Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-02

with case and precision about the speak,
ers' platform and the people cheered
again and again. hut II seemed to me
that there were tears in kerensliys
great, wonderful eyes as he looked down
at us.
on the night of the 9Th OF June .Nussa
and ! were among the soldiers of our
battalion who were permitted to go into
retrograd on leave. There were more
than "A hundred of us, and we walked e
Petrograd together, scorning. as soldiers
should. TO ride in tho trolley cars In
the center of tho city we separated. our
own party Of ten or twelve went to
moving picture theatre, where 81 film was
to be displayed showing the operations
of certain troops at the front. among
which was Il regiment commanded by
relative Of ono of the soldiers of our
battalion.
The theatre was in part of Pctro-
grad where ! had never been. During
| all my years OF study III the gyn1na-
stun ] had learned comparatively little
% the city. Before my parents would
give their consent to my departure from
| our home In Taganrog they had made
| me promise that | would not go about
| the town, either by day or by night, as
! many of the students were supposed to
| do. Usually when left the gymnasium
| or the pension where 7 lived II was with
some friends of my parents or with sone
acquaintance whom they had recon-
| mendcd 10 me.
| RTDlCuLED BY THE PEOPLE
AS We marched to the theatre on this
night | noticed that PERSONS of the
| lower class treated us with less respect
than ! had been accustomed TO observe.
There were smiles and unpleasant re-
| marks and now and then cries of rid-
cule Some members of our party were
smoking cigarettes. We told them to
stop. sine" ~" ~""plc might find excuse
for rldiculc In that.
There had been rumors OF disaffectlon
among the lowest class with the ker-
ensky government, but had paid little
attention to them. And on this night.
when saw the first evidences Of
disposition to look upon our organization
with anything less than a great respect,
I accounted II to the fact that we were
IN a part of the town where the people
we're ignorant and uneducatcd.
In tho theatre we sat near each other
| and gave ourselves to an interested view
| of the war scenes on the screen. Before
the presentation of the films was half
| over one of our party who had gone
| to tho entrance of the theatre for some
purpose returned and whispered mes-
sage which made US suddenly TO lose all
| interest in tho scenes upon the screen.
There is roting in the streets near
the Winter Palace she said "'r-he
Bolsheviki have arisen to overthrow
kerensky They say that people have
been killed and that Kerensl>y has or
dered soldiers to put down the disorder"
f,n ne ,r t,n
petty officers of our company. She took
the situation IN hand at once. Leave
| the theatre quietly" she said two and
| three at time Wait at the door for
each ether When We are all assembled
there we will return to the barracks at
once"
We did as sho ordered. A group of
! curious people observed us. Some of
| them were laughing, somo uttering rude
expressions Of ridcule. Young men
shouted vile remarks after us as we
marched away. We were moving to-
ward the Pushkln statue, In The street
OF that name, There we had arranged
to rendezvous with ether soldiers of the
battalion. returning to camp. Unfortu.
nately that point was the very center OF
| the disturbances of the night though,
as yet. the fact was unknown to US.
Long before we neared the statue the
sound of rifle firing startled aud alarmed
us, 1t seemed to come from the direction
Of the Nevski Prospect,
DEFENSELESS WOMAN ATTACKED
As we proceeded the firing grew NOR,
FREQUENT. and occasionally we could dis
tinguish the sound of volley firing, prov
ing that disciplined soldiers were In bat
tie with the rioters. Also we heard 70
the first time for many of us the dealt
tattoo of machine guns We paused at
a street intersection 90 consult. our
leader thought we had better maize our
way directly to the camp rather than
attempt to keep our rendezvous at the
Pushkin statue. We were unarmed and,
OF course, entirely unprepared for coHl-
bat Tho sound of firing and the clamos
of the mob was now quite near TO us.
AS we stood there irresolute a party OF
rioters poured into the street block
away, from a cross street.
They were raising Bosheviki cries and
there was note like that of wild beasts
In their bowling. When they saw us
their leaders shouted warnings and the
members of the mob stumbled upon each
others heels in their haste to regain
the Shelter OF the side street. From
that our uniforms had misled them and
their shouts ana execrations We knew
that they believed they had encountered
a patrol OF regular soldiers.
We began slowly to retreat. Skulking
In the darkness from doorway to door
way the holder members of the mob
followed US. The dread realization OF
what threatened chilled the blood IN
our veins. We were soldiers no more.
but women. unarmed and helpless.
mcnaced by savage beasts At last a
pistol shot was fired at us by one OF
the rioters More shots In quick sue.
cesslon followed, There was no Response
from us, We had not a fircarm among
us. had grasped Nussa's hand. 1t was
: trembling. A girl beside me stumbled
against me for support. She was pray
Ing In whisper. We hastened oui
steps
The mob. emboidened by our tactic,
: and finding that no answering sho
came from our ranks. pressed closer
They had not. however. penetrated oul
secret They feared tap Of some sor
and kept within the dar<ness OF door
ways. They feared that the soldier
nteht y withhpldinE their Ar 70 1nak
va It1 81 ~ " M 1I .II i X n {. .i l.. :.