The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-01-22
Girl Tells Truth About Women Soldiers OF
Russia-They Fought Own Troops, Not Foe
"WOMEN CANNOT
FIGHT IN WAR;"
REALIZATION
OF SADDENED
HEROINES
By JACK JUNGMEyER

SAN FRANCISCO. Jan. 2s.--iIere
II the plain. unvarnlnhed truth about
the Russian womcn's Battalion OF
Death. told In America for the first
time
Russian women soldiers were at.
tackled aud defeated not by the Ger.
mans. but b. their own male com.
rades In arms.
Details of that attack are untcll'
able aud the scenes lndcscribahle.
shocking Truth
And this bedrock truth about the
fate OF the worlds last sensational
example Of female soldiery was given
TO mo hy those who know as only
eve witnesses can know Miss Eva
Zaionz and Miss sylvia kopkin. who
have Just arrived In the United
states following their flight from
Russia.
10th girls ar- members OF the Hat.
TALON OF Death. hut both. for.
tunately. belonged to a unit which
had not yet been mustered into ser.
vice. and therefore they were not
stationed at the barracks where tho
last scene IN the tragedy 81 the
women soldiers was staged.
An interview with Miss Zaionz
causes one TO abandon all conceal.
ment OF the fact that the big ques.
ton In the mind % every reader OF
the achievements OF the Russian
Amazons. and the hig question in
every mind az every suggestion OF
active fighting by women has been
WIN not the sex element inter.
fercr
And Miss /aipnf answers
frankly that the sex barrier II
insup~rable.
There are two bis. primal human
Impulses" she said. summing un the
significance OF her experiences. ''aelf.
preservation and the continuance OF
the species, They are the fundamen.
tai laws OF existence.
Continuance OF the race comes
first because race must h. prrpet.
, uated before II can be either pre-,
served or destroyed
The race Is continued BY the sex
Impulse; the sclfdefenae urge. 81
which war Ia an expression. merely
preserving the race.
Therefore. as the narrowing Rus.
sian tragedies which went forward
under ms very eyes prove. the sex
barrier l. stronger than the harrt.
cades against the fc-r. And mankind.
IN the chaos which war Implies. will
ss..
Can't he Soldiers
Many patriotic Russian girls
wer. thus prevented from joining the
battalion Of Death.
The women who did Join. IL they
had been sent TO the assembly bar.
racks In Petrograd. or had gone into
tho trenches. had to defend those
barracks and trenches against their
own male soidicrs.
Women win never play an i'm.
portant part as active soldiers In any
war. There's no sense In eioakinE
this fact. Tho world might az well
admit the truth and quit talking
nonsense
"Ruasla's battalion OF fighting
N'fitfA was NttfA eAN tpt ny tnf
enemy. but by Russian men"
Miss Zaionx described the scenes
when riotinR Russ soldiers. stream.
Ing back from the dcmoralizcd front.
stormsd the inadcauateiy defended
shelters Of the second Battalion OF
Death.
1T was the shame OF Rusaia'a
manhood and the outrage % it,
womanhood " she said
We tried desperately TO help our
beloved country. but the men would
not permit a.
Broke Into barracks
with their officers shot or d
serted. and discipline cast asld.
many soldiers reached petrograd Jus.
as kercnsky WAS being overthrow
They broke into tho barracks where
women were quartcred The ensuing
scenes were revolving beyond words
1T was "a tragic disiiluaionment 60
the brave girls Of Russia. thousands
OF whom were ready to Join that In.
trcpid band that forgot home and
comfort and the handicaps OF sex TO
save our country from disaster.
~ am afraid their efforts we're en-.
tireiy In vain. have come to Amer.
len TO forget. as many others from
the Battalion OF Death win come"