Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-01-30
tcontinued from last week)


CONTINUED from last week.
A Russian soldier was ordefsd by
an officer to the top of Gaida's car to
tear down the Zemstov colors. No
sooner had he laid his hands upon
the flag staff than the crack and sing
Of rifle broke the silence: The sob
dier ftried to climb down but was
ordered back and with Tear and trena-
bling finished his task,sw without fur
tfer molestation.
At. 1880 accompanied by an Am-
ericah M. p, who could speak RUS
sian land a U. s. infaAtfy officer.
Lieut.. Barrett, went to the station
to look for my baggage. Severat.dead
men awere lying in front OF the sta
tion. sand the interiorsFwas a aghastly
sfghti The furniture was all scat
terelnabout, and dead meas some with
their heads shot nearly off, others
with awful expressions ON their faces,
werei everywhere. On the station
steps leading from the main floor
to the second and third class wait
ing rooms lay the twisted remaiRs of
18 sRussian deserters found among
the herevolutionists when the last OPP
position was overcome by the gov
ernment troops. These men had gone
over TO Gaida and who had remains
ed inithe station to be captured were
singled out by Identification and were
marched outside the station and linz
ed up against the concrete wall across
the plaza. Then they were marched
back into the station. Half way down
the stairs they were stopped, on a
landing and from above q firing
squad sent a volley that dropped
some in their tracks, sent others hurt
ling down the steps to be finished
by the second volley, while two fell
face downward over the bannister
rail. In the words of Frank H.
King, staff correspondent OF THE
Japan Advertiser" There they lay
some stretched full length on the
stairs as hundreds of other men, half
dead from disease and hunger in
stead of bullets have stretched them
selves this winter and last, the stairs
as their only resting place for the
night. Only that with some Of these
forms the feet are up the stairs and
the heads down; face is pressed
against the edge of stone step, or
Is resting in q spash of blood. They
paid the penalty for desertion.',
My baggage was gone. and in the
corner where l left 1t lay dead man
in pool Of blood. That was my first
introduction to scene Of that sort,
and / must admit that. it made me
feel queer-more heartsick than any
thing else. While 1 felt deeply sor-
ry for those poor devils who had died
fighting for what they believed to be
right, could not help feeling dis
gusted at the same time at the Rus
sian method of settling political diff
ferences. During the night Major
Sam Johnson made several trips to
the station to bring out non-combat-
ants, each time at a conspicuous risk
of his life. He and the men of his
force have received the official
thanks of Allied missions for protect
ing property and preventing looting
or excesses of any kind during the
trouble. Gaida is gone. Most of the
men who supported him, wounded
and all, were shot.
A few days after the battle sever
al white hearses bearing the remains
OF Kolchak soldiers who had fallen
before the fire OF the revoiutionists,
accompanied by a large body Of mil
itary men, moved slowly out to the
cemetery, as the band played q weired
Russian funeral march. On the way
back this same band played tunes
that made Americans scratch their
heads and think minute. Where had
they heard that before7 Suddenly
1t flashed upon us that II was a
piece that came out in the states
about tweleve years ago, entitled.
Rings on Her Fingers and Bells ON
Her Toes"
Leaving Vladiyostok the trains ira
vel eastward for half an hour, then
turn north. after passing through a
long tunnel, and run for about twen-
ty miles along the eastern shore OF
Amur Bay, which is exceedingly pic
turesQue even at this time of the
year. People come here from long
distances to spend the summer here.
They live in cottages near the wat
er's edge and occupy their time fish
ing. boating and swimming. Il Is
here that they go Waikiki Beach one
better and bathe "a Ia September
Morn" or. to be perfectly frank with
no suits on ct all.
The Trans-siberian railroad. al
though popularly thought Of as =
single line. Il In reality . somewhat
complex railway system. A double
track line leavea vladivostok. on the