The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-09-01
RUSSIANS ARE HAPPY
IN FRENCH TRENCHES
PRESS CORRESPONDENT CON-
PAREs CZAR'S MEN TO AMER
ICAN LUNIBERNIEN.

tall, broad-shouldered, straight-limb-
ed Muscovites. You involuntarily
compare them with the crews of alert,
powerful lumberjacks you meet with
in the great forests of the United
States.
There is something so frank, hon
est and childlike in these smiling
good-natured giants, who have been
picked from the best regiments in
the cars army. 1t would be utter
ly impossible to associate these men
with any deed of violence or cruelty,
and although they are now in France,
where light claret or white country
wine is part of the soldiers daily RAJ
ton, they have voluntarily and un-
animously chosen to abstain from it,
because they consider themselves in
honor bound to keep their promise
to the Little Father" at home, who
will not taste a single drop of wine
himself as long as there is a single
enemy soldier on the sacred soil of
his holy Russia.
As we arrived at the headquarters
of the brigade we found its genial
commander-in-chie Gen. Lokhvitz-
ky, about to put on his helmet for a
tour of inspection of the front trench
es. He received us charmfngly and
we imm ediately felt st home in the
| r.T, L, al
diers, officers and men alike idol
ize.
80 you have come to see my boys
in their front trenches" he eXcIaim
ed when ne had asked What he
might do for us. Nothing could
possibly please me more and you
have come at a very suitable mo-
ment, for l was just about to go there
myself.
Il have made IL a rule to go there
every day, though never at the same
time. first, because IL is welg TO come
unexpectedly, and second, because l
know something of German spies,
and our friends the enemy might
think it to their advantage to ar
range a special 'strafing' il they
knew exactly when there was a
chance to taEsa shot at me Us j frCar
trench. But II you are ready we wid
start az once.
We did so. picking up on the way
the colonel in command of taat par
ticular sector. and at top speed OFT.
nn1Uusines rushGf along tn dusty
road, winding their way with mar
velous skill among the hundreds Of
motor trucks coming back empty df-
ter unloading their loads Jf shells
and cartrid Ses. mt the supply depDts
Immediately behind the front.
A little farther on we saw men
preparing the soldiers plain meals,
singing all the while soft, melancho-
Iy Russian tolTf songs.
The support trenches were fun of
men with smiling faces, WHO jumped
up and saluted as we passed on our
way toward the front breaches. Here,
motionless as statutes, with their ri
fies in position to fire immediately.
men were standing at stJrt intervals,
their eyes rfveted on the German
trenches, visible a short distance
away. Their comrades were lying
aboui sleeping, writing or rslking in
low voices. Overhead the shells
were screaming and whistling on
their way toward the German artill-
cry, which replied only feebly.
Gen. Lokhvitzky went along, talk
ing to his soldiers, who replied with
out embarrassment or stiffness.
There is no machine made discipline
in the Russian army and the rela-
tions between officers and men are
very much like those in the French
army.
my soldiers are all thinking of
the splendid victories won by their
comrades over the Austrians and the
hundreds of thousands of prisoners
they have taken. They are asking
me when | think they will be given
chance to do as WELL" said the
general, land they are very proud
that they have been chosen from
among our vast armies to take part
in the great French victory we all
feel is coming"
When we came back to brigade
Headquarters Gen. LokhYitky said:
II would have been very happy
were | able to ask you to empty a
bottle of noble French wine on the
success OF our arms, but, as you
know, we soldiers of the Gear have
sworn not to touch wine until the
war is over. | will just say, there
fore, that as long as l can remember
we Russians have been used to look
upon the French as our friends. Now
that we have been and are shedding
our blood for the same sacred cause
and on the same battlefields, we con-