Arizona republican., 1919-04-11
AMERICAN TROOPS WEARY
 OF WAR IN NORTH RUSSIA ANNOUNCE SCRAP IS OVER
Willing to Listen to Argu- ment Why They Should Keep On Fighting Since the Germans Have Been Licked.

WASHINGTON April 1e.-The war department issued tonight an official statement confirming Associated Press dispatches from Aachangel that what amounted to mutiny occurred among the American troops there on March 50. A company of infantry, the mess age stated refused to entrain for the front until personally urged to do SC by Colonel George Stewar. command Ing the American contingent Open threats Were made of general mutiny unless definite statements from Wash 1ngton lhsuring early withdrawal was forthcoming.
 The text Of the paraphrase of the code message dated March 31 follows. the department having eliminated only the identification of the company and certain military information not bear ing on the incident
 The war departments paraphrase of the message follows:
 Yesterday morning, March 30, company Of infantry. having received orderss to the railroad front. was or dered out of barracks for the pur- pose of packing sleds for the trip across the river to the railroad station
 The noncommissoned officer who was in charge of the packing soon re- ! ported to the officers that the men re- fused to obey. At this. some of the officers took charge and all except one man began reluctantly to pack after a { considerable delay The soldier who continued 10 refused was placed in con finement. Colonel Stewart having been sent for arrived and had the men assembled to talk with them.
 Went on Condition
 l Upon the condition that the prisoner above mentioned was released the men agreed to go. This was done. and the company then proceeded to the rail- road station and entrained 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 Obozerskaya. They also stated tiiat general mutiny would soon come If there was not some definite Statement forthcoming from Washing ton with regard to the removal of American troops from Russia at the arliest possible date.''
 The regimental commander. in a speech, said that they were fighting a desperate defensive battle and ap- pealed to them to stick it out.
 The situation arose when the com pany named was ordered back to the front after a rest period at Aarchangel. The officers were informed that the men did not want to go to the front again They asked to have their ar guments answered.
 War Over, Why Fight?
 The men contended that they were draft men selected for the war with Germany which was finished now, ths America was not at war with the bol shevid; that the entire bolshevik question was the subject of much poli tical debate and indecision in the
 United States and that so. far as they
 were concerned, they were unable tC see why they should be fighting if ther, , was no war.
 , The regimental commander ssiC
 that, perhaps their own lives depended I on the fighting on this front and ther
 made his successful appeal, reciting tC , the men the traditions of the American army.
 :, The department has cabled for nor, information. From the message re
 ceived today officials were unable |,
 ascertain whether a condition of mu tiny had in fact developed. Pendin;
 fuller advices. no comment was forth 6 coming as to the course to be pursued F Presumably, it was said, Colone . Stewart already had been advised di
 rectly that it was the purpose of tn y supreme war council, in charge of tn 9 policy governing the movement t
 withdraw the entire force from north n ern Russia when the ice biockading tn
 hardorS goes out. The British relic
 expedition originally scheduled to b a 2,400 strong, has sailed as have tn . two companies of American railroa !, engineers sent at the request of tn ! ., fn h
 railroad south of Murnansk.
 BoIshevki Propaganda
 The dispatch today did not show {
 what extent bolsheviki propagandist e could be held responsible for the be d havior of the troops, nor has any in
 formation. reached. the departmen el tending to show the extent to whic n the rebellious attitude may have sprea J. through the whole American contin m gent. -
 ,e The 339 infantry of the S5th divisio r. forms the bulk of the American COT l. tingent in the Archangel region. IT e. unit is almost wholly composed of se or lective service men fom Michigan.
 is commanded by Colonel George K Stewart of the regular army vi ne served in some of the most mortimer g, posts in Alaska and became thorough n- ly familiar with weather condition by such as those at Archangel ill While the action of the company 0n Archangel undoubtedly is mutiono at under any strict interpretation of Il ic military code and would render t
 men liable to severe disciplinary acti, he under ordinary circumstances, war q ry partment officials did not believe su
 action would result. It was point
 out that the men apparently obey tn their orders subsequently when { to situation had been made clear to the
 Only in the event of refusal whi
 jeopardized the lives of other men. d. was thought, would any drastic mea lis ures of discipline be invoked. Office he here were frankly doubtful that pub ee sentiment at home would permit a ps other course and many of them e lis pressed sympathy with the feelings he the men.