The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-04-14
PEASANTS HELP YANKEE TROOPS
 IN NO. RUSSIA

With the Americans on North Rus
 sian Front, Mar. S.-(Correspondenc
 of The Associated Press)-In this in-
 international army which is fighting
 numerically superior Bolshevik forces
 in North Russia there are, mingled
 with the half dozen or so varieties
 of uniforms, men who wear no uni
 forms at all. They fight, as did the
 francs tireurs in the F'ranco-Prussian
 war and the first minute men of the
 American revolution, for the protec-
 tion of their firesides.
 They are peasants, bearded or
 beardless, with nothing to distinguish
 them from the thousands of other
 peasants living around them but their
 guns and cartridge belts. They are
 the irregular or partisan troops and
 the sentiments they are showing and
 fighting for in this wilderness of
 snow and pine trees loom up so pa
 triotically that the government of Northern Russia is beginning to look
 upon them as the keystone on which
 to build a Russian state that will
 be free from Bolsh hevism..
 l IleSe peasants nave known the
 ravages of RoIshevik troops in their villages. They have seen friends ex- ecuted for anti-BoIshevik activities.
 They hail the Allies as rescuers. In nearly every attack the regular troops make against the enemy one | finds these armed partisans, crack shots, going ahead of or along the Hanks of the Americans British French and trained, uniformed Rus sians to scout a path or take a pot shot at the enemy.
 The point of view of these peas ants is this: The army has not yet been organized; we are robbed and | ill-treated by the BoIshevik; there fore we have to defnd ourselves" The peasants in the Kholmegory district | along the Dwino river, have been fighting for four months, Military au- 1 thorities say they do their work so cheerfully and efficiently as regular soldiers. The Red Guards are help | less against the revolted popula- l tion.
 The appearance of peasants fight ing voluntarily against Trotzkys 1 forces has a demoralzing effect upon l the Bo1sheviki as it disabuses the | minds of some Of them of the theory l that they are being opposed only by | lmperiaIists."
 The partisans know that if they are captured they will be shot. But, l knowing the forest country as city | dwellers know their own streets, they | are seldom captured. In scouting T they are as tireless wild animals. The government of the North for a long time did nothing to help the partisans. but, now that their use | fitness is recognized. they and their 1 families are provisioned as if they i were regular soldiers. In December | a big delegation of partisans went to i Archangel and, according to the local 1 newspapers. this new apparition stir | red up all the classes of population of | the town
 | It became clear that a sound evolu- | ton from anarchy toward patriotism | had taken place among the people. | that the efforts of the partisans, | though of . local character, must be 1 supported, and that it was absolutely l necessary to create a suitable at- nosphere for further organization Of | partisan detachments. A big com 1 rrittee including all political parties 1 has been form ed in Archangel to aic 1 in this plan and new partisan news ! paper is 10 be pu blished for the bene
 of the fighting peasants