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EVENIXG PUBLIC LEDGER PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, PEBKUARY 27, 101&
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BOTCHKAREVA'S ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE
I STOPPED IN TIME B Y MAN WHO LO VES HER
Woman Soldier Continues
Gripping Narrative of
Extraordinary Ex peri
ences That Made Her
Ready for the Rough,
Hard Work of the
Trenches v
fakes Up Life With Man
Who Loses Liberty Be
cause of the Assistance
He Gives Political Fugi
tives and Suffers With
Him
(CotvrloM, 1117, by Frtterlek A. Slokta Co I
(Thia atorr. told r Maria BotehVareva and
translated and tranrcrlr.nl . by , ' Ion
jATlna. li published by Frederick A Stoke"
Company under the title of "Tailika.' )
HEAD THIS IIRST
In tho early summer of 191" tlie
world tas thrilled by a news Item
from Petrograd announcing tho for
mation by one Maria I3otchknrea
of a woman's ficlitlnp unit under
tho name of "The Battalion of
Death." "With this announcement
n obscure Russian peasant girl
made her debut In the International
hall of fame. This Is her story told
by herself. The first Installment
told of her early childhood. While
still a child she became helper In a
little lllase store. At fifteen she
booamo dissatisfied with her lot and
procured a position as domestic In a
well-to do family, where the son of
the house wins her heart and then
deserts her. She marries a man ir
her own class, who beats her, and
she leaves him. He finds her work
lng on a ship in Barnaul and she
tries to commit suicide by jumping
Into the rher. She la rescued and
In the hospital Is reconciled to her
husband. But his promises are not
kept and she again leaes him. Tor
a year she works as foreman of u
concrete gang, at the end of which
time her health failed. A woman,
posing as her friend, proes to be a
white slaver. Maria escapes, wan
ders the streets and prays for
guidance.
THEN READ THIS
T RESOLVED to return to Anna Pe
" trovna after my prayer. I thought
she had been so kind at first that If
I begged her to let me work for her
s a servant she would agree. Before
entering her house I went Into the
little grocery store nearby, and posing
ls the new servant of Anna Petrovna,
vsho was a customer of the place, got
a small bottle of essence of vinegar.
However, the solicitude for my safety
angered me, and I resented Anna Pe-
trovna's caresses. I locked mj self up
In my room, getting ready to poison
myself with tho essence.
As I was saying my last prayers
there was a knock at the door.
"Who is It?" I asked sharply. The
reply was:
"I am that joung man whom ou
aw two days ago In the parlor. I
want to help jou. I realize that you
are not a girl of that sort. Pray,
open the door and let me talk to
you."
I naturally thought that this was
another trap and answered wrath
fully: "You are a lllaln! Tou are
all villains! What do you want with
me? "What have I done to deserve
torture and starvation? If I fall Into
your hands it will be only when I am
dead. I am going to drink this poison
nere ana let you gloat over my
corpse."
Tho man got excited. He ran out
Into the yard, raised an alarm and,
dragging several people with him,
shouted of my threat to take poison.
A large crowd had, collected around
the house, and he forced the window
of my room from the outside and
Jumped In. Seizing the glass of es.
sence, lie threw It out of the window,
cursing Anna Petrovna and her
house. He made every effort to calm
me, expressing his admiration for my i
courage and virtue. His professions i
of sincerity and friendship were so
convincing i that I jlelded to his invi
tatlon to go with him to the home
of his parents.
My savior, who was a handsome
young man of about twenty-four, was
Yakov Buk. He was a man of edu.
cation, having studied at high school
for some time. His father was a
butcher. I was well received by his
family, fed, dressed and given a rest.
They were kind and hospitable people.
Yakov, or Yasha, as he was called
intimately, took especial care of me.
He loved me, and It was not long
before he declared that he! could not
live "without me.
I was also attracted toward him.
i He knew of my previous marriage and
, proposed that we live together by
velYil agreement, without the sanction
r of the Church, a very common mode
ivot marriage In Russia of late ears,
because of the difficulty In obtaining
a divorce, I consented to his pro
posal, on condition that he tell me the
reason for his living In a small barn
in the back yard, apart from the fam
ily, He agreed,
"When I was twenty," he began,
jriy father was in the Business of
supplying' meat to several army regl
Mttnta. He was a partner In a firm,
Mid was assisted by my brothers and
myself Considering me the most in-
trloua ana rename 01 nis sons, ne
trusted mo once with 10,000 rubles
Mto buy cattle. Moat of the
, mvynf v iuui.
drawn Into a,
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of adventurpis t lost all my money
and my clothes to boot Dicssed In
rag, with two rubles, presented to mo
by tho gamblers. In my pocket, 1
alighted at tho Chinese border In a
mood for suicide. There I became
acquainted, at nn Inn. with some
Chinese brigands who wero membois
of a band operating In tho neighbor
hood. Ono of them was the chief of
tho band.
"1 told him my stoiy, adding that J '
would do anything to save my father
from disgrace and bankruptcy. He
propospd that I Join his band In a
raid on an Incoming train which was
carrying DO 000 rubles. The Invita
tion nearly petrified me. But then
I had a vision of my parents thrown
out of their house, of their property
sold at auction, and of them forced o
go begging. It rent my heart Thero
was nothing to do but accept the offer.
Led by the chieftain into the field. 1
i. b llmrrt l,t,nH,inr. An mnel tf flirt
tobbers. 1 was the only white man
In the band
"In the evening we armed ourselves
with daggers, pistols and rifles and
started f,or the lallroad line, thero we
lay In wait for tho train. It nearly
congealed my blood to think that I
had turned highwayman. It was so
unlike mjself.
'The train was to pabs at one In
the morning. I prajed to God that He
would save me somehow from this ex
perience. Suddenly a body of Cossacks
anneared In the distance, racing In
our direction. The authorities had '
been on tho track of this band for
a long time. Every man In tho gang
threw down his weapons and ran
Into the forest. I, too, ran for all I
was worth. i
"The Cossacks pursued us, and I
was caught. As I was a Russian and i
a new memner or me organization,
I succeeded by persistent denials of
any knowledge of tho band In creating
doubt In the minds of my captors as
to my participation in the projected
raid. But I was arrested and sent
to the Irkutsk prison, where I was
kept for a whole year. There I came
In contact with many politicals and
was converted to their Ideas. Finally,
for lack of evidence, I was set free.
"Disgraced, I returned home. My
father had arrived at an understand
ing with his partner whereby he was
to pay In monthly Installments the sum I
I had gambled away. He would not
let me enter the house, but my mother
defended me There was a quarrel,
which ended In an agreement that I
be allowed to occupy this barn. But
father swore that he would disinherit
me, giving my share of his estate to J
his other sons."
I soon had occasion to discover that
Yasha was considered a suspicious
character by the local police, because
of his imprisonment. His kindness,
too, was his misfortune. Treed or
escaped prisoners would sometimes
visit him secretly and he would give j
them his last penny, piece of bread, j
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prisoners in Siberian village on the way
or shirt. Rut I liked him all the moro
for that, for It wns this warm heart
In lilm that had rescued mo from
death. Wo vowed to bo faithful to
each other forever And 1 entered
.upon my duties ns a housewife
Tho barn In which wo were, going
1 to live was filled with rubbish, nnd had
i never been cleaned I applied mjself
, studiously to make It habitable. It
I was not an easy task, but I finally
succoded. Wo received a gift of one
hundred rubles from Yasha's par
ents, and decided to establish a butch
er fchop of our own. Wo got some
lumber and built a small store. Then
Yasha bought three cows nnd the two
of us led them to the slaughter house,
where I learned how to butcher.
Yasha ran the shop. I was tho first
woman butcher In that locality.
Ono summer day, while walking in
tho street, I saw some bojs peddling
leu cream 1 hud learned how to make
Ice cream duiing my apprenticeship
with Nastasla Leontlovna. It occur
red to me that I could make Ice cream
to sell, rinding out from the boys
how much they paid for it, I offered
them a lower price and a better cream
and asked them to come for It the next
day. I Immediately returned homo
and bought milk from Yasha's mother,
who offered to give It freo to mo upon
learning the purpose for which It was
Intended. The Ice cream I prepared
was, happily, very good, and It sold
quickly. During the summer I
earned two or three rubles daily from
this source.
I led a life of toll and peace with
Yasha for about threo years. Every
morning I would get up at six o'clock
and go with him to the slaughter
house. Then all day I would hpend
at home. There wero nlwajd many
poor people, mostly women and chil
dren, stranded In our town, which was
the Junction of a railway and river
line. They would wander about tho
streets, begging for bread and shelter.
The larger part of them would land
In our barn home At times they
would fill the cabin completely, sleep
ing In rows on tho floor. Frequently
they were sick. I fed them, washed
them, tended to their children.
Yasha would often remonstrate
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I SozodGnt
to Irkuuk
with me for laboring so Incessantly
and so hard But I had my reward
In tho gratitude and blessings those
women bestowed upon me. There was
Joy in being able to serve. In nddl-
tlon, I sent legularly to my mother ten
rubles a month. Ynsha taught me In
leisure moments how to read.
My name became a household word
In the neighborhood. Wherever I went
I was blescd. "Thero goeg Buk-
Botchknreva"' peoplo would point at
me, whispering. Yasha's parents also
grew very attached to me.
It nil ended- one evening In May,
1912. There was a peculiar knock at
the door, nnd Yasha went out to ad
mit a man of about thirty, well dress
ed, with a beard and pince-nez, of dis
tinguished appearance. He was pale
nnd apparently agitated. Ho stood
with Yasha in the passageway for ten
minutes, conferring lnaudlbly. He
was then Introduced to mo ns an old
friend of Yasha's. He had escaped
from prison and It was up to us to hide
m
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Atitoc
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m,x: Mfc. '- niintniVBa , , , A&-tiM4ekA iffBWfcM , , ihtk ,i '11111111 lliiiil
him, as hla capturo would mean his
death. The unexpected guest was no
less a person than tho revolutionary
slayer of a notorious Russian Gov
ernor. Yasha proceeded to remove our bed
from Its corner. Ho next removed a
board In tho lower part of tho wall,
revealing, to my great astonishment,
a deep cavity In tho ground under
neath. Our visitor was invited to make
himself comfortable thero. The bdhrd
was replaced and tho bed restored to
Its former position, Yasha and I went
to bed.
We had barely put out tho light
when there was heard a thumping of
many feet nround the house, followed
by loud knocks at tho door. The po
lice wero therel My heart was In
my mouth, but I feigned sleep whllo
Yasha opened tho door. Ho had pre
viously given me his revolver to hldo
and I concealed It In my busom. Tho
search continued for nearly two hours.
I was dragged out of bed, and every
thing in the houso was turned upsldo
down.
Wo denied any knowledge of a po
litical fugitive but tho shot iff took
Yasha along with him. ITuwover, ho
was released a couple of hours later.
Upon his return Ynsha lot tho man
out of tho secret holo, supplied htm
with peasant clothes and food, har
nessed our horso and drovo away with
him before dawn, Instructing mo to
answer to all lnquliles by saying that
ho had gone to buy cattle, '
On tho outskirts of tho town a
policeman, emerging from somo dlvo In
a seml-lntoxlcatcd state, observed
Yasha driving by. Ho attached llttlo
significance to tho fact at tho time,
but when ho teportod for duty In tho
morning and learned of tho fugitive,
ho told that ho had seen Ynsha leavo
town with a stranger. I was doing
some washing when tho houso wus
again surrounded by pollco.
"Where Is your husband?" tho
sheriff Inquired, fiercely.
"Gone to buy cattle," I replied.
"Odlcvalsva!" (Dress) ho rang out
angrily. I pleaded Innocence, but In a
terriblo voico ho Informed mo that
I was under arrest.
I was taken to the detoctlvo bureau,
where a middle aged man, who walked
very gently, and seemed very mindful
of my comfort, entered Into a conver
sation with me nnd even invited mo to
tea, which Invitation I refused. Ho
went about his work very subtly,. and
I was nearly caught when ho asked
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mo If I had also met tho young m,an
who had arrived at our nouse at 9
o'clock the night before
His Information was qulto correct,
but I obdurately refused to admit hh
Implications. I knew nothing of tho
young man ho npoko of, but my ex
omlncr was patient. Ho was generous
In his praise of my help and devotion
to tho poor. Promising me Immunity,
ho urged mo to tell tho truth.
I would not yield and his patience
finally woro out. Furious, ho struck
me with a rubber whip a couple of
times. I was enraged and addressed
him by some eplthots that led to my
being locked up In a coll where two
drunken street women were confined.
They were of tho most abominable
sort, cursing ovorybody. They perse
cuted mo unceasingly. It was a hor
rlblo night that I passed there. Tho
stench alone was sufficient to drlvo ono
mad. I was greatly rcllovcd when
morning arrived, and I was taken to
tho ofllco for another examination.
I continued denying. Thero wero
threats of long Imprisonment, coax
ings, rebukes and attempts to extort
a confession from me, from which I
learned that Yasha had been arrested
on his WTiy back, beforo reaching
homo, so that he did not know of my
arrest. I was detained for sovon days,
at the end of which tho authorities,
having been unable to obtain any
thing from me, set me free,
Yasha was still In Jail, and I start
ed out to visit various officials and
urcaus In his behalf. Tho chief of
pollco of tho province was then In
town, stopping In tho houso of a friend
of ours. I Invoked tho aid of tho
latter In obtaining an interview for
mo. I was finally admitted beforo a
largely built man wearing tho uni
form of a colonel. I fell on my kneel
beforo him and pleaded my husband's
Innocence, praying for mercy. I was
so unnerved that he helped mo to
rise and ordered somo water for mo,
promising to investigate the case and
do Justice.
I went next to tho Jail, hoping to
see Yasha. But thero I was informed
that he had been sent to Nertchlnsk,
about eighty vcrsts from Stretlnsk.
I did not tarry long in an effort to
catch up with him. Taking aUmg a
hundred rubles, I took tho next train
to Nertchlnsk, Just as I was, nnd, Im
mediately upon my arrival there,
sought an audlenco with tho Gover
nor, andwas told to await my turn
in the line. When my turn camo
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the Governor, reading my namo from
the list, asked!
"Well, what's your caso?"
"My husband, your Excellency,
Ynsha Buk," I replied.
'Your husband, ch7 How Is ho your
husband If your namo Is Botchka
rova7" 'By civil agreement, your. Excel
lency." "We know theso civil marriages,"
ho remarked derisively. "Thero arc
many llko you in tho streets," and
dismissed my case. Ho said It In tho
hearing of a room full of peoplo. My
blood rushed to my faco, and I was
painfully hurt It was with difficulty
that I got a card of admission to
tho prison, but how profound was my
grief upon being Informed that Yasha
had spent thero only ono night and
had been sent on to Irkutsk.
I had 'barely enough money with
mo to buy a. fourth-class ticket to
Irkutsk, and almost no belongings, but
I did not hosltate to take the next
train westward. It took two days
to reach tho Siberian capital. I stop
ped again with the Semcntovskys, who
were glad to wolcomo mo. I wended
my way to tho Irkutsk prison, only
to discover that Yasha had beon taken
to tho Central Distribution Prison at
Aloxandrovsk, thirty versts from the
near railway station of Usoylo. Thero
was llttlo time to lose. I left the
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same day for Usoylo, whence I
to walk (o Alexandrovsk,
It was lato In the autumn of lillrrf
I started out with llttlo food, anot
was soon exhausted. It was not an
easy task to get to Alexandrovsk.
Tho road lay across a river anobff
through nn Island, connected by fcr'
rles.
St II.. ... ... V .Jl.. 41. a...,. !- i II t. I
nnco of a woman, Avdotla Ivanovna, ? 1
tln.A Htlin ... ,tan hnllnil tft tttA - . .-"il
iviiutu, ,v ina aiou muu..u w, ..w j
prison. Hor husband was thero too
and sho told me why. Ho was drunli i
when tho dog-catcher camo to take
away his favorite dog, and ho shot t
the dog catcher; now he was sen
tencod to exile, and she had decided.,"
to go along with him, with her tw$
children, who were In Irkutsk.
(CONTINUED TOMORROW)
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