Evening star., 1915-01-31

villagers with the interest of war that
all offered themselves as volunteers.
They came down en- nlasse to the mill
tary chief of Wilma and demanded uni
forms and rifles. The military chief. a
dull, unima ginative man, said he had no
orders: The interest thirsty moujikes
bowled. Give us rifles" II have no
orders!' said the military chief.
The interest thirsty peasants returned
home, smashed the offices of the local
policeman. and then smashed every
thing in the villages they laid hands
on. The gendarmes came up to pacify
Werki-ites and Meisagolans. The gen
darmes gave them bullets. After vain
entreaties to them to go home and
smash their windows from the inside.
volley was fired. -Four men lay dead.
Having got this proof that war is
really interesting the Werki-ites and
Meisa golans did go home. Since then
the two villages have been at peace
and life has lost its interest.
At Wilma. apart from the military
chief, is only one man who sees no in
terest In war. That is the town COM
mandant, Col Afanasieff- Col Afana-
sieff is the man you apply to if you
want to go to Warsaw. That needs a
special permit.
When l arrived at wilma depot and
asked for a ticket to Warsaw. l was
told / could not have one unless I first
got permit l called on Col. Afanasieff
for pass and found him drinking tea
and reading a Russian translation of
Gerhart Hauptmann. whom the trans
lator writes "Gauptma why do
you want to go to Warsaw?'' ITO write
about the war. It's inter- Out
came the thaumaturgic word. 'I don't
see how you are interested" was the
answer. And he took up "Gauptmann.'
He told me 1 must wait two days until
a reply came from Petrograd. These
two days l spent at the Officers club,
finding out many things of interest.
l met Capt. Vologodinsky, whom L
knew as a lieutenant during the Man
churian war and heard many interest
ing things. He it was who brought
me to the "OfticerSkaya Sobraniye. 1t
is a big whitewashed building, worthy
of Wilma. which is the headquarters of
the Sd Army Corps.
At the "Sobraniye" met seven
wounded officers who fought in the
defense of Ivangorod against the Aus
tro-Germans i'll october. They told me
the amazingly interesting story that
the defeat of the Austrians and Ger
mans due to the conduct OF Lieut.
Gen. Schuartz's horse Cen. Schwartz
is the fortress brave defender. When
the forts on the CneW oStchef road
were smashed to bits by fire from Aus
triau twenty seven -Centimeter mortarS
and the victorious AuStrians. and Ger
mans were making d successful infan-
try attack, the horse put them igno-
miniously to flight.
i 4
The horse, swears Maj. Lentitchef..
the wounded officer responsible. was
white charger, dyed green gray, so that
~" enemy should not see 1t. 1t is
SchWartzs favorite charger. On the
third critical day of the attack, when
the Gnewostcheff forts were in danger,
Gen. Schwartz rode four miles i'll a
straight line through a terrific rain
storm. The rain washed all the dye
off the windward side of his horse. eA-
cept where the dye was protected by
the generals saddle and leg. When he
saw his infantry Wavering. the brave
general rode right into the firing line.
At that time the enemy was only
400 yards away Frightened by the
fire, the horse bucked, kicked and shicd
and the enemy got view first Of the
horses windward side and then on its
leeward side. They turned and fled.
Some matter-of-fact Russian officers
swear that they fled because five