Omaha daily bee., 1918-10-27
CzECHO.SLOVAK
TELLS OF TAKING
) VLAD|v0ST0K
Occupation Of City Described
by Soldier Who Took
~ Part in All of the
Ceremonies.

" Washington, Oct. 26.-trOm Nlad
iyostok comes Czecho-Slovak SOL
der, Jaromir Spacek by name, with
many strange stories to tell of the
occupation OF the CzechQ-Slovaks in
that city.
Their vanguard arrived on May
20, but it was a number of weeks
before their full strength of $4,000
reached the terminal OF the Trans
Siberian railway. When a sufficient
number had come, the little army
solemnly held patriotic mass meet
ing. This ceremony was observed
whenever they Reached and occu-
pied an important Siberian city APP
parently the citizenry of ,Nladivos-
tok attended en- masse and went
home vastly impressed with the
high degree of culture possessed by
the newcomers. The singing espe-
cjally pleased them. Within a short
fine, the Czecho-Slovaks we're
thoroughly popular.
Yet they kept order in the streets.
And they did it in a perfectly im-
partial fashion. The Czecho- Slovak
patrols adopted the set rule OF dis
persing each and every street gath
ering that assumed large proper
tons. They wasted no words about
it. The terse command "razcho-
disw meaning adjourn" doomed
through the highways of Nladivos-
tok at all hours of the day and
night. And it was strictly needed
by the populace. When they were
told to "razchods," they obcdiently
went home.
Crowds Enjoy Oratery.
The Vladivostok mobs seem to
have been not unlike the old Roman
holiday crowds. They liked to
listen to speeches and they always
applauded the speaker who held the
platform, no matter what he was
advocating. An orator with energy
and a loud voice could persuade
them to do almost anything. 1t was
this volatile quality of the Vladi-
vostokians which made the city au-
thorities positively forbid open air
gatherings. Public assemblages
must meet only in a hall, and then
not without special permission from
the mayor. And the Czecho-Slovak
military patrols enforced this order.
On one occasion patrol of four SOL
diers put to flight mob OF more
than 400 persons.
Apparently the townspeople do
not resent being ordered about by
the military police. Occasionally
they grumble at not being allowed
to fight among themselves when
they choose, but for the most part
they are passive and well-behaved.
One citizen spoke admiringly to
Private Spacek of the efficiency of
the Czecho- Slovak soldiers.
you are great fellows" he said.
"You have so much vigor. We re-
spect you. When you came here
the order in the streets was not bad.
But now it is still better. You know
best OF all how to keep order"
Liberty SURRENDERED.
One day Private Spacek encoun-
tered on the sidewalk peevish old
lady who stopped him and gave ut
terance to her grievances.
"Where is our liberty now?" she
whined. 1--WE thought we were to
get freedom, and now you come and
order US about. Where is our lib
erty, I ask your"
Private Spacek says he put his
hand very gently on the old wom-
ans shoulder and replied: "Auntie,
you surrendered your liberty to the
German emperor good many
months ago. Don't you know
that?"
This seemed to convince her, for
she sighed deeply and said: "Ah,
yes, you are right. And if it were
not for you we might all have been
destroyed long ago"
Cities Ask for Aid.
News of the peace and order pre-
vailing in Vladivostok spread to
other Siberian cities and number
of them sent delegations to the
Czecho-Slovak officers, requesting
them to send squads of soldiers for
patrol duty. The officers objected
that they had not enough men 10
be able to detach them for such
duties. One city's delegation came
back and said they would be salts
fed with from two to five men. An
other city offered to pay IS roubles
pc, month per man for all soldiers
that should be turned over to them
for police service.
But the labors of the Czecho-
Slovak army in eastern Siberia have
not been confined to keeping the
civil population of the cities in good
order. There has been sharp and
bloody fighting in the hills and on
the plains and marshes. Not long
ago a small force of CzechoSlovaks
was sent out to defend portion F