The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-28
Why Russian Womanhood Could
not Endure Life as Soldiers
Battalion Had to Fight Not
the Foe, but Riotings of
Slay Troops-Here's Story
az JACK JUN6MEYER.

San Francisco, Cal, Jan. 27.--iicre is
the plain. unvarnished truth about the
Russian Woman's Battalion Of Death.
told in Amreica for the first time
Russian women soldiers we're at
tackled and defeated, not by tho Ger
mans, but by their own comrades in
arms.
Details of that attack are unreliable.
and the scenes indeserbable.
And this bedrock truth about the fate
of the worlds last example OF female
soldiery was given to me by those who
know as only eye-witnesses can know
Miss Eva Zaionz and Miss Sylvia
Kopkin, who have Just arriHed in the
United States. following their Eight
from Russia.
Both girls were members Of the Bat
talon of Death But both, fortunately,
belonged to a unit which had not yet
been mustered into service. and, there
fore, they were not stationed at the
barracks. where the last scene IN the
tragedy Of the women soldiers was
staged
An interview with Miss Zaionz
causes one to abandon all concealment
Of the fact that the big question In
the mind of every reader of the
achievements of the Russian AmaZons,
and the big question in every mind at
every suggestion of active fighting by
women has been
Will not the sex element interfere?
And Miss Zaionz answers frankly
that the sex barrier is insuperable.
There are two big, primal human
impulses" she said, summing up the
significance of her experience--"self'
preservation and the continuance of thu
species. They are the Fundamental
laws OF existence.
Continuance of the race comes first
because race must be perpetuated be
fore 1t can be either preserved or de
stroyed.
THE race Is continued by the sex i'm
pulse. the self-defense urge, Of whicl
war is an expression, merely preserving
the race.
Therefore, as the narrowing Rus
sian tragedies which went forward un
der my very eyes prove, the sex bar
rier is stronger than the barricade
against the foe. And mankind in IL
chaos which war implies, will not pei
init women to fight.
Many patriotic Russian girls WEI
thus prevented from joining the Batta
lion of Death.
1.-THE women who did join If they ha
been sent to the assembly barracks
Petrograd or had gone into II
trenches, had to defend those barracl
act bai ms
soldiers.
''Womcn will never play an importa
part as active soldiers in any wa
There's no sense in cloalling this fax
The world might as well admit Il
truth and quit talking nonsense.
'Russia's battalion of fighting wont
was wiped out not by the enemy b
by Russian men"
Miss Zaionz described the seen
when rioting Russ soldiers, strcami'
back from the demoraliHCd froi
stormed the inadequatcly defend
shelters of the second Battalion
Death.
1T was the shame of Russa's ma
hood and the outrage of its woma
hood" she said.
we tried desperately to help our h
loved country. but the mon would Il
permit il.
with their officers shot OF dcscrt'
and discipline cast aside. many soldif
reached Petrograd just as KcrenS
was being oNerthrown, They bro
into the barracks where women We
quartered. The ensuing scenes w
revolving beyond words.
1T was tragic disillusionment
the brave girls of Russia. thousands
whom Were ready to join that inter-
band that forgot homo and cOmft
and the handicaps of sex to save {
country from disaster.
II am afraid their efforts were {
tirely in vain. I have come to Amer
to forgct-as many others from
Battalion OF Death will come"
PIONEER HELENA MAN DIES.