Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-08

going some of his fellows intrusted
him with messages to their relatives.
I thought of the Nasilievs. who so
i kindly took me from the hospital to
! their home in the fall of 1916. and
begged the officer to visit them and
tell Of my plight. He promised to do
so and carried out the errand. I sent
them message that I expected TO be
executed and asked their help.
When Daria Maximovna got the
message she was shocked and inlme-
diately set out to get permission to see
me. But when she called at the Sol
diers Section for a pass to see BotCf-
kareva she was taken for friend OF
, kornilOv's and would have been badly
mauled but for the fact that her son
Stepan. the very fellow VINO belonged
to my company and who had brought
about the friendship between MS
mother and me, was now one OF the
BolsheVik chiefs. Daria MaXmovna
raised the cry that she was the mother
OF Stepan Nasiliev. of such and such
department, and he was brought to
| identify her.
This saved her from severe punish
ment. She then appealed to her son
to intervene in my behalf, but he re-
fused. claiming that he could not come
to the aid of an open friend of korni.
Low. He, however. obtained a pass to
my cell for his mother. Later he re-
sponded TO her entreates and did say
"a few go id words for me, telling the
proper authorities that I was a simple
peasant woman with no Understanding
of politics.
On the fourth day of my imprison-
ment | received a quarter of pound
of bread. some tea and two cubes of
sugar. The bread was too black for
description, consisting partly of straw.
l could not even touch it and had to
satisfy myself with three cups of tea.
Later in the day a sailor came in. ad-
dressing me as comrade, and informed
me that one Nasiliev was waiting to
see me. I was weak so weak that
could not move a few feet without as
sistance. AS soon as I got up and
made a step | sank back on the bunk,
helpless.
Are you sick" the sailor asked.
Yes" l murmured.
He took me by the arm and led me
10 a chair in the office. I was all III
perspiration after the little walk and
was unable to see anything from dizzi-
ness. When Daria MaXimovna saw
me she fell on my neck and wept.
Turning to the officials, she cried out
bitterly:
How could you ever have such a
woman arrested and subjected to tor
ture? She was so kind TO the sol.
diers she suffered so much for your
own brothers"
She then opened package, took out
some bread and butter and handed
them to me, saying:
"Manka. here is a quarter of a
mound pf broad we ppf today was
three-eighths of a pound And tins is
a quarter of a pound OF butter, our
entire ration"
I was immensely grateful to this
dear3woman and her children. who had
sacrificed their own portions for me
The bread was good. The difficulty
was, according to Daria MaNimovna
to get enough for all .plouths. Even
this meager ration was not always OBJ
tainable.
then told her my troubles and the
punishment I faced begging her tt
: write to my mother in case of my exc
: cution.
Two weeks spent in that abomina
BILE cell until 7 was taken before the
tribunal. I was marclHd along tht
. Tverskaya, Moscows chief thorough
fare, and was recognized by thu
crowds. The tribunal was quarteret
in the Kremlin. For a couple of hours
I waited there. at. the end of which
time I was surprised to see Stepar
Vasiliev come in and approach me.
"Marusa. how did you ever get int
: this?" he asked me, shaking my hanc
and inviting me to sit down.
1 told him the story of my going t.
Kislovodsk to take the cure.
But how did you eyer get to I've
revo?" he inquired.
II had a ticket to Kislovodsk. ! dit
Y not know that Zverevo was such 1
: forbidden place. Once they sold me {
ticket 7 thought it all right Il
: follow the regular route" ! answered
, heatedly.
"I spent a couple of hours yesterda,
: examining your case and the docu
!, ents pertaining to it, but could no
l quite understand how you got t.
5 Zverevo," Stepan said. perhaps yo1
really did go to see Kornilov?'
t II do not deny my friendship TO
Y Kornilov," I declared, glad at hear
4 that Stepan turned up in such posi-
tion of authority. But you know tina
!. I am almost illiterate and understan
{ no politics and do not mix with an
s party. | fought in the trenches 70
Q Russia and 1t is Mother Russia alon
= that interests me. All Russians ar
J. my brothers"
. Stepan answered that he knew Q
> my ignorance of political matters. Fl
n then went out TO report to the tribuna
@ and soon afterward l was called II
Q There were six men, all common so
g diers, seated at long table covere
n with a green cloth, in the middle of
s large hall, richly finished. / wa
asked to sit down and tell my stor,
t and how I ever got into Zverevo. TIL
Il six Judges were all young men, nc
- one OF them over thirty.
I started to rise from. the chair
;" tell my yarn, but was very courteousl
asked to remain seated. then told {
- my wound in the back, of the operi
ton that / still needed for the extra
tion Of a piece OF shell, and of my col
d sulting Petrograd physician. who a,
vised me TO go to the springs In XII
d loyodsk. said that had heard {
4 fighting between Kornilov ad the Bo
o sheviki. at Novotcherkask. but had n
idea what civil war was like an
o nevep thought of a front in such
n struggle. |, therefore, continued
. Nikitino. where the commandant ha