Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-09-15
Rebel Commanders Fate Not
Yet Officially Decided, but
Death is a Certainty.
HE MISJUDGED RUSSIA
Decreed Punishment for Re-
VOTERS in Army-Main Issue
at Moscow Convention.
BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.

BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.
Omitted Press Staff Correspondence
Petrograd, Sept. 15-Korniloff mis-.
judged Russia. Therefore 1t seems ha
will die. His fate has not vet baer
officially decided. He has not vet for.
mally surrendered, but Petrograd
sees only two courses open to him
suicide or surrender. The one means
death as certain as the other Ia
the view of the populace. Korniloff
himself decreed punishment for re-
volters in the army. 1t was the main
Issue which he projected into the Mos
COW convention.
He put 1t into effect at once. Prob-
ably number of Russian private sol-
diers have already paid Ihe penalty
Tor infractions OF discipline. Ii waa
at the Moscow conference that Kor.
nllon planned his coup. 1 believe the
idea sprang full grown into his brain
at the dramatic moment when th3
great army commander stood on thu
platform in the city hall Of Moscow.
acclaimed q hero in five minutes tus
multuous demonstration.
splendid audience OF merchants,
bankers, manufacturers and intellect.
uals In complacent confidence arose
from the boxes and galleries. They
cheered the militant figure tumultus
ously. For five minutes the noise con-
tinued unabated, even Korniloff's stoi-
ctsm melted under the warmth. He
visibly expanded.
That was the moment; as see IL
today, that the Idea of power was os-
tablished in the commander In chiefs
mind. He believed the cheers were
those of all Russia But, in one corr
ner OF tho vast hall 500, only tenth
of the great assemblage sat grim and
silent throughout the cheering. The
frenzied ones tee1u
;-thSsu llofnil. Il1(
the rnilitsly man par excellence. dlo
not know them.
He was ignorant OF what was hap
pening away from the battlefroflt
Constantly surrounded by military afs
fairs, constantly studying military
strategy, ever thinking in terms 81
army life, tho generalissimo, thought
all the voice of Russia spoke to him
in this great demonstration. II Korn-
lion thought at all about the silent
900 he thought they were a minority
He was wrong. They represented the
armed citizens of Russia.
Every man of the 800 had been elects
ed by the votes of thousands Of sold
iers at the front, and by workers
throughout the nation. To them Korn-
iloff represented everything in Russia
that they had overthrown by the revo-
luton, the cold power OF military
force. Yet Korniloff disdained to look
at them. In his ears there resounded
the sweet sounds of $500 wildly ac-
claimed delegates, and he forgot tho
chorus was not Joined In by the grim
500.
1t must have been at this dramatic
moment that the wild idea OF revolt
came to Korniloff. Thus, It happens
ed when Korniloffs troops met those
of the provisional government forty
miles from Petrograd there was no
On the contrary the men
on the two sides fraternalized Not
O shot was fred. Men in the ranks
on both sides understood each other.
They conferred at length and then
returned to their comrades. Before
Korniloff's own eyes his common SOL
diers arbitrated the differences of d
nation. Korniloff and his officers
were powerless. Meanwhile on Rus
sia's front headquarters stood back
looking for civil war as much as for
war from the Germans
Petrograd never lost its nerve
the great mistakes. There
were crowds on the streets, but no
panic. They merely joined the cor
ners and the spaces on the Nevsky
Prospeckt, and earlier awaited news
paper reports. On Tuesday and
Wednesday, when Korniloff's mistake
appeared for q moment not to be q
mistake, the populace was unmoved.
They made new record for impa-
.ience and fortitude. The two days
we're formally observed as usual, as
church holidays. All business was
closed. At the winter palace, how-
aver, strong guards and tremendous
lctivity betrayed the people of Rus
ia fighting civil war. There Keren-
ky received ministers, talked over
he telephone and by telegraph to
listant parts of Russia. and collected
he vast forces of the public to crush
he rebellion.
..-..n,ranwt CORN nNUX