behind
It.
"Prussian discipline Is severer than
ours. With us many men convicted
by court martial of offenses get off
with q chance to distinguish our.
selves by some dangerous exploit
that is, II the offense Is not dishon-
orable. The Prussians keep discip
line by shooting.
WHEN our men got near the Ger
man camp they started to creep. Ov'
er the raised edge of drain they
saw queer thing. A young German
blindfolded, stood before firing par
ty. Our men were so taken aback
by this that they ceased to crawl for
ward. n ~ y
AT this moment on the Prussian
left up came second body OF our
men. These poured volley into the
enemy. The first man to fall was
the condemned soldier.
"The Germans, who numbered
about two companies, put up fight
and then ran away or surrendered
They left their wounded and with
them the condemned soldier. This
soldier had bullet through the thigh
and was insensible from loss OF blood
He was carried off by bearers, who
knew nothing of the firing party ar
fair and was attended by a purgeon'
after the surgeon had stopped the
bleeding from the leg, he said; rms
man has an old wound on his face
It Is queerly bandaged. He took the
blindfolding bandage from the Ger
mans face and saw there was no
wound
Tho GERM did not tell US. %nat
he was shot fH' +, lie died y
----4-z-.--z-zE-=p-- So - -.