The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-27

| WAo1l\Gl YIN, aug. St--odpI&alu
Vladimir S. Hurban, an officer in the
Czecho-Slovak army which Japan and
the United States have decided to aid
in Siberia, has come to Washington
from Vladivostok to make a report to
Chief of the Czecho-Slovak army and
president of the National Council.
| Captain Hurban has given the Asso-
ciated Press his story of the exper-
fences of the Czecho-Slovak from the
time the army of escaped prisoners
! fought their way eastward from Ukra-
| mia.
THE hisory of the origin of our
army, of it's operations on the Russian
front, and it's march around the world
| to the French front will some day
read like a fantastic romance, before
which the imagination fades into the
prosaic," he said.
! Our army in Russia was organized
| from Czecho and Slovak prisoners Of
war under almost insurmountable diff
| ficulies. We were cooperating with
the Russian army, and since the sum-
mer of 1917 were practically the only
army on the Russian front, capable of
any military action in the proper sense
! vi tuC "clu. Ill July, Io1i, ouA iiiS IilC
| first revolutionary offensive under
Kerensky, it was only our army that
| really attacked ad advanced.
Asked Help Of Germans.
when the Bolshevik Soviet govern
| beginning of March, our army, of
about $4,000 men, was in Ukrainia,
near Kiev The former Ukrainian
osoora po1Cboytkc
threw themselves into the arms of the
Germans and called for German help.
When the German and Austrian orrn-
les began their advance into Ukrania,
the position of our army was almost
desperate. We were in a state which
had concluded peace, into which, how
ever, the Germans were advancing and
occupying large territories without re-
sistance The Red Guards Of the So
viets did not represent any real mill
tary power
"The Germans advanced against US
in overwhelming numbers and there
was danger that we would be sur
rounded. Our rear was not covered
and the Germans were liable to at
tack US there. We had no lines Of
communication behind US, no stores
where there was disorganiZation and
anarchy, and the Bolshevik Red
Guards seized the locomotives and
were fleeing East in panic.
Under these circumstances Emper- |
or Charles sent us a specia lenvoy !
with the promise, that if we would !
disarm, we would be amnestied and |
our lands would receive autonomy. |
hot n a.
gotiate with the Austrian Emperor.
Retreat to East.
"As we could not hold front, we
began a retreat to the East. Already
then in agreement with the Allies,
(our army had been proclaimed a
part of the Czecho-Slovak army on the
Western front, and thus allied with
the French army it was decided to
our army over Siberia and
America to France We began the
difficult retreat from Kiev. The Ger
mans in overwhelming force were try
ing to prevent our escape. About
miles behind us hey seized
the important railway junction at
Bachmac, which we were obliged to
pass in our trains on our retreat to
the East.
|
Germans were already waiting for US.
There began a battle lasting four
days, in which they we're badly de-
feated, and which enabled us to get
our trains through. The commander
of the German detachment offered US
a 48 hours truce, which we accepted,
for our duty was to leave Ukrainia;
but the truce was Cancelled by the
German chief commander, Linsingden,
but too late; our trains had already
got away We lost altogether about
500 men in dead, wounded and unac-
while we buried 1000 Ger
man dead in one day.
Already there were signs that the
Germans were beginning to be uneasy
about our movement. Today we have
evidence of the fact that
n March the Germans considered our
progress as naive adventure which