The evening leader., 1918-08-19

Vladimir ), Surban, an officer III thS
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
Professor Masaryk, commander-in-
chief of the Czecho-Slovak army and
president of the national council. Cap
tain Eurban has given to The Asso-
ciated Press his story of the expert
ences of the Czecho-Slovaks from the
time the army of escaped prisoners
fought their way eastward from Tx
rainia.
"The history of the origin of our
army, of it's operations on the Russian
front, and its march around the wo7
to the French front will some day
read like a fantastical romance, BE-
fore which the iinaginati IN fades into
the prosaic, he said.
"Our army in Russia was organized
from Czecho and Slovak prisoners of
war under almost insurmountable diff
fculties. We were cooperating viii
the Russian army, and since the sum
mer of 1917 were practically the only
army on the Russian front, capable ef.
any military action in the proper
sense of the word In July, 1917, dur
ing the first revolutionary offensive
under Kerensky it was only our army
that really attacked and advanced.
! when tie Bolshevik Soviet govern
ment signed the peace treaty at the
beginning of March, our army, of
about $4,000 men, was in Ukrainia,
near Kiev. The former Ukrainian
government, to escape the Bolsheviki,
threw themselves into the arms of the
Germans and called for German help.
When the German and Austrian ar
mics began their advance into Uk-
rainia, the position of our armies was
almost desperate. We were in a state
which had concluded peace, into which,
however, the Germans were advanc-
ing and occupying large territories
without resistance, The Red Guards
of the Soviets did not represent any
real military 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 of
materials and no reserves; everywhere
there was disorganization and anar-
cfy, and the Bolsheviki and Red
Guards seized the locomotives and
were fleeing east in panic.
"Under these circumstances Enper-
or Charles sent us a special envoy
with the promise that, if we would
disarnn, we would be amnested and ouY
lands would receive autonomy. We
answered that we would not negotiate
with the Austrian emperor.
Gas we could not hold a front. we
began a retreat to the east. Already
then in agreement with the allies (our
army had been proclaimed a part of
the CzechoSlovak army on the west
ern front, and thus allied with the
French army, il was decided to trans
port our army over Siberia end Amer
lea to France. We began the difficult
retreat from Kiev. The Germans in
an overwhelming force were trying to
prevent our escape. About hundred
miles behind us they seized the i'm
portant railroad junction at Rachnac
which we were obliged to pass in oul
trains on our retreat to the east.
when we arrived at Bachmac the
Germans were already waiting for us
There began battle lasting foul
days, in which they were badly defeat,
ed, and which enabled us to get oui
trains through. The commander OF
the German detachment offered us As
hours truce, which we accepted, fol
our duty was to leave Ukrainia; but
the truce was Cancelled by the German
chief commander, Linsingen, but toe
late; our trains had already got away
We lost altogether about 600 men il
dead, wounded and unaccountable
while we buried 1000 Germans in onl,
one day.
In this manner we escaped from
Ukrainia. Our relations with the Boil.
sheviki were still good. We refraincc
from meddling with Russian interna
affairs and, we tried to come to ar
agreement with the Bolshevik govern.
ment with respect to our departure, OF
passage through Russia. But already
signs were visible that the Bolshevik
either under German influence OF
because we then represented the only
real power in Russia-would try tc