Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-18
BOLSHEV|K FORCES
SUFFERING DEFEAT
Important Port of Lake Baikal
Captured After Desper-
ate Battle.
250 CZECHOSLOVA KILLED
Encounter Regarded of Great
Value, as 1t Opens
Railway.
ESQ CZECHO-SLOVAKS KILLED

WAsHiHGTCN. August l7.-OGicial
reports to tho state Department from
Moscow. N European = sal; and from
Siberian points. indicate hat the Boil
shevik forces are bcinr defeated both
in military ana political strategy.
lrkutsk, the important Lake Baikal
port on the Trans Siberian Railway,
was captrrcd Ly the Czccho- Slovak
forces w!ih tho assistance OF Siberian
troops on July :. The Bolshcvik army
made a desperate stand and inflicted
losses on the Czecho- Slovaks of 80
killed and LOO wounded but in the
end we're completely routed
The success Of this encounter is re-
garded as Of great value. as il opens
the railroad communication between
I-kutsk and Samara 70 the westward
where there are additional Czecho- -S!o-
wax forces. One of the chief Difficult
ties with which this army has hac
10 contend has been the lack OF COM
munications.
The line from Irkutsk 10 Moscow Is
still closed. but the repo.ts are said
TO show tho next move will be TO take
the stations held by the Iolsheviki.
and repair several bri - which have
been destroyed. In this work the ST.
ing to the assistance Of the Czecho-
Slovaks.
The information reached the State
Department via Pcking from Consul
Harris at Irkutsk The report an
nounced that the general political stu
alton throughout Russia was rapidly
Improving. The new all-Russian gov
crnment proclaimed from Archangel
IA IL
quarters at Omsk. Its announced pur-
pose is to cooperate with the United
states and the allies and oppose the
authority Of the central empires.
AMERICAN CONSUL GETS
OFFICIALS OUT OF PRISON
Secretary of State Lansing also re-
ported having received a long message
from Consui-General Poole at Moscow.
which came via Stockholm. Mr. Poole
| burned his cookbook, turned the ar
fairs OF the consulate over to the rep
.csentatives OF Sweden. on August
5. and prepared TO leave. Several of
the consular representatives of the
! allies, including the oonsul-general of
Japan did start home. but Mr.. Poole
subsequently elected to stay and work
for the release of the British, French
D "
thrown into prison by the Bolsheviki.
Through the efforts OF the United
States consul, a number Of tn 2 prison
ers have been released and the condi-
ton of ninety individuals still held by
! the Russian authorities has been
greatly relieved. according TO the re-
port.
All representatives Of the Y. NJ. c. A.,
Red Cross and American financial in
stitutions are safe. Mr.. Poole said the
Americans were planning TO remain
in Moscow. and from this II is con-
cluded at the State Department that
they are in no dang-r of being mo-
Tested.
Moscow is said to be almost entirely
in the hands of the social revolution
aries, as the Bolshevik authorities are
moving the governmental headquar-
ters. including the state bank. as rap
idly railroad commun cations will
permit
a report that the Germans have
seized and occupied the Russian naval
base at Kronstadt was not mentioned
in Consul-General Poole's report. or
otherwise confirmed at tn State De-
partment. Premier I.enine and War
Minister Trotzky recently removed
their headquarters from Moscow to
Kronstadt