The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-02-10

sweater Is worn number of times
of these Aliases Presently they bowed
Baturny out of the room. They nodded
gravely, reaffirming their decision to
hold their places, to maintain the gov
eminent Futile resolution!
APPROACHsOF RED MOB
The next. echoes that drifted through
the windows heralded the approach OF
the red mob. They approached with
an ominous chorus. Believe me, the
battle cry of unreasoning revolution
is the snarl of wild beasts no less. II
starts from away down in the bowels
Of men and it surges upward to a
frightful shrek 1t has bass notes and
fine baritones and sopranos that
diva would envy. But it is savage
thing for it is the song of hate, the
blood call, the murder call. For the
time 1t was affair off, but vaguely and
gradually it neared us.
The Winter palace was guarded that
day by 500 loyal soldiers. of whom 800
were those singular beings, the wom-
en- of the battalion of death, those
self-devoted martyrs to courage and
honor; that handful of living rebukes
to the sham elessness of males. To
these the members of the cabinet adj
dressed reassuring words, but oh, how
ho,lowly they. rang! Breaths against
a coming STORM The great gates OF
iron were shut and barred, those gates
that had failed to protect the Car. and
the old regime. Double guards were
stationed at every doorway and win
dow. The clock struck 2 resonantly.
We were reminded that we had not
breakfas ted Strange how men under
81 els dnx ~ ~ wing will think
of their empty bellies. OF food there
was little or none, but tea was to
be had Volunteers were called for to
foray from the palace in search OF
food A journalist and j volunteered
and accepted the mission. We returned
shortly with sufficient provisions for
the cabinet ministers.
The minutes raced by. The clock
struck 2. At that moment a shot was
heard the first bark of the bolsheviki
Presently we discerned a mob advanc-
ing toward the palace. 1t was made
up of hundreds OF soldiers and sailors
and some civilians, all marching with
cut semblance of order-a sprawlina
mob. They shouted and sang. Their
ewes CLEANED like the eyes of hunting
beasts. A craze was heating theii
blood More shots were heard. bul'
let splintered pane of window glass
The cabinet members retired. to .
room less exposed. Then came the in
termittent noise of firing.
At o'clock a flag of truce ap-
preached from the bolsheyik horde
The messenger bore a letter which de
manded the unconditional surrender
Of the government within 20 minutes
We were warned that refusal woult
mean the bombardment of the palace
by the guns of the Fortress of Petel
and Paul and by the guns of the war
ships 1t fires me with pride to STATE
that the insolent demand was re
jected.
Let them dare shoot us!" said thu
socialist ministers. drawing themselves
up to their full height and regarding
the bolshevik herald with firm glances
The proclamation of which i spol'
had not been issued because there hat
been no stenographers to type it. Il
the crisis the ministers held 1t wa
urgent to get this proclamation be
fore the public 1t might serve L
check the disorder. We tried to tele
/ phone it's text, but the bolsheviki hat
seized the telephone system and w
were cut off from the newspapers
| Several journalists and myself volun
teered to do the tipping and in tn
course of a quarter of an hour W
made dozen copies and dispatche'
| them by soldier messenger to the OF
| fices of the newspapers. The messen
gers bravely faced the mob and wer
| not. for some reason, fired upon o
| Intercepted.
PALACE AGAIN SURROUNDED
At 6:30 p. m. the palace was agail
surrounded. Firing started and Increase
in vehemence. Windows were Skaters
right and left. Soldier guards here an
4 uoY 10 10 ar. nd 81
Eventually we had to remove the guard
from the exposed windows, and we lef
only few soldiers to watch and repor
the situation outside the palace. At darl
the entire SQUARE was filled with surgin
mobs Bolsheyik soldiers mostly. to tn
number of $4,000. 1t grew very still
Rifle firing ceased. The glare from burn
Ing houses lit an Internal spectacle
Nothing more internal has ever been seel
by the eyes Of man. 1t was the deaf
struggle Of decent. honorable, compass
sionate government.
Then-of sudden--came a great boom
from a warship in the Neva. 1t was
| signal. Instantly the mob put itself i
motion and stormed the palace gates. tn
great iron doors going down like thing
| OF paper. Guards were arrested o
| bayoneted. Our young officers. some c
them still students at the Military acad
| enay. were nervous They were brav
lads, but youth cannot Withstand tn
| frightful psychological shock which mob
employ. These young officers rushed int
! the room where the cabinet was sittin
land argued the futility of resisting 5000
/, crazy men with 900 soldiers. The Dol
/, sheviki had artillery. The soldiers ha
only their rifles. 1t was problem 70
Bonnparte There was no Bonaparts
Kerensky might have been noble Bona
parte. Mere OF that later.
! The ministers persuaded the young OF
ficers to remain at their duty. They hel
| out hope that within an hour. perhap
/ Two. Kercnskv would come to the rescu
with loyal infantry anG artillery and tina
1.-THE mob would be swept from the streets
IIt was high sounding talk. but doubt
were clutching at my throat.
The Young officers asked for foo.
They said plaintively that they were hur
| CRY. Again that singular phenomenon
Men demanding food within the yer
| shadow tof death. In the soldier kitche
Of the palace there was barely enous
| food for enc meal. and this. at 7 o'cloc
I'm the morning, Officers and soldier
shared. man for man. That was an I
the food. It was terrible weak (