The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-08-19
TELLS OF RISE OF
CZECHO.SLOVAK ARMY
FROM PRISONERS
Captain vladimir S. Hurban, Now in
Washington, Relates the Trying
Experiences the Men Had
in Escaping

Washington, D, G., Aug l9.--Captain
Vladimir g. Hurban, an officer in the
Czecho Slovak army which Japan and
the United States have decided to aid in
Siberia, has come to Washington from
Vladivostok to make report to PROBES
sor Mosaryk ommander,in-ehief Of the
Czecho Sloyak army and president Of the
national council Captain Hurban has
given to The Associated Press his story
OF the experiences of the Czeeho Sloyaks
from the time the army Of escaped pris
oners fought their way eastward from
Ukrainia.
"The history Of the origin Of our army,
Of its operations on the Russian front,
and its march around the world to the
French front will some day read like a
fantastic romance, before which the i'm.
agination fades into the prosaic,' he
said
Our army in Russia was organized
from CzeCho and Slovak prisoners Of war
under almost insurmouutbale difficulties
We were cooperating with the Russian
army, and since the summer OF 1917
were practically the only army on the
Russian front, capable of any military
action in the proper sense Of the word.
In July, 1917, during the first revolu.
tionary offensive under kerensky, it was
only our army that really attacked and
advanced
when the bolsheyik Soviet govern
ment signed the peace treaty at the be,
ginning Of March, our army, Of about
$4,000 men, was in Ukrainia, near kiev
The former Ukrainian government, to es-
cape the bolsheviks, threw themselves
into the arms of the Germans and called
for German help When the German and
Austrian armies began their advance
into Ukrainia, the position of our army
was almost desperate. We were in a
state which had concluded peace, into
which, however, the Germans were ad
vancing and occupying large territories
without resistance. The Red Guards Of
the Soviets did not represent any real
military power
The Germans advanced against MS in
overwhelming numbers, and there was
danger that we would be surrounded.
Our rear was not covered, and the Ger
mans were liable to attack as there We
had no lines of communication behind
us, no stores Of materials and no re-
serves; everywhere there was disorgani-
cation and anarchy, and the bolshevik
Red Guards seized the locomotives and
were fleeing east in panic.
"Under these circumstance Emperor
Charles sent us a special envoy, with the
promises that if we would disarm we
would be amnestied and our lands would
receive autonomy We answered that we
would not negotiate with the Austrian
emperor
AS we could not hold a front, we be-
gan retreat to the east, Already then
IN agreement with the allies tour army
had been proclaimed part of the Czeeho-
Sloyak army on the western front and
thus allied with the French army, it
was decided to transport our army over
Siberia and America TO France We be-
gan the difficult retreat from Kiev. The
Germans in an overwhelming force were
trying to prevent our escape About 100
miles behind us they seized the impor
tant railroad junction at Bachmac, which
we were obliged to pass in our trains on
our retreat to the east
when we arrived at Bachmac, the
Germans were already waiting for us.
There began q battle lasting four days,
in which they were badly defeated and
which enabled us to get our trains
through The commander Of the German
detachment offered us a AS hours truce,
which we accepted, for our duty was to
leave Ukrainia; but, the truce was can
celed by the German chief commander,
Linsingen, but too late; our trains had
already got away. We lost altogether
about 600 men in dead, wounded and I'M
accountable, while we buried 1000 Ger
mans In only one day.
"ln this manner we escaped from
Ukrainia. Our relations with the bolshe-
yiks were still good. We refrained from
meddling with Russian internal affairs,
and we tried to come to an agreement
with the bolshevik government with re-
spect to our department, or passage
through Russia But already signs were
visible that the bolsheyiks either under
German influence or because we then rep
resented the only real power in Russia
would try to put obstacles in our way,
II would have sufilced TO order one of our
regiments tour army was then, in March,
near Moscow to take Moscow, and in
half day there would have been no
bolsheyik government; for then we were
well armed having taken from the front
everything we could carry, to prevent it
from falling into the hands of the Ger
mans, Each Of our regiments had 200 to
800 machine guns, and nobody in Russia,