The Washington times., 1919-06-03
copyTISht, 1913,
by ths T1bano
APoeiStion.

The soldiers OF Company /. 339th
Infantry. had good reasons" to
"mutiny" when ordered out against the
Bolsheviks in the north Russian re-
gion, according to one Of the soldiers
OF that regiment recently returned to
America, invalided, because the lower
part of his jaw had been shot away.
The thoughts that entered the
minds of these soldiers, their treat
ment by foreign officers, and the
events which caused them to refuge
to go into battle is woven into a tale
which relates hardships almost I'M
bearable, and confronted by this lone
American regiment in Russia
The ex-soIdier who tells the tale is
Sergt. Theodore Kobe, Of Detroit, and
recently appointed clerk of the Cen
sus Committee Of the House by Con-
gresham Nichols Of Michigan.
Sergeant Kobe was a member of a
machine gun battalion which SUI
fered many casualties and was in.
timately acquainted with the men
comprising the ''mutinous Com
pany l."
Mostly Detroit Men.
II had been reported that the men
In the "mutinous Company T. were
mostly of foreign origin, coming from
the copper mines of the upper penin-
suIa of Michigan. This is denied by
Kobe, who says that the membership
of this organization is made up OF
men mostly drafted from Detroit,
Chicago, and Western Michigan.
In order TO understand the mu-
tiny" said Kobe, lit must be kept in
mind that these fellows were good
Americans, most of them heads of
families. They were almost without
exception, drafted in June, 1918"
After training at Camp Custer,
Michigan, this regiment was ordered
to Archangel to guard stores of am
munition which were sought by Ger
many. Several battles were fought
with the Reds on the Murmask rail-
road front.
Says Reds Used Axes.
These battles were of the fiercest
nature, and there were instances
when the Russians used axes to kill
sleeping Americans. The English,
French, and Americans were brigaded
under several British generals, &C
cording to Kobe, and the indifference
Of the British commander about the
welfare of the Americans was a large
factor in making the soldiers refuse
to fight.
You can put yourself in our
places" said Kobe today. suppose
you had been in a frozen country.
had seen your pals shot down, had
been wounded, had contracted rheu-
matism and acute colds. Suppose
you didn't know what you were fight |
ing for, would you feel full OF the
old time night and spirit that had |
been instilled into you while at home?
home.
1--WE men were drafted by our Gov
eminent to lick the Kaiser. We were |
all anxious to do that job. We were |
deprived of going to France where !
we could get a good aim at him, and |
sent up there in that God-forsaken
land to fight people we did not know |
ing them.
"POOr Crazy BoIsheViks."
"Why, we didn't have anything
against those poor crazy Russian
continued Kobe. "Of
course, they were on one side OF the
battle line and we on the other, and
we fought them. They were good
fighters, too; drunk most OF the time.
The Bolsheviks declared all the liquor
and women property OF the state, and
stores of liquor and a whole colony
of women, were located a few miles
rom our headquarters.
Now I'll tell something that you
nave never heard before. You may
.hink that the boys of Company
we're towards: but they are just as
Drave Americans as you and l. Sew
,raI OF them were killed. Many
wounded and more than that were
lick with rheumatism. half able to
ret about. The weather was frigid.
The rations were punk. Not enough
II 'em. and the quality isn't like what
m now getting in Washington.
THE indifference OF the British
their naughty airs. and