Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-03
AMERICAN GIRL FOUGHT
IN BATTALION OF DEATH
Carrie Lou Thompson, OF Fhiladcl-
phia, Member OF Famous Body
OF Heroic Women.
WENT TO RUSSIA AS COVERINGS
Now Unassuming Worker In Englo
Hut, Famous London RENDEZVOUS
for American Soldiers - Joined
After Suffering at Hun Hands.
ny WILLIAM ). DU'TLEn.

LONDON, Feb I'm the famous
American soldiers rendezvous hero
Eagle Y. AZ. c. A. hut--there's quiet.
unassuming American sirl worker who
was once member OF Russia's famous
! battalion Of death. She has lived
through scenes OF riot. murder, pillage
and terrorism such as few OF Uncle
Sans soldiers ever dreamed Of.
She is Mrs. Carrie Lou Thompson. o.
Philadelphia. Two and haif years
ago she went to Russia as Il governness
and arrived in Petrograd just as that
city began TO ferment with tho revo-
luton. Food was almost Impossible to
get and diseases were spreading with
alarming rapidity.
she went to Itiev and fell victim
to the spotted fever. On recovering
:-hc became governess in the family
up near the front, where she lived two
months under the roar OF shellfre.
She returned with the family TO Pet
rograd just before the revolution broke
on the historic night Mrs. Thompson
received n warning to flee and she
and Mime. Lossieif were packing when
iiring began in the streets and soon
u pitched baltic was on.
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS
ron THEM OF rALUADLES
Revolutionary soldiers broke into
our room and robbed US of nearly
everything except our money which we
we were both placed under guard
but Prince Lvoff had us released. Nine
LossicH became i'll with fever and 1
vas charged with taking tho children
to friends in kharkov. The trains
were stopped, however, and no auto
mobiles were allowed
We sat all one night in the station.
while soldiers abused and robbed us
and other rioters drank and fought
and shot each other before our cycs
In the lawlessness that rcigncd. Tor
three days the firing was constant and
we saw sights Of borrow such as beg
gar description.
When we finally reached Kharkov
We found that our friends had been
we had to arrange TO have Captain
IIossicff arrange to bring us TO Dubno.
In this town or tho border of Poland
we lived in battered nunnery under
constant shellfirc.
SAW UPHEAVAL OF ARMY
AFTER GOVERNMENTS COLLAPSE:
"TIorc | saw the uphcayal of the Rus
sian army following the formation of
the soldiers and workers committees.
] saw Kerensky come to the front and
haranBue the men. J saw them swear
allegiance 10 him and then march over
and swear allegiance to his enemies.
saw officers and soldiers. accused OF
loyalty to the old regime taken ont
and shot or hacked to pieces in cold
blood.
Then in order to do my bit joined
4 uctachment OF tho tamOuS battalion
of death. With them drilled and
would have gone to tho front had not
Nine. Lossien. still weak and helpless
from fever, come to me and begged me
20 get the children away from con-
slant danger and into England
Dressed as Red Cross nurses we
started. We werc stopped for 4 num-
Der of days at Eiev during the bloody
po8rom and saw Jews slaughtered In
the streets by the thousands and their
homes rnnsacked and burned. Starva-
tion faced the whole population. Bread
cards were Issued and We stood in line
twenty-four hours to get one pound
of bread each for Christmas Day"
STOPPED NJ BATTLE BE1wEEN
HOLSHEVIkI AND Ui<nAINIANS
Finally they took UP their Journey
again and were stopped by n battle
between Bolsheviki and GkraInians
They slep on the floor OF farm house
with shells bursting all around them
and the cries OF the wounded and dying
ringing In their ears.
They found most avenues of escape
cut off and wandered to Petrograd,
Perm. vologda and by boat to Baku.
nearly all the time literally through
rivers of blood. They reached Arch
angel the day after the last boa, had
left and lived in the railroad station
there three weeks. They finally got
a boat to Murmansk, across the White
Sea, from which they were able to
escape to England. Here she took up
American Y. NJ. &. a. work.