Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-20
FORMER LOCAL Y. M {. A. MAN WRITES
4NlEKES Ting LETTERS OF HIS WORK
AMONG CZECHO-SLOVAKS IN SIBERIA

Inasmuch as press dispatches
have not clearly reported the sit
uation on the Siberian front and it
is exceedingly difficult to secure in
formation from that seat of present
war activities the following ex-
tracts from letters of Edward
Head, Young Mems Christian asso-
cation war worker in charge of
activities among American and
CZecho-Slovak soldiers in Siberia
IS interesting and valuable as
throwing light on conditions that
nave led the United States and
other allied nations to land forces
there TO help adjust the situation.
Mr. Head was formerly secre-
tary of the Davenport Young
Mems Christian association and has
been in Russia and Siberia for
more than year. An interview
with Mrs. Head, who has recently
returned from that country and
who is now living with her parents
MIR. and Mrs. Charles Ainsworth in
Moline, was printed in these col
umns yesterday. Portions OF Mr..
- >.H~~h- - A@--tS4 - al < d DDSIt-tN.
July 6-Red Cross circles are
whirling into action as result OF
trainload Of wounded Czechs
brought in from Nikolsk yesterday.
They report that there Will be 100
from the same place. Only 10 were
killed, however. The city was taken
by the Szechs yesterday afternoon.
The bringing in of the wounded
has caused a sensation as you can
imagine. About one hundred fifty
Of them are CHARTERED on the
Brooklyn and Suffolk and the
Brooklyn warehouse.
July 13-Last night Griff put on
another kino show for the wound
ed in the Brooklyn warehouse. Il
is quite a sight to see the 76 men
all lying on their cots ard looking
up at the pictures straight ahead
of them. They surely do appre-
oiate it. They are getting SPLEEN
did attention from DR.. Dunn, the
Brooklyn physician. Several Of
them are already well enough 10
want to get to the front again.
We talked with one little Boil
shevik. II years Old lie says tnat
he isn't a Bolshevik but that he
was forced to fight. He told about
the money, medals and crosses Of
fered by the recruiting officer. The
American sailors have taken a
fancy to him and say they are
going to adopt him. He got a bad
wound through the neck and cheek
One of the Gzechs got bullet
Craze along his cheek and through
his hair.
They got another hurry call
I yesterday. a fight about As far the
other side OF Nibolsk as NibOlsk is
from here. Francis IS probably at
the scene of the fight. His letters
are extremely interesting. We re-
ceiyed a German sword yesterday
which the Czechs had captured and
presented to him and which he Is
sending home.
We are undergoing a wholesale
reorganization of our work in view
Of the demands made upon US, es-
pecially to supply the SlCvaks on
our club trains. We stocked them
up with what we thought would
be enough for a month and it only
lasted a week. (The Y. NJ c. A
has evidently started a new scheme
Of administering to the comfort OF
soldiers in the form Of freight cars
fitted up for -'Y' huts. They fol-
low the armies rom battle to
/ baJtle.) Our cars have become
more popular than we ever imag
ined they would. and We can feel
sure we had a most stimulating in
fuence on the spirit of the troops.
| The American and Czech fiags
are waving together over the club
cars, which must be rather inter
1 esting sight to the ignorant peas
ants who have been propagandied
! into the belief that the CZechs will
murder everybody and that the
I Americans are coming to restore
/ the Bolsheviks and attack the
! Czechs.
story and I have found great
/ subject for discussion, ne believing
( that it is not yet time for inUerven-
/ ton and l believing it is time. OF
7 course he can OutarEaIe me, but he
/ hasn't vet convinced me.
July 16-I was in Nibolsk Sun
day. Outside Of the city | saw the
| bridge which the Bolsheviki had
blown up with dynamite. The first
/ dav the Czechs were at a disadvan-
tage as they had no artillery, while
/ the Bolsheviks had armored cars.
! The CZechs had to retire but after
wards came back with reinforce