Charlevoix county herald., 1917-08-10
TO Die BY POISON
IF TAKEN BY FOES
Russian Women Soldiers Garry
Cyanide Dose For Quick Use.
TELL OF The FIRST FIGHT

One Girl From . Wealthy Family De-
so~ibss How She Stabbed and Killed
Q osrman-Numbsr Of Women In Az
Armies on Eastern Front 10 Believed
t. ss Growing stssdiiy.
Russia's women soldiers have pleds-
Cd themselves to take their own lives
rather than become German war pris-
Oners. Each woman soldier carries q
ration OF cyanide Of potassium, to be
swallowed In case OF capture.
The members Of the women regi-
ments now constantly increasing.
agreed that death was to be preferred
70 the fate they would probably meet
at the hands of the Germans
The Legion of Death fighters are
"good killers." From q woman's lips
. correspondent heard how she had run
. German through with her bayonet,
firing the rifle at the same time. From
others he heard how these women and
GIRLS, fresh from comfortable homes
and universities, went leaping over
mAngled bodies In the charge, with
enemy shells bursting all about them.
To See Il Through.
But these narrowing experiences OF
the women fighters have steeled them
and hundreds of other girls TO a new
determination To see II through. Girl
soldiers drilling I'm the streets are now
. common sight in Pet rad. Huge
crowds gather daily att the engi-
neers' school, where 1000 girls are
drilling preparing to go to the front.
In Moscow 1000 men are training.
while Kjev and Odessa have smaller
bands Premier Kerensky has also au-
thoriged the formation Of women ma.
rine detachments and has promised to
assign them 10 ships. The new women
commands attempt no sort OF decora
ton. Their heads are shaved, and they
wear the regulation uniform, including
the heavy, ugly army boots.
The ave women fighters at the hos
pital were partially paralyzed by shell
shock One Of them, peasant girl,
smiled joyously AZ she pointed to
German helmet on tho bed beside her.
H was the first war prize Of Russian
woman
''it Was HE LIE or Mins.r
II saw a German In front of me as
ran forward with the others In the
charge" she said 1T was his life
or mine. raised my rifle. plunged
with all my strength. / stabbed him.
The bsyonet went deep into his body.
At the same moment ! pulled the trig-
ser. He dropped dead. Then | took
his bat as a souvenir"
The girl soldier smiled with delight.
What was the battle hker another
Of the legionnaires was asked.
81 was very nervous just before the
charge" she replied. I'VE knew the
order was coming. and naturally we
were Just q little scared. But as soon
~ the orders to go forward came we
forgot everything else In the advance.
81 could hear our girls yelling and
shouting throughout the march for
ward. None OF Us were afraid once we
got started. We were In the midst of
q great fusillade OF shots. Then ter
rnc big shells began breaking all
around us.
Stories Of the Fight.
I'VE were again frightened q little
when We frst saw dead men about,
but before very long We were jumping
over the dead and quickly forgot all
about them"
I'VE couldn't tell what was going on
anywhere" said q third girl In describ-
Ing the nnal stages OF the battle.
Commander Bochkorcva was every
where. urging Us to fight and die like
real Russian soldiers"
Then the girl told how the legion
took It's frst prisoners.
"As We ran forward We suddenly
came upon q bunch Of Germans imme-
diateiy ahead Of US. IL was only Sec
ond until We were all around them.
20. Eosrmsns Surprised.
THEY saw they were caught and
threw down their rifles. holding up
their hands. They were terribly fright
ened.
Good God! Women they ex-
claimed.
I'VE saw wounded German soldiers
raising themselves on their elbows and
shooting" interjected another wound.
Cd gih. I'VE just forgot ourselves en-
tirely. We were simply Russia, fight
ing for her life.
The loss Of Lena, the most popular
member Of our company. was kesnly