Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-23
I russian Women
Admire Dashi7g
Cossack roops

stantinople in many of their deter
mined forays.
With the passing of the ages
changes have taken place. The vows
OF celibacy have been discarded, and
they now enjoy home life among
their families. Their dress has be-
come conventional. In the days of
old. cleanliness was a crimeI their
dress being crude and vile. when
forced to make use of captured inery.
booty taken from caravans, they
smeared tho cloth or lace with mire.
In the present day they affect long
brown or green coat with a great
lambskin shake. Strong cartridge belts
| over shoulders or about the waist form
part of the equipment.
ENVIRONMENT MAKES MEN
OF MYSTERY FIGHTING EXPERTS
The environment OF these men of
mystery has made them expert swords
men and lancers. and their marksman-
ship is both deadly and accurate A
slice OF horsehesh carried under the
saddle to keep 1t warm Is ration fit
to be called a luxury.
In the old times the Cossack cared
little for property. He was happy to
have sufficient clothing and efficient
fighting implements. When a son was
born to these simple people. it was
| the customary thing for the father
to bend over the rustic cradle and lay
his well-worn sword over the infants
chest and murmur: We'll. Kazak. this
Is all 1 have to leave you"
The Cossacks have been often con-
nected with political intrigues. but
they have never been known in their
history to have made war for mcrcen-
airy purposes.
Under Peter the Great and Catherine
II. they were organized into a definite
political body and given grants Of
land. They gradually became moro
civilized; fished. hunted. titled the soil
and kept bees and bred horses and
cattle. Their greatest service to Rus
sia. with tho exception of their con.
slant battles with the Tartars. was the
conquest Of Siberia.
The Cossack population at the be-
ginning of the world war numbered
about 100000. Military service be-
came obligatory at eighteen years of
age and continued for twenty years.
They are to-day the flower Of the
Russian army; no distractions on the
face OF the earth have been found to
stop them in their determined forays.
Horse and rider. as one, swim. ride
absolutely uncomfortable by any one
| except their masters. are trained to
bite In battle.
| GERMANS TAKEN PRISONERS
by THE NAPE OF THEIR NECKS
Hungarian and German cavalry Of
fcers. in frank admiration of these
wild riders, tell of whole regiments Of
their cavalry being carried off bodily
by odd groups of Cossacks. One officer
in a Swiss hospital tells Of being struck
three times in the same instant In a
melee with company of Cossacks.
Tho Cossack had struck with his
lance. fist and sword at once. Then
the officer was not given time to fall
| from his mount. but. In the act OF fall
ing. the Cossack reached for him by
the neck and carried him off several
| miles. only releasing him whom no
found that the prisoner was too much
| of an encumbrance to carry back to
camp. The whole body of Uhans
were served in similar fashion, ac-
cording to the officer.
At the close of tho Cossacks' Con-
gross on August Is resolution was
| adopted demanding a national gov
| eminent with unlimited powers and
! responsible only to n Constituent As
sembly. In another resolution they de-
mandcd tho establishment Of iron dis
| cipline mt the front.
In tho differences between Kercnsky
and Kornilof tho Cossacks were said
to be supporting korniloff only be-
| cause In their intense patriotism they
demand that an iron discipline BIO
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