Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-22
The Daily
Short Story
STORY OF A RUSSIAN RISING.
By Warren Miller.

L anu fusSidH, served three
years in Siberian prison; l eseaped
in time to join the revolution that de-
posed the car who sent me to tina,
horrible life: consequently have bur
one thought. to see my country under
such a government as viii give her
freedom within and save her from be-
ing enslaved by another imperial mas
ter from without
| Being in Petrograd soon after the
/ last revolution, l went to a man who
was a member of the provisional gov
| eminent, told him how | had planned
and executed my escape from prison
and asked him if Aere was any work
could do to serve my country in her
struggle for the preservation Of that
liberty she had so suddenly grasped
You are just the man We want he
said for a certain purpose. IL Mos
cow there has secretly arrived a man
/ from New York who is leader among
a certain class of fanatics, or rascals
am not sure which. We believe that
he has come over here to take advan-
tage of the clamor of our simple peas
ants for the land to work for an an
larchistie movement We can do moth
ing TO head him off without a definite
knowledge of his object. You can
serve Russia best by going to Moscow,
representing yourself friend of that
mans course, getting his plans from
him and bringing them here TO the
provisional government"
| accepted the commission and went
to Moscow The man whose conf
denee 1 was to attempt to win still
lives and do not care to mention his
name, nor that mine should be known
in this connection / have no desire
to receive a thrust in the back in re-
turn for what he would call my
treschery. | shall call him Scoraloif.
When | reached Moscow / found
that Scoraloff was keeping very dark
l represented myself to woman as
a Red and she being Red herself
gave me her confidence. In her en-
thusiasm for the cause she took me to
ScoraIoff and introduced me as a help
er of their cause. / will not dwell
upon how / won her confidence. II is
enough TO say that / won it.
When had learned all that I want
ed to learn Of this communistic plan,
| suggested that | would be glad to
carry any orders Scoraloff might have
, for those associated with him in Pet
lrograd In this l made a mistake. Ny
object was to be passed back to the
! capital in order to furnish the infor-
nation I had gained TO the provisional
+ government; but l saw by Scoralof's
los TINT no epGnapTpd nf
being a spy. However, his suspicion
was apparent only for an instant. He
gave me a password that would enable
me to go to the capital without being
stopped by any of his -conspirators.
q Scoraloff really wished messenger
he could trust and gave me letter
!. written in his own hand TO his chief
! abettOr in Petrograd containing nl-
j merous instructions. Before setting
! out on my return journey l read the
! letter and was disappointed that no
date was mentioned for the rising
/ had not gone far on my journey
when I felt some one touch me on the
!, shoulder. and turning, saw man who
ordered me to follow him. / did not
( know whether he was a government
official or a Red / had a pass on my
;, person signed by an officer of the gov
= eminent for all loyal persons TO pass
{ me and assist me in official business. /
:, / suspected that this was Red so | :
gave him the Red password. He paid /
no attention to it, but took me 70
{ house in the lower part Of Moscow
; and led me to the top story, where,
: opening the door, l was ushered into
a room in which sat a man at once
/ knew to be a Red. No one but Z
n Red would have been lodged in such a.
II place. My life was at stake. for in !
: case l was searched the order Of the
= government would be found and
L would stamp me for spy on the
: Reds.
U The man before whom / was taken
o went about an examination of me very
J. adroitly. He said that he had received
i an order from Scoraloff 10 intercept
me for the purpose OF adding TO the
= instructions he had given me l was
= invited to take seat and received 4
n pumping to discover whether / was
If as l pretended a Red or government
W spy. | coolly asked the mans per-
s. mission TO smoke and having received
ID it produced a box of cigarets which
a offered to him. He took one. | an
II other. ] struck a match, held it 10
Ell him. then to my own, and We began
to smoke
After verbal examination he told
" NE that he had no doubt that / was
+ what I purported to be. but Scorsion
" orders to search me were peremptory
,e / was stripped, inspected and every
IL article of my clothing was carefully
ii examined. Nothing was found 10 IN
b. criminate me and after hearty shake
,r of the hand l was suffered to go my
If way.
Is Why was it that my voucher from
rs the government was not found?
n Because it was written on the wrap
II per of the cigaret he had smoked.
While he was pumping me he was
burning the only evidence against me
Y | arrived without further interior
D. ence at Petrograd and warned the gov
Y eminent. against the danger that
n threatened it: but / could not give the
h date Of the proposed uprising and
G. found those at the head of affairs dis
1r posed TO rely on moral sussion
l. Therefore my trip was Of no avail.
Id Had the man who interviewed me
e. not been smoker I would not have
r lived to tell this story.