The Washington herald., 1919-04-17
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES.

We threw ourselves 500 strong at
our captives, wrested many Of their
rifles and bayonets and engaged In a
ferocious hand-to-hand combat. just
as our men rushed through the torn
wire entanglements ino the trenches.
The confusion was indescribable; the
killing merciless. l grasped five hand
grenades that lay near me and threw
them at a group of about ten Ger
mans. They must have all been
killed. Our entire line across the river
was advancing at the same time. The
first German line was occupied by our
troops and both banks Of the Styr were
then in our hands.
Thus ended my captivity. I was In
German hands for a period Of only
eight hours and amply avenged even
this brief stay. There was great ac-
tivity among US for a couple of days
We fortified the newly-won positions
and prepared for another attack at the
foe. Two days later we received the
signal to advance. But again our ar
tillery failed to cut the German wire
defenses. After pushing on against
the whitening fire and incurring heavy
losses. we were compelled to retreat,
leaving many of our comrades wound
ed and dying on the field of battle.
Our commander improvised a relief
party by calling for twenty volunteers.
1 responded among the first. Provided
with twenty red crosses which we
prominently displayed, and leaving our
rifles in the trenches, we went out in
tlfe open daylight to rescue the wound
ed. / was allowed to proceed by the
Germans almost to their barbed wire.
Then, as leaned over a wounded man
whose legs were split, I heard the
click of a trigger and Immediately fiat
tened myself against the ground. Five
bullets whistled over me, one after
another. most of which landed in the
wounded soldier. killing him outright.
/ continued to lie motionless. and the
German sniper was evidently satisfied
that he had killed me as well. / re-
manned in this position till night. when
1 crawled back to our trenches.
OF the twenty Red Cross volunteers
only five returned alive.
The following day an order Of thanks
was issued by the commander to all
those soldiers who had been captured
three days previous and took the ini-
tiative to save themselves by fighting
their captors. My name appeared first
on the list. Those of us who had re-
fused to give any information to the
enemy were praised in the order. One
soldier, who had revealed to the Ger
mans many vital things. was executed.
I was recommended for a cross of the
second degree. but. being a woman, 1
received only a medal of the third de-
gree.
We met the year 1917 while resting
three versts in the rear. There was
much fun-making and merriment in
the reserve billets. Although the disci-
plIne was as strict as ever, the rela
tions between the officers and men had
undergone, in three and a half years
of the war, a complete transforma-
ton.
The older officers, trained in pre-
war conditions. were now gone, having
died in battle or been disabled. The
new junior officers, all young men
taken from civil life, many of them
former students and school teachers,
human in their treatment. They mixed
freely with the men in the ranks and
allowed us more liberty than we had
ever enjoyed. At the New Year fes-
tival we all danced together. These
were liberal in their views and very
new relations were not entirely due
to the new attitude from above. In a
sense, they were generated from be-
low by a dumb and yet potent under
current of restlessness.