Evening star., 1923-09-23
BY FRANK III. HEDGES.

known history of the Russian
orient since 1917 have been
written in dispatches received in this
country since September 1. Ataman
Seminoff. one of the most bitter foes
of bolshevism, and member of his staff
perished at Yokohama in the earth
quake and fire that followed. Moscow
has decreed that the capital of what
was once the Far Eastern Republic
shall be moved from the city of Chita
to that of Habaroysk, and with the
transfer vanishes the large degree of
independence that Siberia has known
under the rule of the soviet.
To America Seminoff is a pictur-
esque rascal, who f1ogged American
soldiers and sailors and later, when
he attempted to pass through the
United States on his way to Europe.
He had since remained hidden. first
in Japan, then in Tientsin and finally
In Japan again.
Not of the Old Nobility.
The Siberian leader did not come
from the old class of Russian nobility,
as did Baron WrahEel and most of
the anti-bolshevist military leaders.
but was the son of Cossacks who
were driven from southern European
Russia across the Ural mountains
into that province of Siberia known
as za-Baikal, where Seminoff was
born.
A captain in the imperial Russian
army at the outbreak of the world
war, Seminoff was wounded in the
service of his czar on the eastern
front in the early days of the war.
Following this. he was awarded most
of the many decorations at the COM
mand of the old Russian court.
Not until July. 1917. did he waiver
ix- cav to-, l., . L
when the first rising of the bolshe-
FlkS occurred, he hastened to Petro-
grad. sounding warning to Premier
kerensky of the potential strength
party, whose first rising had been put
down by the efforts of the Cossacks.
He asked that he be commissioned
TO form units in Siberia to prevent a
consented, giving him an official man.
date from the provisional government
Tor this purpose, and creating him a
commissioner of that government.
Collects Expense Fund.
Starting for the country lying to
the east Lake Baikal, he stopped in
Irkutsh ad raised about SAC. 900.
From there he went to Chita to begin
the organization of anti-red forces.
This was in September six years ago.
Just at the time of the second boIshe-
visit rising, when the Kerensky govern
ment went under.
Not daunted = by the fall of his
leader, Seminoff went on to Man
churia Station, where he established
his headquarters One battalion of
ESQ revolutionists was stationed at
Manchurta Station, and Seminoff saw
that either they or he would have to
Armed with hand grenades, he and
three of his twelve adherents entered
a hail where the bolshevist battalion
was meeting, calling on them to sur
render II you resist" Semionoff told
them, my machine guns surrounding
the building will be turned on you ard
you will be wiped out" The battalion
surrendered, believing from Semionoff's s
atutude mat he might have the whole
OF the old czarist army behind him.
InuS ne gained the first arms and am
munition to be used in equipping the
troops he hoped to raise against his
enemy.
Forms His First Regiments.
Cossacks, Mongols. Buriats and a
few Chinese returning to their homes
In the Trans-Baikal from the dis
banded regiments of the old Russian
army began passing through Man
churia Station and the adjacent ter
streamed through were many who
heartily hated the regime ushered in
oy the bolsheviks, and it was these
%no formed the first regiments of
Throwing his hastily recruited
force into the field. Semionoff began
a long period of guerilla warfare on
the bolsheviks being the first to on
pose with arms the followers of the
new. doctrines preached from Petro-
grad and Moscow, as he proved later
TO be the last foe vanquished by the
soviet armies.
When the Czechoslovak war pris-
oners in Chita and Baikal City rose
In rebellion in the summer of 1915
Semionof began series of man
euevrs which drew down on him a
force of $4,000 bolsheviks, thus Civ
ing the CZechs a better chance of
success by relieving them of pres
sure from behind, although it may
well be doubted that such was the
Cossack leaders intention.
Soon after he himself went to the
city of Chita, where the krugs of
Trans Baikal. Amur and Ussuri nomi-
mated and elected Seminoff as poho-
dnei ataman (baItle leading head
mani, and to them he has always
been the Battle Leading Ataman."
although the world outside of the
Russian far east accorded him only
the title OF ataman, or headman.
At the same time that Seminoff be-
came the atsman of the Siberian Co.'S
sacks, Admiral Kolchak overthrow the
Omsk directory and became the chief
ruler of the all-Russian government
Seminoff, hearing of Kolchaks victory
called a council of his staff and drew
up telegram to send to Omsk. con-
graduating kolchak and placing the
ataman's forces at his disposal. This
telegram was never sent, for just then
came news of the court -nartialing of
three officers by Kolchak who were
friends of Seminoff and whom he be-
heved largely responsible for Kolchaks s
success.
Denunciation of COIchak.
Tearing the telegram offering al
1egiance into bits, the ataman sent in
stead a message denouncing Admiral
Kolchak as a criminal and declaring
the independence of Siberia from
Omsk. Semfonoff later found that his
information had been only partly
true and that the court-martial had
been justified. In an attempt to recti-
fy his mistake, he prepared a second
message of allegiance to Kolchak,
but before 1t was sent there came
telegram from the head of the all
Russian government denouncing Sem
ionof as a criminal and an outlaw.
From this time until the following
May tension existed between the two
leaders, but Kolchak finally tele-
graphed that, as both leaders were
actuated by the same motives, they
should cooperate. The former edict
against the ataman was Cancelled and
ne was commissioned commander-in-
chief of the Amur, Trans-Baikal and
Maritime provinces.
Later. when the Trans BaikaI was
made an independent military district,
Semionoff went in as its commander
fn-chief, and still later was given
complete military control of the Rus
sian orient from the river Yenisee to
the. Pacific ocean by kolehak' the
With the fall of Kolchak, what was
left of his forces started for eastern
Siberia to~place themselves under the
protection of Ataman Selnionon They
x~,1l h. fnI