San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-25

After my conference with Sir Basi
> Thompson, head Of Scotland Yard
- London, I lost no time in going Z
= Paris TO get in direct touch with Sou
- varine. assistant editor Of Human
lite, who was also the important repre-
=. sentative in France of the third inter
= national Of Russia. Quick action wa.
necessary. The Mauritania. on which
. was due TO sail back TO New Yorl
r ~ assistant surgeon. was TO he in port
only five and a half days and already
). four days had gone.
? l had still to learn who the CHIEF
: secret agent Of the Soviet organiza ton
> in England was 1.-THE job Sir Basil
Thompson had assigned 10 mel. and ]
had 10 learn also how the secret plans
, of the British war department were
being divulged.
/. CLOSE To S0YIETS.
= In dealing with the real interna-
Z tionals Of the Soviet government of
!. Moscow-the Pankhursts and the Sou
. varines-what had | To trade on to
win their confidence? That makes it
: necessary to revert for moment to
: my early life.
: Almost from my birth in Russia &c
years ago, I had been close TO revolu-
/ fionists. At fifteen ! had Joined the
revolutionary organization Of my little
: home town. Cherkassy. in the Province
of Kiev, Russia, against my parents
wishes.
! Those were the days OF hatred
!. against czardom. There was of course
no Soviet yet. But the revolutionary
group was strong and growing.
ACTIVE AS BOY.
I was a very active although very
! youthful member Of the Cherkassy
group. got the reputation Of being
. willing to undertake any task as
! signed me. / could write many
/. columns about our exploits, but that's
another story.
! i will tell only one incident which
gave me a reputation that was OF great
value 10 me in dealin; with Soviet
representatives anywhere. The incl
dent left an indelible mark upon me.
have shown il 10 the editors Of the
Hearst newspapers.
The mark is the deep scar OF bull
LET which entered my body at the
right, lower edge OF my heart, ana
then, being apparently reflected py
rib. continued TO the left and tnen
tore out Of the body a couple OF
inches TO the left of the heart, leaving
a frightful scar.
BETRAYED TO POLICE.
! 1t was got in this way. Ten mem
hers OF our Socialist revolutionary or
yanization met in February, 1917, at
night in a deserted house on the out
skirts of Cherkassy. 1t was in a.
fhickly wooded. lonely spot: We were
there 10 make and send to other
groups plans for the manufacturer OF
bombs intended for use against the
cars government officials.
/. We were betrayed, and one night
the cars police surrounded our house.
We had to surrender or fight
To surrender meant 20 years or
life at hard labor in Siberia!
That meant dc-th for most OF Us
We were all armed. Nearly all of US
had revolvers of the Belgian Browning
type, my recollection is. a Browning
that predated the English and Amerl-
can Brownings.
GIRLS IN PARTY.
There was not one of US who had
less than two sutomatics and good
many rounds Of ammunition.
There were two girls in our group
end they happened TO be with US IN
the meeting house that night. But
sex meant nothing in the revolution
airy movement. We decided TO fight
our way out, SO that as many OF us
could make il would be sayed. And
those two girls had TO take their
chances just as the men did.
At a given signal our people threw
open both the front and back doors
and all of the windows. The next in
slant half Of us were in assigned
positions with our automatics and we
began firing from every window and
both doors simultaneously. 1t was
genuine surprise for the police who
had expected TO surprise us. They
suddenly found themselves on the de-
fensive. Almost at the first volley |
several Of the policemen dropped.
BULLET MISSED HEART.
We were in the dark Of the deserted |
house and had the best Of it, because ,
after every flash Of a revolver each Of !
US changed position, 50 the police |
could not pick US out through the re-
Volver flashes. The enemy were out [.
side where the moon light revealed |
their movements. They finally beat
a retreat. We found four dead po-
.licemen on the ground and seven bad
~ If not fatally wounded.
But almost the last volley by the
police struck me in the chest and only
by accident missed my heart.
We knew the police would return
with help and tLat We had 10 make
. cur escape quickly. My comrades got
. me away and my wound dressed.
None Of us was caught, because our
identities we're unknown. But in 1905
!. ] was Unexpectedly arrested and
. charged with the murder Of a police
man. ] was tried for murder.
There was not sufficient evidence
10 show that ] hal killed anybody
or ever fired gun. but the prescott
ing attorney produced evidence that /
was Q revolutionist. He had various
affidavits and had little difficulty in
connecting me with the revolutionary
movement.
IN MISERY IN PRISON.
I was sentenced to Siberia, but only
for three years. They sent me TO the
northern part Of Archangel. From
the first moment ] never thought Of
anything but escape and revenge
hatred Of the car was burned mort
deeply into my mind than ever before