The Nenana daily news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1918-1921, 1919-05-03
CHICAGO WOMAN
WATCHES CzECHS
FIGHT BOlSHEv|K

OMSK, Siberia-Exciting adven-
lures have fallen 10 the lot of Mrs.
Carl c. Compton, of Chicago, who,
with American womanly pluck, has
accompanied her husband in many
months of humanitarian relief work
among the Armenians, and later
during the most exciting moments
OF the Bolshevik revolution. They
had never left Illinois before COM
ing to the Caucasus for the Com
mittee on Armenian Relief. Now
Mr.. Compton is in charge of the
American Young Mems Christian
Association work at Omsk.
They were first stationed at AL
eXandropol, Caucasus, then in the
hands of the Russians. and were oc-
cupied with industrial relief work.
Positions were found for refugees
as they arrived. fleeing from Tur-
key. They estimated that they and
other members of the corps dis
tributed clothing for $4,000 Ar
menian orphans, whose parents had
been massacred by the Turks. Help
was furnished to about 10000 refu-
gees.
Then, suddenly, the Russian rev.
olution developed The Bolsheviki
abandoned the battle front and the
Turkish army advanced. Ii was
feared that the Germans would
come down the Black sea and seize
the line from Batum to Tifis. The
American consul advised all the
Americans to leave at once. and
special train conveying sixty for
eigners finally arrived at Baku on
the Caspian sea. There they were
caught in battle between Boil
sheviki and Armenians on one side
and Tartars on the other. The
street in which they lived was DOM
mated by Tartars, who sprayed the
roadway with machine-gun bullets.
For three days they did not dare
leave the house, and had only bread
to live on Eventually. by paying a
high price, they were able to char
ter a special steamer for Astrak-
han, which is situated at the mouth
of the Volga. I'VE had to sleep
on the deck throughout the whole
trip" said Mrs. Compton THE
crew and the families of the crew
slept in the cabins, and refused TO
give them up.
We waited for two weeks for
the ice to break up in the Volga
and then We went up to Samara.
The others went on TO Vladivostok.
The Bolsheviki were in possession
of Samara then, but we were able
to carry on general relief. Thou
sands of refugees came through and
we started a soup kitchen at the
station. Later, maternity and gen.
eral hospitals were organized.
We had rather an exciting time
at Samara when the Czechs came
in. We lived not far from the
river between the Bolshevik bar
racks and the principal Bolshevik
club of the city. The place drew
most of the shell-fre from the Czech
army. Bullets came through our
windows and our rooms became
filled with brick dust from the ex-
ploding shells. The Bolshevik sol
diers lay fiat upon the club roof
and fired down on the Czech sol
diers, so we had a very good view
/ of the fighting. From my window
l could have touched the Bolshevil
troops with my hand.
I'VE were awfully glad to gel
down into the cellar. There was g
slit in the wall and we could see
the end of the battle. Finally We
heard the Czechs cheering, and saw
people running from the houses
all making the sign of the cross
The Czechs had won. Everybod,
put on their best clothes and pa
raded in the streets with bands