White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-15

tenuon OF crossing Siberia TO Vlad-
ivostok. We were laughed at; the
Germans treated our intention with
contempt, because we were poorly
equipped v for a short campaign.
But in a short time We had more
rifles than we could use; In fact in
many 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 80 cents. One
of our regiments acquired 800 machine
guns I'm 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 $20.-
100000 loan which was fioated. We
were thus able 10 buy what we re-
quired, whether in arms or food.
Soon the Germans ceased to treat
our intention to make our way across
Siberia and thence from vladiyostok
to FranceA as d joke-after we had
a four days fight with the Germans
at Bachmach, a station on the railroad
about 100 miles from Kiev, and de-
feated 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
Sword UaS Son< 10 ~ ~ 81 -,
of the Austrian emperor that if we
would fighting and surrender,
the autonomy of our country would
be recognized. We answered that we
knew DO such person as the Austrian
emperor and no such country as Aus
tria-Hungary, and that we were de-
termined to cross Siberia to valdi-
vOstok. Then the recognition that we
were a force to be considered came
from the Germans in this way. The
German general asked us for a 48-hour
truce.
F~ifty-Seyen Days on the Road.
I'VE We're about ten days getting
out of the Ukraine into Siberia. When
ever we needed food we bought it,
and We found enough to supply our
needs. We came one day upon a beau
nful train at a station, one evidently
that had been used by the ear or one
of the grand dukes. We were told it
was occupied by the Red Guard COM
mander. | was n of the group of
officers that visited him.
"H0w large a force have you in
your command?' one of us asked.
"'Two corps, he answered.
"How many men are there in them?
"sSix hundred he had TO admit.
(This will give an idea of the ridicu-
lous character of the Red Guard organ
ization at that time.)
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 VIZ found out there was a
train, we got hold of a locomotive and
put ten or fifteen of our boys, armed
with machine guns, on it, and SEM it
10 meet the train. We told the. boil
sheyiki that we would shoot if the
train was lot turned we to us, and
hal was all that was necessary. Then
we would fill the captured train with
cur troops.
Tine train in which i was took 81
days to make the journey from. Penza
to V~ladivostok. Everywhere along
the route the German agents were try
ing TO get control of the railroad 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 kerensky Is Stupid.
'Why did you not assert your fight
ing power under Kerensky and pre-
vent the collapse of Russian"
"Kerensky is stupid" answered Cap
tain Hurban. "and.. he continued, as
assign that he is picking up slang Eng
lish, "a bad actor He is not a seri-
ous-minded man. We wanted to organ
ize our forces under his government
as we did under the car. The car
would not permit us to organize into q
large force because we were revolu-
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 alohg 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
Austria Hungary and to get on the
dde Of the allies. There were 100000
Of rs In Russia ut that time. But
Kerensky said that we were chauvin-
ists. and would not permit rs to form
one large army. But when he saw how
we fought In small units. in the drive
which he undertook against MS In July,
1917, he came to us and was ready to