The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-11
THREATEN MUTINY UNLESS DEFINITE
 STATEMENT GIVEN
 ON TROOP REMOVAL
Entire Infantry Company at First Declines to Obey Order to Entrain for
 Front and Refuses to
 Go Into Front Lines
By Associated Press

By Associated Press
 Washington, April 10.--The war department issued tonight an official statement conf irna- ing Associated Press advices from Archangel that what amounted to a mutiny occurred among the American troops there on March 30.
 A company of infantry, the mes
 sage stated, refused to entrain for the front until personally urged to
 do so by Col. George r.. stewart,
 commanding the American con
 tingent.
 Open threats were made of gen.
 eraI mutiny unless definite state
 ment from Washington insurllng
 earIy withdrawal was forthcoming.
 The text of the paraphrase of the code message, dated March Sl, follows, the having eliminated only the Ol tllc SNthFtNhig tain military information not bearing on the subject.
 @Yesterday morning. March 90,
 s company of infantry having xe-
 ceiyed orders to the railroad front,
 was ordered out of barracks Tor
 the purpose of packing sleds for
 the trip across inc river to the
 railroad station.
 .sThc on-cofnniissioncd officer
 who was in charge of the packing
 soon reported to the officers that
 the men refused to obey. At this
 some of the officers took charge
 and all cxcert one man reluctantly
 began to pack after considerable
 delay. The soldier who continued
 to refuse was placed in confiisc-
 ment. Colonel Stewart, having
 been sent for, arrived and had
 the men assembled to talk with
 them.
 Upon the condition that the
 prisoner above mentioned was re-
 leased the men agreed to go. Thts
 was done, and the company fhen
 proceeded to the railroad station
 and entrained there for the front.
 That they would not go to the
 front line positions was openly
 stated by the men, however. and
 they would only go to ObOxcr-
 skaya. They also stated that Sch-
 cral mutiny would soon come if
 there was not some definite state
 ment forthcoming from WashinE-
 fn. x.yifI srd fn the removal or
 American troops from Russia at
 the earliest possible date"
 ASK FURTHER INFORMATION
 The department has cabled for rnor' information From the message re ceived today officials were unable to' as certain whether a condition of mutin. had in fact developed in the past | days Pending fuller advices. no com ment was forthcoming as to the cours to be pursued.
 Presumably, it was said, Colone Stewart already had been advised al rectly that it was the purpose of tn supreme war council, in charge of tn l policy governing the movement, t withdraw the entire force from north 1 ern Russia when the ice blockading tn harbor goes out. The British relief ex 1 pedition. originally scheduled to b l 2i0o strong, has sailed as have tw companies 2f American railway ensin 1 eers, sent at the request of the Brltis i auth critics to keep open the railroa | south of Murmansk.
 i Announcement of the purpose % withdraw the force was made official l Iy to congressional military commit 1 tees bx Secretary Baker February l on instruetions from President Wilsor l s:UpplelBenting that statement, Genera ! March. chief If staff, said last Saturda 1 that the American contingent woul 1 certainly be withdrawn by June.
 The official eport makes the inciqen | even more serious than the origins 1 press accounts. Intimations that gen ! eral feeling of unrest pervaded the en { tire force have come previously fror : General Ironsides, the British com mander in chief. Both British an French troops have been involved, ae ] cording TO ruuor. in similar incident i but American officers on the scene hay /, felt that the morale of the America ! roops was too high for such an out isareak.
 The dispatch today did not show 1 what extent bolsheviki propagandisi ! could be held responsible for the bs havior of the troops, nor has any ir formation reached the department tend | ing to show the extent to which the re | bellious attitude may have sprea i through the whole American contir 1 gent.
 The s39th infantry of the Eighty-bft division forms the bulk of the Amer can contingent in the Archangel regioi The unit is almost wholly composed { selective service men from Michisa lit is commanded by Col George Stewart Of the regular army. vfh served in some of the northerly posts Alaska and became thoroughly familis | with weather conditions. such as thps at Archangel.
 | While the action of the company | Archangel is undoubtedly mutinous lir der any strict interpretation of the mil tary law and would render the men able to severe disciplinary action uni' ordinary circumstances, war depar tnent officials did not believe such lR itiou would result 1t was pointed 'o' that she men apparently obeyed the orders when the situation had b'sS made clear to them. only in the evNfl ofa reflsat which jeopardized the li'y1 of other men, it was thought, would sIr drastic measures of discipline be il voked. officers here were frank
 tcontinued on Page six)