The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-10-03
HOW ARMY or CzECHO- -SLOvAKS
WON ITS WAY TO VLADIVOSTOk
Officer Gives FstHand Narration of How They Crossed Siberia
Says Red Guard of the Boshevk Does Not Amount to
Anuhinq Real Danger Is From German Prisoners
Who Have Joined Organization.

Sloyak troops in Russia have resiStet
the Germans ahd fought their wa!
from the Ukraine to VladivOstok i
told below in detail for the first tim'
|, by "A Czecho-Sloyak leader who made
the trip across Siberia with the troops
n and who recently arrived in Washing
ton from VladiyostOk. lie is Capt
Vladimir IIurban, member Of tht
Czecho- Sloyak national council, dele
4 gated by the Czecllu-Sloyak army al
h NladiyoStok TO make a report to Prof
j Thomas G. Masaryk president Of The
council who is now at Washington.
"The danger in Siberia. is from the
Germans" said Captain Hurban. '"fhe
Red Guards of the bolshevlki so not
amount to anything. Fifty good sol
diers are the equal Of 1000 Of the Red
Guards. They do not want to tight,
but to fraternize, and If their op-
ponentS insist on fighting and not
| talking. they win leave the field. But
| the Germans, from the large groups
| of German and Austrian prisoners,
are stiffening the Red Guards every
day. They 20 in as intenationallsls,
promising to join in the campaign 10
put an end to imperialism and capital-
ism, and then carry out whatever or
ders they receive from the German
government or German generals. They
soon are made officers in the Red
Guards, and thus are able to direct
the movements of these forces in the
interest Of Germany
100000 Germans in Siberia.
'How many German prisoners are
there In Siberia"
According to my information not
less than 100000, perhaps 100000. 1t
is these, as Red Guards, that will form
the backbone of resistance. They are
now the real force that holds that part
of the Trans-Sberian railroad which
separates the two bodies of Czecho-
Sloyak troops. There are about To-
600 Czecho- Slovak troops at Vladivos-
tok. They also control the nearby rail-
road junction at Nikolsh, where the
Manchurian railroad connects with the
Trans-Siberian, and a short distance
beyond. From here to the neighbor-
hood of Irkutsk the control is nomtn-
ally Red Guard. 1t is in reality Ger
man, from the large number of Ger
man prisoners in the bolshevist or
ganization. They are holding about
500 miles Of the Trans-Siberian rail-
road.
From Irkutsk to Samara, in Rus
sin, the Trans-Siberian railroad is in
the hands Of Czecbo-Sloyak. troops.
They control practically every station.
They are in command Of fully 5000
miles of road. Samara, at the. western
end, is more important than most peo-
pie in this country realize. 1t is on
the Yolga, and thus controls that
river, but the chief service that the
holding of this point is to the allied
cause is that it prevents Germans
from getting badly needed cotton from
Turkestan.
",The Turkestan railroad connects
with the Trans Siberian at Samara,
and the Czecho- -Siovak troops thus
hold key position the Germans would
like very much to take from them.
The number OF Czecho-Slovak troops
which holds this stretch of the Trans
railroad is not less than 65,-
900, and probably considerably more.
They are poorly armed, short of sup
plies, and need help. 1t is important
to reach them with relief as soon as
possible.