South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-11-18


Many OF the Bolsheviki soldiers
were wounded and a few were kill
ed. The Cossacks in Kerenskys
force once attempted a charge near
Tsarskoe-Selo, but suffered heavy
losses. after which they retired into
the town The Maximalists now hold
Tsarskoe- Selo.
The correspondent Of The Assoc
ciated Press visited the scene of the
fighting today and was surprised to
find aristOcratic officers command
ing the Bolsheviki. One OF them.
who was a colonel, explained that
they were disappointed with Keren-
sky. who first destroyed discipline in
The army. and were against him
above all
A colonel OF one OF the famous
Petrograd guard regiments is now
commander of the Bolsheviki staff
and directs the operations of his
army from a house on a hill top,
two miles beyond Pulkova. De-
scribing the fight, he said:
Beginning of Battle.
The battle began Saturday and
continued until Monday night Ker-
ensky had only 5000 Cossacks, sew
eral hundred military cadets. a con-
siderable quantity of light and heavy
artillery and one armored train.
our forces included four of the fam
Gus PetrOgrad guard regiments, to-
gether with several battaliOns of
sailors and a large number Of the
red guard.
Our forces were under a contin-
uous shell fire and many were
wounded. Only a few were killed.
At one time a squadron Of Keren-
sky's Cossacks attempted a charge
near Tsarskoe-SeIo. They evidently
were not familiar with the fact that
officers of veteran regiments were
with the Maximalist forces, and 10
their surprise they were met by or
ganized resistance. A heavy volley.
which toppled many of their horses,
caused them heavy losses. This was
the last active attempt of the Ker-
ensky forces 10 attack afterward,
they retreated. We now hold Tsar-
skoe-Selo."
One soldier who had been captur-
ed by the Cossacks and had escaped
to his own lines, told the correspon-
dent that Kerensky's Cossacks had
determined TO surrender unless he
was able 70 reinforce them with
$4,000 troops" The premier, the
soldier said, promised to get them.
Makes Tour of Battlefield.
The correspondent made a tour of
the battlefield in a Petrograd dros-
ky, whose driver calmly directed his
fat horse over the military road,
lodging huge lorries and Red Cross
motors homeward bound with
wounded. Members of the red
guard, coming from the battlefield,
walked along the roads singing.
Some carried pretzels on their bayo-
nets. These are obtainable in Tsar-
sko-Selo but not in Petrograd.
where only black bread is sold.
The drosky passed numerous sem
tries unquestiOned, the soldiers APP
parently considering the ludicrous
above suspicion. A constant stream
Of ambulances discharged their
cargo of wounded at hospitals along
the road just outside the city.
At Pulkova, where the soldiers.
sailors and the red guard shared
their soup and black bread and dis
cussed the victory which had start
led the inhabitants of the small vii
lage. the correspondent was directed
to staff headquarters. There was an
extraordinary contrast among the
occupants of the bare, lamp lighted
room which apparently had once
been the arbor of a farm house.
Seated about pine table were some
officers. who though unshaven and
battle worn, showed plain evidences
of their aristocratic training. With
them were a few common soldiers,
plain sailors from the Baltic fleet
and one workman wearing the badge
Of the red guard. These shared
their common fare with the CORE
spondent and explained that they
were all fighting together against
Kerensky.
Explains AristOcracy.
The fact that the officers directing
the Bolsheviki campaign were aris-
tocrats was a surprise in view of the
popular supposition that the BOlshe-
Wiki included only the proletariat. A
stan colonel explained this as fol-
lows:
You probably are surprised TO
find officers, many OF whom fought
bravely and were wounded in the
campaigns against the Germans.
lighting with the Bolsheviki. The
truth IS, we were disappointed with
Kerensky, who first destroyed dis
cipline in the army. and we are
against him above all"
This attitude was observed plainly
at regimental stan quarters, where
the officers rejoiced over the victory,
but bemOaned the reported decision
of the Maximalist government 10 re-
duce all officers 10 the same pay as
privates-seven and one-half rubles
a month-and 10 force them 10 wear
the same uniforms.
The Bolsheviki troops display an
anonamolous attitude in obeying the
officers without question, but at the