Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-23

salutcd each other as two soldiers might.
but did not speak. Ae We pa sscd on
Nussa and | expressed asst n's''-ient
This Is agreed" she said. while |
am in the Baullion Of Death We are
not to meet or ncak TO each ether hut
he writes me very day"
REPLACING MEN AT THE FRONT
In June thrill OF excitement wcnt
over our camp when Il was announced
that soldiers Of the battalion were to
be selected to take the places OF men
who had been sent from the front
wound d. \ great feeling Of satisfac-
ton iiil,d US. It is true that we were
a,ways treated with respect by the
oyai soldiers and most o. the people
of Pctrcgrad. but men aui women OF
thc lower Class--alterward no doubt
IN the Bolsneriki--oCcasiula laughed
when they saw us pass or uttered words
or rdiculr TO one another
We were to have a chance TO prove
our wur:h; to show that our pledge OF
d'Gih was not nero words i;yery
woman was ,agtr to br chosen
| Enough to iugkc two full CoInpauirs, rT
-"o each. were taken on the first graft
ihoSc who were most proficient Ia dril.
were selected Naturally. those were
women who had been In training LONGER
| than We. our company was not permit
lod 10 send even one auldicr We stood
ana Cheered the draft when I, marched
out OF the camp. There were many rirls
Ut eighteen and some even younger In
the ranks.
Despite our enthusiasm there was
some m!sg wing among the leaders Of
l'e NerehSky government about the
M'sdom OF sending women to the front.
i. turhed out that there was reason in
',.e" view. ihc story of the experience
u our women soldiers IN the trenches
runs with blood and horror. II nrovee
ahockingly, for all time that women
may be as heroic as men. bui ,h,,
women may never be soldiers and fight
men Within i've days after our
women soldiers departed. the tale of
urcad began to unfold. First thsr. was
hr ef dispatch saying that tn. Eat.
taiion or Death soldiers had been I'm 'uc.
uoh ana had fought gloriously. Tha,
tnT,lleu us 10 false idea of what wag
" loloW. The blood Of the people OF
ie.losrhd was chilled when our
W, m'tnntd came back. Young girls were
IN the number. with their tender holios
| manned and torn by she'll and h.,,on.,
! They told how their sisters NAM ~,
tht'n' mad led, lighting frs; for the
N"uSe OF ltuSS a. shoulder to shoulder
| WIN 'oyal russian sold ers who rev.r.
clVe" tnein and then for their honor.
"honS the brutal soldlcry Of The
| enemy Va VIC
ne Huns wCr" encouraged he ,b,J-
oinceis to make examples OF ,hoso craz,.
Women low they did SO one must on'y
m,"6 ne " may not be told. Then there
Nt'' even more terrible tales I'm which
eue btrinahs ana tie Austrians did not
appear. towardiy. dsluyaI baDstg FROM
| the ranks OF our own armv--dosor,ors
| 10 whom there was no lay .itbor -,
patriotism or humantv--comrnI.te these
| crimes. They seized three OF our won,a n
Soiu''tS by pretending to be lOyaI troops
with orders for them. One of these girls
| "as dead long before she lcf, their
hands TIL" others were found uncon.
sc'ons, beside her dead body. at dawn.
And this was done within sound of the
rInes OF our soldiers who we're diving
for Russia.
THE BAPTIS;f OF BLOOD
! The presence Of the wounded girl sol.
! di"rs IN Pctr0grad and the sp-cod If ,'a
stories OF the terrible things which had
happened led to meetings at wh!cl,
speakers demanded that no more
wolncns lives should be sacrificed even
| " all the towards in Russia should leave
! their posts. That WIS Eerenslly's belief
/ also. lie issued an arbitrary order that
! no more of the Battalion of Death SOL
| di"rs should BE- sent 10 the front II was
| reported that he was about to fttingly
e&rrcss the nations thanks 10 us and
order tho disbandmcnt OF our orCanIza-
| tion. Then cam" the frst Eolsheviil
/ riots in P'troRrad. and we got our hap
| tiSm Of blood. after all There were
fr"sh horrors in this w"ep as think
OF one awful night. and stil | hear the
scream OF Nussa, my friend. the pretty
Nussa with the soul Of a giant, but only.
the trail body OF woman. or that
night | shall tell But I say again. In
this world woman has her place. and
, may serve noblv and braveiy and with
sacrilicial unselilshness. but women nav
not fight against men as soldiers. 7 say
", and ! have tough: against men as q
soldier.
tCopyright. 1878, by the Bell syndicate. Inc. J
NOEE--The second article of this
series s1he Ntght ini In, I.tr