The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-16

Soviet to fight those who were trying
in Moscow to defend the Government
that was overthrowing Petersburg,
when l observed that my friend had
plunged somewhere into the crowd of
soldiers and disappeared amongst
them. At the same time l glanced
round and noticed that the young
soldier standing by me who had wan
ted to write our names down, had also
disappeared somewhere. A tall
soldier in a grey fur cap, came up TO
the table. He also had rifle in his
hands. After listening to my speech,
he himself began speaking shaking
his rifle in the air.
The face of the soldier speaker re-
sembled that of Ivan the Terrible.
His eyes blazed with inspiration and
appeal.
Comrades, come on" he said, "but
don't take any officers with you; they
will be treacherous."
l heard someone rafting the bolt
of his rifle behind me and someone
else crying out in a hOarse-sleepy
voice:
Enough, comrades, enough! We
have heard you before, Comrade
Yegorov, we know all about it; enough
of this talk-we'll go and that's all"
"We'll go" voices muttered. "File
off! Go out into the yard" And
they all Immediately moved back
again to their boards in order to get
dressed and awaken the others:
We could hear them saying:
go out! With cartridgesI Z.
Get up! :"
l went out into the yard together
with the soldiers who had already
dressed. In the very doorway, I
bumped right into my pal who, quite
excited, held the young fellow by the
hand who had wanted to write down
our names.
Passing by the Krassnaya Vorota,
we saw how a narrow strip of the
morning dawn was visible behind
them. Moscow was still quiet, the
outlines of the houses stood out more
clearly.
| glanced behind.
In the distance round a bend in the
street, walking straight towards the
breaking dawn, a grey mass OF
soldiers were marching steadily.
Their new communicable tall
soldier, again bent whispered in my ear
"And in Petersburg, has Lenin Is
sued the order about the land?"
eyes. We only have to confirm it
here by our acts"
On the Lubyanskaya Square there
was some kind of old disused fountain,
1t was light grey when we passed by.
On the fountain, the curbstones,
along the walls and gates of the
Chinatown" ("Kitai Gorod" the bust
ness district of Moscow, soldiers
were seated. We stopped and asked
them what they were waiting for.
"Come along, here" the soldiers
said to us. "But we have not got any
commanders. Come to the Soviet.
Someone told us that we should wait
here and we are waiting"
We gave them instructions to march
to the Soviet and not to listen to any
proposals.
cit is bad without commanders"
said the tall soldier.
When we came to the Moscow
Soviet, it swarmed with soldiers like
an ant hill.
And there were no commanders
anywhere.
In the evening of the next day,
when we could all smell powder in
the air quite plainly, we-the Mill
tary-Revolutionary COMMITTEE e.
firmly realized what commanders
were and what significance they
could have in military activities.
But where are they to be found?
There were no Bolshevik sergeants or
corporals to be found. There were
also very few soldiers who could COM
mand big units. They promoted
themselves on the spot under fire.
That evening going down the steps
of the Moscow Soviet, 1 caught up
one non-commissioned officer who
was reckoned as a Bolshevik.
where are you off to-" l asked.
"Why, in few minutes the rising is
starting"
1t appeared that this was a young
SIR. who had gone off to smash the
locks of the premises where the
cartridges were kept. My comrade,
who had been suspicious of him from
the very start, observed that he had
gone somewhere and then followed
him.
Meanwhile, soldiers filed through
the yard. 1t seemed quite natural
that the command was taken over by
the same tall fellow in the grey fur
cap who bad warned us against TAX
ing the officers. We heard him cry
ing out:
"Well, what about it? >. Have
you broken the lock? Smash the door
in like that!'