Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-27
AND HERE IT CONTINUES

AND HERE 1T CONTINUES
Many soldiers, friends of mine,
hastened next into our trench to warn
me of the mems ugly temper and
threats. l told them that I saw the
Germans approach my girls and make
an effort at Irritation. But this de.
Tense did not appease the soldiers.
They placed machine guns in the first
trench and We're going to wipe us all
out. Fortunately, we We're informed
in time and hidden in side trench.
The machine gun raked our position,
without causing any casualties. The
firing was finally interrupted by the
sharp orders of the chairman of the
regimental committee. I was called
before him for an explanation. I
bade farewell to my girls, telling them
that there would probably be a repe-
tition of the episode of Colonel
Belongov's lynching.
I was met with threats and ugly
words.
Kill her!"
Sne s hOrnllOVKa!
make a short shrift of her!"
I was surrounded by the members
of the committee, who held off the
mob. Several speakers rose to my
defense, but hardly succeeded in mol
lifying the crowd. Then an officer
got up to talk in my behalf. He wss
popular speaker. But this time his
popularity failed. He said that I was
right. He would have done the same
thing had he been in my place. That
was as far as he got.
AHA, so you are a Kornilovetz
too" shouted the crowd. Kill him!
Kill him!"
In an instant the man was thrown
of the chair and struck in the head
, In another instant he was crushed
/. to death under a thousand heels.
Then the mob swayed in my di
rection. But the committee seized me
and carried me off to the rear, hiding
me in a dugout. One of my girls
Medvedovskaya, was placed at the en-
trance to guard it.
Meanwhile. my girls heard Of the
happenings and hurried to my aid
The mob spread out to look for m,
and a part of it came to the dugou
In which I was concealed.
where is Botchkareva? Let u!
IN to see IL she is there!" they
shouted. The girl sentry said she hat
orders to shoot If they approached
near her They did. She fired, wound
ing one in the side.
The poor girl was bayoneted by thu
brutes.
The committee and my friends, mum
bering about one hundred, insisted
that be given a trial and not mobbed
My girls were ready to die to the las
one for me right there. I was taker
out from the dugout by my defenders
who made an effort to lead me t.
safety for an open trial.
The mob, now increased, pressed
closer and closer. The two sides wer,
fighting for me. 1t was agreed tha
no weapons were TO be used in th'
scramble. The mass of humanit,
swayed back and forth, my girls fight
ing like enraged beasts to stave of
the mob. Now and then a fellow
would get close enough through tn,
chain to land a blow at me. AS th'
struggle progressed these blows mul
tiplied till I was knocked unconscious
In that state my friends dragged mi
spirited me away.
Ny life was saved although I wa
badly beaten up. 1t cost the lives o
q loyal girl and an innocent friend
was sent to Molodechno, a coupl
of my girls going with me as attend
ants. The Battalion was taken from
the front to the reserve billets. Blu
even, there their lives We're not safe
They were insulted, annoyed, calle
n.y. lit In; nc
The windows of their dugouts wer
broken. The officers were powerles
and seldom showed their faces. M
y instructors did their best to defen
me and the battalion, explaining tina
we were nonpartisan.
One morning a car came for m
from headquarters at Molodechno.
met there a high officer of my corps
who described the intolerable sur
roundings in which my girls remained
They waited for me, refusing order
to go home unless the Natchalnik dis
banded them. He had sent them t
dig reserve trenches in order to kee
them away from the men. They di
splendid work, he said, but as 500
as they returned the men began t
inolest them. Only the precedin
night a gang of soldiers made an as
sault on the dugouts in which my girl
were billeted. They beat the sentr
and broke in with the intention @
attacking the women. There was
panic. Some of the girls seized thei
rifles and fired in the air. The nois
attracted the attention of my instruc
tors and many other soldiers, anon
whom there were numerous decen
fellows. The situation was saved b
the latter.
But what was to be done? Life 70
the battalion became absolutely un
bearable, at least at this part of tn
front. 1t was difficult to understan
the change undergone by the men !
several months. How long ago wa
II that they almost worshiped me, an
/ loved them? Now they seemed
have turned wild.
The officer advised me to disband tn
battalion. But that would amount
an acknowledgment of failure and tn
hQpelessness of my country's cond
tion. was not ready to acknowlede
these No, / would not disband m
unit I would fight to the end. I'll
visitor could not see 1t this wa,
Wasn't / at the end of the rope If ii
soldiers had turned machine guns @
n the battalion? Wouldn't / have bee
lynched If not for the desperate stru
gle of my girls and soldier friends
resolved to go to Petrograd ar
ask Kerensky to transfer me to
fighting sector. 1 went to see my gir
y before leaving for the capital. 1t wa
pathetic meeting. They were gls
70 learn Of my planned trip. Tbs
4 could not stand II much longer Whel
they were. They we're prepared
Z 0xh< the Germans. to be tortured I
theu. f0 az It thfir Eau6a or ~ ur{zo