The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-28


 through of women fighting in the trenches side by side with their husbands, brothers and lovers or simply their own countrymen. These reports have been received with more or less in- credulity. It did not seem possible that women could undergo the hardships, the complete reversal of all their habits and the primitive manners that necessarily accompany trench life.
 Incredulity has. however, given way before actual official reports of women decorated and promoted for bravery on the battlefelds It seems now that in Europe the women actually do put on the uniform of the men, fight not only in trenches, but in the cavalry, and in every way measure up to the standard of soldier.
 Indeed, they are harder to conquer, 1t seems, than the men. A recent semi official report from Petrograd mentioned that the Russians were surprised, when they captured line of trenches along the Bzura River in Poland, to find a number of German women among their captives. These women were found in the very first line, with hot rifles still in their hands.
 There was much more difficulty in making these women prisoners than the men," reported the officer in charge of the victors. "They would not surrender until after all their men comrades had thrown down their arms, and they taunted the men with cowardice. These women were not at all heavy, unsexed peasants. Some Of them showed all the marks of refinement Inquiry developed that only few had donned the uniform because some e1oved one was in their company. The majority had enlisted because of pure patriotism.
 T was told that the German authori- ties,' said the officer in charge of the victors, do not openly encourage enlist ment by women, but they do wink at it. The men in the trenches, the officers know perfectly well that this and that soldier Is woman, but they pretend not to know it officially"
 The Russians could not have been sur prsed at seeing women soldiers, however, because hundreds of women are appa- rently fighting in the armies of the Czar.
 Mme. Alexandra koudasheya is the most distinguished woman soldier in the Russian army She commands the Sixth Ural Cossack Regiment, which has GOV cred itself with honors in many battles in East Prussia Wounded twice, Mme Koudasheva bears the Cross of St. George, that is given only for exceptional bravery, and many orders of inferior sig nifcance. She is back again to her regi ment. which consists of many Cossack woman volunteers, though the majority Of the soldiers are men. A few more sue cessful battles and Mme Koudasheva will be promoted to a general.
 When the war began Mme. Koudasheva entered the army as volunteer. She distinguished herself in daring raids on the German uhlans, and was made a lieutenant, and soon thereafter a colonel of the same regiment in which her hus- band had served years ago. During the two months that she has acted as a con- mander of the regiment she has given proof of exceptional strategic gifts and courage. She has never stood behind, but always in front of her men. Natural iy, no man likes to be surpassed by a woman, and this has given her company reputation for unusual bravery.
 Colonel Koudasheva is by no means a semi-barbaric adventurer or a Salome who revels in bloodshed. She is a lady of highest culture and refinement. Be- sides being a talented poet and brilliant writer. she is a fine musician and pas sionate lover of sports. She has made twice trip on horseback from China, through Manchuria, Siberia and European Russia to Petrograd. She made the trip alone, and passed the most danger ous deserts of the two continents with out having had any great difficulties.
 T have felt just as safe in the widest deserts of Siberia, as I do on the streets of Moscow or Petrograd, simply because have the absolute confidence in my abil- ity to command the man, regardless do meet him in fashionable society of big lcity, or as a highway robber in the wild est wilds. A woman-if she only knows her feminine powers-can conquer any man, thus writes Mme. Koudasheva in her "Diary of Ride Through Siberia"
 This is how she writes in letter to friend in New York of one of her ad- ventures while she was still lieutenant and was out to ascertain the strength of the enemy at night:
 "It was ghastly moonlight night of the Fall. A bleak wind whistled and howled around the ruins of the village, in