The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-09-10


contempt, because we were poorly
equipped even for short campaign.
Sut in short time We had more
rifles than we could use; in fact in
ihany cases three to the man. We
bought rifles from the Red Guards at
from ten to 30 kopeks apiece. We
got machine guns from them for what
In your money would be 30 cents. One
OF our regiments acquired 300 machine
guns in this way. We bought three
inch guns for ten rubles each. To do
this we had money of our own, which
we had saved up from working. Later
we received financial aid from a S2O,-
100000 loan which was floated. We
were thus able to buy what we re.
Guired, whether in arms or food.
"Soon the Germans ceased to treat
our intention to make our way across
Siberia and thence from VladivOstok
TO France as q joke-after we had
four days fight with the Germans
at Bachmach, Il station on the railroad
about 100 miles from Kicv, and de-
featcd them. We now found our
selves recognized first by the Austrian
emperor and then by the Germans
themselves, who had said that we were
nothing and had no real existence as
an organization.
word was sent to us in the name
or the Austrian emperor that if we
would cease fighting and surrender,
the autonomy of our country would
he recognized. We answered that we
knew no such person as the Austrian
emperor and no such country as Aus
tria-Hungary, and that we were de-
tefmlncd to cross Siberia to Valdi-
vostok. Then the recognition that we
were Il force to be considered came
from the Germans in this way. The
German general asked us for q 4S hour
truce.
Fifty-seven Days on. the Road.
"Wc were about ten days getting
out of the Ukraine into Siberia. When
ever we needed food we bought It
ANA we found enough to supply our
needs. We came one day upon Il beau
tllul train at Il station, one evidently
that had been used by the czar or one
of the grand dukes. We were told IL
was occupied by the Red Guard com,
mander. was one of the group of
officers that visited him. Il.
How large u force have you I'm
yoTr commandY one of us asked.
1.-TWO corps he answered.
"'llow mnny men are there In them? !?
tn
(Ths will give an idea of the ridlcu-
lous character Of the Red Guard organ
ization at that tme.)
II was on the advance train which
led the way across Siberia, and which
we had taken for our use. Other trains
we usually got hold of in this way.
Wherever we found out there was II
train, we got hold of locomotive and
put ton or fifteen of our boys, armed
with machine guns, on it, and sent it
to meet the train. We told the boil
sheviki that we would shoot If the
train was not turned over to us, and
| that was all that was necessary. Then
we would fill the captured train with
our troops.
1.-The train in which I was took 81
days to make the journey from Penza
| to Vladlvostok. Everywhere> along
the route the German agents were try
Ing to get control Of the railrOnd by
Incorporating German soldiers in the
Red Guard organizations, and but for
our troops they would now control
this vastly important strategic line
from one end to the other"
Says kerenslty Is Stupid.
"Why did you not assert your fight
Ing power under Kercnsky and pre-
vent the collapse of Russian"
"Kerensky is stupid" answered Can.
tain Hurban, "and," he continued, as
sign that he Is picking up slang Eng.
lish, "a bad actor He Is not a sprl.
ous-mlnded man. We wanted to organ
ize our forces under his government
ns' we did under the czar. The czur
would rot permit us to organize into q
large force because we were revolll-
tionary against our home government,
but the Russian generals who knew
what good fighters we were permitted
us, without legal authority, to form
small units along the front. When
kerensky came into power we wanted
to bring these units together and Join
with the rest of our soldiers who had
surrendered to Russia to escape from
Anstria-Hungary and TO get on the
side OF the allies. There were 100000
OF us in Russia at that time. But
kerenSky said that we We're Chuuvin-
lists, and would not permit us to form
one large army. But when he saw how
we fought in small units, in the drive
which he undertook against us In July,
1917, he came to us and was ready to
kiss the earth under our feet.
"But ii was too late then. Who will
not say that an army Of 10000
Czecho-Slovak troops may not have
prevented the total collapse of Russia ?
We kept n neutral position in the
struggle between Kerensky and the
bGlsheviki. When the bolshevlki came