Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-08-16
Czecho Heroine
Goes to Her Home

Included in the party of 1000
Czecho-Slovak heroes which sailed for
home recently from Newport News af-
ter being reviewed in Washington by
President Wilson was a brown-eyed,
good look ing young woman. II r thrill
ing experiences during the past five
years are going to make her as much
of a heroine when she reaches her
home in Prague as she has been to the
valiant Czech soldiers with whom she
has been associated for the greater
part of that period. Her name is
Anna Holokova She is 20 years old.
A prisoner for more than one year at
the age of 10, captured first by the
Russians and then by the Bolsheviks,
soldier at 16 fighting side by side
| with her countrymen, and now Red
Cross nurse ministering to the wound
ed among them-that sums up the eX-
periences of this young woman whose
cheerful manner is a source of wonder
ment to American Red Cross workers
in Siberia familiar with the hardShips
she has been thru.
Eight years ago, before the world
war had begun, Anna Holik, then Il
years old, was sent from her home in
Czecho- Slovakia to her uncle in War
saw, Poland, for the purpose of study
ing music. Two years later, the war
broke out, and the Russians poured
over Poland, arresting everyone whom
they thought might have German ten
denotes. Tho only fourteen, Anna
was bright and fearless, and was one
of the first to be put into prison. For
one year she languished in the filthiest
kind of Jail.
Then she was released.
For many months she fought side by
side with the Czech men. in the garb
| of a soldier. One day she was wounded
| by a bullet in her chest and the physi-
clan in charge discovered that she was
a woman. Upon her recovery, he re-
fused to allow her to go back to SOL
diering, but permitted her to remain
| a nurse.
This she did, following the Czech
regiments thru the worst kinds OF
bloodshed and battle, exposing herself
to constant danger, afraid neither OF
shot nor she'll, sparing herself nothing
her one thought being to tenderly
nurse ser beloved Czechs, She was
wounded twice again, but always
sturdily refused to leave the dangerous
life she was following.
Then one i'll fated day she was cap
tured by the bolsheviks, and for three
weeks was a prisoner again. When the
| Czech soldiers succeeded In rescuin2
her she was in bad mental condition
subject to the widest fits of hystera
AS soon as she was strong enough
she insisted on being put to WORK
nursing the other invalids. 1t seemel
as if she never could do enough fol
others. She took soldiers whose arms
were curled up like withered leaves
from wounds and lack of care-and she
massaged these arms until they un-
curled and were disable once more
She waited on the Ill, cheered the de-
pressed and in every way showed her
self to be as sweet, Womanly and low
able as If she had always lived 6
dainty protected life at home. Her Wi
was as keen, and her mind as brigh
as 1t had always been, and in foul
months that she spent at the American
Red Cross hospital recuperating, sht
had only four slight spells of hysteria
The only trace of her terrible expert
ences now remaining Is an occasional
nervous spell.
Before leaving Vladivostok she pre-
scented one, of her friends with small
revolver with which she claimed u
have killed two attacking bolsheviks.