Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-08-02
CAPT|VES TAKEN
NEAR sMORGON
REVEAL SECRET
OF 200 Russ Girls in Command
of Death" Who Went In
to Battle Only so
Remain
TEUTON MARCH UNCHECKED
Advance in Bukowina Contin.
ues as Grown Prince Hurls
More Men Against
French Line.
TEUTON MARCH UNCHECKED,

Petrograd, July 30.-When the Rus
sian women's battalion, known Official
ly as the Command of Death, went in
to action against the Germans near
Smorgon July 25 they captured a num-
Der of women from whom it was
learned for the first time that German
women also were fighting on the battle,
front in western Russia
Ter Left of 200.
Ten wounded heroines of the wom.
ems battalion arrived in P%etrpgrad to-
day leaving their commander. Vera.
Butchkareff and Mary Skryloff. a
daughter of Admiral Skrydloff. former
commander of the Baltic fleet and min
lister of marine, in a hospital at
Vitebsk. Interviewed the women said
1T was reported that of the 200 of the
command who reached the front only
30 remained. Twenty were killed,
eight were taken prisoners and all the
rest were wounded.
Several times" said one wounded
girl, we attacked the Germans. Es-
peclally memorable was our attack at
N~ovospassky wood, near Smorgon,
where the enemy, hearing the voices OF
girls, lost their nerve. The result was
ed or taken prisoner.
SSh's~ SdPS0IS rs
Among the prisoners were a few
women from whom we learned for tha
first time that German women also
were fighting.
I'VE did not feel the slightest fear
OF u personal safety. Our passion
was to serve the fatherland. We ad-
vanced gaily against the foe, with
laughter and song, our only unpleasant
sentiments being when he first came
70 the corpses. Once, when replying
TO the enemy's severe rifle and machine
gun ire, we discovered to our amaze
ment that all u men comrades in the.
n~eighboring trenches had treacherously
lied, leaving us-a handful of women
TO race the enemy alone"
Prove Fighting Worth.
Enduring daily drilling through mud
ana ram, 1nhabltlng the quarters of the
lowest prlvates, subject to the sneers
and leers of the men, the Command of
Death, proved that it holds a strong
place in the actual fighting CORPS of
Russia. This is the opinion Of r. Chi1de
Dorr, a prominent American suffragist,
newspaper woman and writer. who has
just returned to Petrograd after spend
ing two weeks at the front with the
women. She reports:
When L left those, who had been
wounded We're pleading to be taken to
the fighting zone and many others
wanted to enlist. i am convinced as
never was before that women's place is
in the fighting line. These women slept
in wooden beds in the regular soldier
trains when they were being
ed to the front n in every way en-
dured the same and in some cases.
worse conditions than the men did.
Along the route they were greeted with
boots n jeers by the Russian oilers
who We're gathered around the sta
TONS.
why are you going to fightr they
sneered.
Because you men are cowards,' was
the Indignant reply.
when they reached the end of their
journey they were conducted to long
wooden huts where they found shells
for beds. The shouts of the men re-
minded me of ther idicules yelled at the
women suffrage parade in the days
when woman's suffrage was nothing
but an object OF derision.
The very first night we were at the
front we heard a heavy pounding at
the door OF the building. The sentry
outside called to us:
us in"
I called back, no there are no girls
here, but soldiers, and if you don't
leave at once we will shoot"
The men left without any further
trouble n there was no more disturb
ances Of the girls quarters at night"
THE next day the girls bathed in the
river. Women guards were stationed
nearby to keep irtruders away. In
spite Of the constant rain the girls
drilled daily under the severe supervis-
ion of Madame Botchkorva, who per-
mits no nonsense. But there was little
tendancy toward nonsense. The girls
fully appreciated the seriousness of
their work. They were on the job in
dead earnest and keen and alert to
every demand"
"Thnx Command ne na,<h ~. W..
thrown all conventions. Tit women
have forgotten all the h%ide-bound
traditions that they ever learned con-
corning their position as women. 1t is
surprising to see how nice women
really are when hey are their natural
selves. ] never believed that women
should enter into the actual fighting
before, but nov / know that enc
there is a crisis in a country, such as
there is In Russia, it is the place of the
women to step into the breach"
Copenhagen. July 28.-Reports from
Vienna say that the evening news
papers in the austrian capital, assert
that the Russians are evacuating Ger
nowitE, capital of Bukowina. i
tRy Associated Press.)
The Austro-German march through
eastern sGalicfa assdt6ward the BukoI
wilma borden fsNgOipg on unchecked SO
TAR as latest reports indicate. ApparE
entity the Feutonic p,.rpose is to give
the ~retreating Russian forces no pause
until Austrian territory has been com
pletely cleared OF them.
In the west the crown prince is the
aggressive force at present, ais he has
been for some time past, but his liberal
bacrifice at troops is not gaining him
any ground of consequences. Last night
ne met with a complete check In a re-
eva 81 his offensive ON the ,Aisne
front.
British report a heavy fire from
the German guns on the frnnt IRON,
near The Belgian border to the coast.
Evsdences accumulate that the Ger-
mans are Preparing to resist 4 British
stack. -