The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-08-28
Anarchists Ia Russia Twice
Attacked the Root Mission
Freed German Prisoners Frater-
nized With Natives - Pro-
visional Government Learned
Of Anarchistic Outbreaks and
Sought to Prevent Repetition.

Sure enough, cloud Of black smoke
was pouring out OF a gigantic freight
stOrehouse which was situated in the
middle OF the train yard, with tracks
Oh each side of It.
Walters and trainmen from our train
and from the Root train carried buck
cts of water from these trains and from
the station in an attempt to put out
the blaze. Their efforts were pathet-
ically futile The fire soon spread to
three passenger trails that were on
the tracks near the warehouse and to
u number of scattered freight cars.
Ostensibly trying to remove these
cars from danger, but really In the at
tempt to carry the fire to the Root
train, a number of soldiers and work
men pushed several of these blazing
cars down the tracks just to windward
OF the Root train, so that the high
breeze drove the flames directly against
the cars carrying the American mis-
sion, only the prompt action Of the en-
gineer of Senator Roots train saving it
from catastrophe. He backed the train
away from the blazing cars anapdid not
stop until he was five miles out in the
country.
The explanation which was given us
by the railroad officials at the station
and by the militia of viatka was that
the fire had been started by the same
miscreants who had burned the bridge.
1t seems that parallel to the wooden
bridge which was destroyed was stone
bridge just being completed. When the
anarchists learned that work OF this
had been so speeded up that it would
provide an avenue OF escape for the
Americans within few hours they de-
cided on last desperate measure and
set fire to the storeh,use. If they had
been efficient they would have made a
good job in the first place by destroy
ing both bridges.
Soldiers Force Root to Wait.
At length, q few hours after this Sec
ond fire, this stone bridge was ready
for use. The conductor of Senator
Roots train ordered his engineer to
proceed, and our train was about to
follow when there was a protest from
the soldiers OF several troop trains
which had pulled into Viatka during
the long cessation of traffic. These SOL
diers, who were riding in freight cars,
We're on their way to their homes in
Siberia, ,hayirg had enough of war.
They said that it was an outrage to
suggest that trains carrying American
capitalists and Russian bourgeois"
should precede them, the real lords OF
Russia, SO the American mission was
forced to submit to another consider.
able delay while the Russian army pro-
ceeded on to the rear.
OF course the noise and excitement
which had ensued when the warehouse
/ fire was discovered had awakened Sen
ator Root, and throughout the trying
moments when the blazing cars We're
being sent down the tracks against his
/ train he was on the platform, calm as
| could be and his face perfect study.
/ Perhaps the most interesting of the i'm
! pressions of anarchical Russia which
lie will have to report to PresiG mt Wit
| son were gained during those exciting
moments when the Russians he had
come to aid were trying to burn him
alive.
The other members of the Americau
| party who had been calm enough until
the second attempt to endangerNt their
lives, were now visibly boilingswith
rage and excitement.
When the Root train finally got un.
der way it pulled out ahead Of the 81.
berian express, and we never overlook
it, but we heard it was two days be-
hind time at Vladivostok. Although
our train made up some time-a re-
markable event itself in Russia-it was
twenty-four hours late ut Harbin,
where left it in order to come to ia.
pan via Korea.
"0rders" Pretext For Violence.
But If the experiences of the Ameri-
can party after leaving Viatka were
anything like the experiences we had
on the Siberian express between that
town and Manchuria they were hectic
indeed.
| IL scelnS thuI the pioNiSiohai eo'Sih-
ment learned of the atrocities at Wat
ka and with remarkable celerity for
Russians undertook to prevent repe-
titlon of these events. The day after
we left Viatka we came to another
large bridge and found it extraordinuri-
ly well guarded. A hundred or more
soldiers boarded the car before we
] l,,,il ,,rnnanla1 n
enforce certain precautions But
these precautions were directed against
MS passengers rather than against such
anarchists as those at Viatka, who
might have endangered the bridge
from outside. 1t was early in the
morning, and several passengers We're
still sleeping. The soldiers insisted on
entering every compartment, searching
/ 1t thoroughly and shutting all windows
] a 30 ,i,,A tr.n