The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-06-25
DARING COSSACKS
Russian Rough Riders an Old and
Famous Body.
ONCE KNIGHTS OF FREEDOM.

In Former Times They Were Known
Entirely al Defenders of the Poor and
the OpPressed-DeadIy as Marksmen
and Experts With the Sword.
The popular conception OF the Rus
sian COssack Is a whiskered atrocity
who rides with the speed Of the wind.
comes to do acts of@pilIage and of IA
pine and then goes back again into the
bosom OF the tall grass from which be
came BY many he Is supposed 10 be-
long to legendary tribe whose history
stretches back into the blackness OF
the dark ages from which he has not
yet emerged
No; the Cossack is in many respects
like the simple Russian peasant In
others he is like the cowboy Of the
western plains. whose home is as much
in the saddle as in his own village.
Far from being oppressors, the Cos
sacks were once known entirely as the
defenders OF the poor and the wrong
ed. They belonged to an order OF rus
tic chivalry, the Kazachestvo. the
knights of Freedom.
The name KAYAK Is Of Tartar origin
and means Freeman" 1t was applied
TO men driven from the more settled
countries and who under the blue sky
rode without the trammel OF tradition.
without the interference OF kings, po-
tentates and powers. There was a time
when mobiles laid heavy hand upon the
| subject and human life was held in
small account
The thirteenth and the fourteenth
centuries saw the Cossacks developed
into communities living in the neigh
borhood of the river Dnieper and rid
ing hither and thither TO keep watch
and ward over the domain of the en-
peror.
! The cowboy guards OF the great
southwest In this country, who are
! now disappearing from our American
| life, are Cossacks I'm spirit When they
become cavalrymen, Texas Rangers or
rough riders they. are American Cos
sacks.
There were some criminals among
the Cossacks, but once they had en-
rolled In the Cossack legions they left
behind them all their past. Some were
exiles for political reasons. others had
been hunted for taking into their Own
hands the avenging OF wrongs. And
what avails a name after all? When
the officers of the state came inquiring
into the Cossack encampments for De
metri this and Ivan that nothing was
known of them at all, for the Cossacks
permitted men to divest themselves of
former titles and to begin the free life
with a new nomenclature. To them
the newcomer were big Nose ''Yel-
low Buttons" or some other nicknamed
comrade.
While other persons paid taxes the
Cossack was subject to no such incon-
venient levy. His share was paid by
the power Of his sword and his pistols
He insisted always that he was not &c
be assessed but that he should give
his military service when Russia re
quired it OF him.
When the Cossack communities were
first formed they were inhabited only
by men. The Kazachestvo took vows
OF celibacy. 1t was an order that lived
like anchorites and fought like demons
AS the ages have passed there have
been many changes. The Cossack.
have families and their own home life
At first, however. young and DARN:
youths were sent out to ride with thu
Cossacks. and there was no system o
chivalry more punctilious than was thi
government OF the men Of the steppes
i Offenses that involved violation o
their vows or the III treatment of tn
weak and the oppressed were punished
with death. The sentences were quick
Iy imposed and speedily executed
Cowboy Justice and COssack rule ar
the same in principle
The dress OF the Cossack has becom
more or less conventional as the year
. have gone. We see him I'm the Ion
coat of brown or OF green. with tn
great lambskin cap on his head. wit
strong belts containing cartridges abou
his waist He shows the Influence o
Military training. The Cossack Of tC
ny is a model OF elegance compare
With what he used to be. he seize
= garments covered with gold lace, coat
OF silks and sable and smeared theI
/ with mire and tallow TO show his 81
: ureme disregard for fine traDpinGs. II