S EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER PHILADELPHIA, TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1919 i AirT liv fe. Wj. MARIA BOTCHKAREVA BECOMES SOLDIER BY SPECIAL PERMISSION OF THE CZAR Jeered at by Her Compan ions in the Beginning, She at Last, by Faithful Performance of Duty, Wins Their Respect ' Notable Russian Woman, Continuing the Enthrall ing Story of Her Career, Reaches the Place Where Big Things Hup- nnii i'- (CiPVMBhl. 131), ttl Frederick .1 ' int to T1.I- ...... ..,....-... . ..- i 1ranalatt1 and trmrri. in. t.... - - - J.,.'n'v. '" ruMIh.l hy th rrrtarlA . Elekca Company undar the title of "rh6. THIS STARTS THE STOKY ' In 1917 tho announcement of tlto fonnat'on of the Battalion of.Death, a nor. .n's fighting unit In thoJlus- . stan army by Maria Botchkareva thrilled tho world und an obscure Rusilau peasant girl stepped into tho lnternatlonaf Iwll l'of''fanie. t'hls-ls her story told by herself. Th.ear!ier installments told of her childhood and marrlag, iler hccoiid "hlisfiand, a political prisoner, she accompanies to Siberia, butr Ms jialousy at last forced her 'to 'le,ivo Klnl and fche resolved to Join tho army and fight for her country.: ' . ' AND HERE IT CONTINUES fc'nliit by tho Grace of the Czar VTEAIILT two months I traeled homeward from Yakutsk, by water, rail and foot. The war was everywhere. Tho barge on tho Lena was filled with recruits. In Irkutsk tho uniform was much In evidence, and eery now and then a regiment of soldiers would march through the streets on the way to tho fetation, aroutln? one's martial spirit. My convoy left me upon my arrival there, and I had to appeal to the authori ties for funds to continue my journey. My heart was hammering when I reached Tomsk, after an absence of 1 about six years. Tears dimmed my eyes as I walked tho familiar streets. Here, in this two-storied house, I had first learned tho fickleness of man's love. That was ten years ago, during tho Russo-Japanese War, and I was only fifteen years old. There, In that dilapidated little store, where I can see tho figure of Nastasia Leontlevna bent over the counter, I spent fle years of my early youth, waiting on customers, scrubbing floors, cooking, washing and sewing. That long ap prenticeship, under tho severe oes of Nastasla Leontlevna, served me in food stead In later ears, I must admit. Tho smoking chimney yonder belongs to tho house In which I was married, Bomo eight years ago, only to expe rience at first hand tho brutality of man. ' And here, in this basement, my father and mother have been dwelling for seventeen j cars. I awung open the'dpoiv. My mother was baking bread arid did not turn Immediately. How oid'she had grown! How bent her shoulders, how white her hair! She veered her head about and stared at mo for a fraction of an Instant, A lump rose In my throat, rendering me speechless." "Mania!" she exclaimed, rubhing toward me and locking mo . In her arms. "We wept, kissed each 'other,' and wept again. My mother offered pray ers to the Holy Mother and swore that Bhe would never let me leave her side agaln. The bread was almost burned to charcoal, having been forgotten In tho oven In the excitement of my return. Father came In, alid Jio also was greatly aged. Ho greeted me ten derly, the years having softened the harshness of his nature I paid some visits to old friends. Nastasla Leontlevna was overjoyed to ee me. The sister of Afanasl Botch Jcarov, my first husband, also wel corned me cordially, in spite of the fact that I had escaped from her brother. She realized well enough lrow brutal , and rough he was. She told mo that Afanasl had been called in the first draft, and that It wan reported that be was among the first prisoners taken by the Germans. I have never heard of him slnco. TM' cx-Ciar the "Litfla Father" wkojajadfl It possible for Botch- f? lgagggaai?ssaCTraE?CT!iiaggi 7srprmwr;jrw"'W"-: V' x U . l -. is. T- . , - fZ.-V V,1 i1' l- ! ' I I rested for about three dJs The, news from tho front was exciting, i Great battles wero raging Our sol- ! dlers wero retreating in tome places i and advancing in others. I wished for wings to flj to their succor. My heart yearned and ached. "Do you know what war Is'' ' I asked mjself. "It's no woman's Job. You must mako sure beforo starting out, Marusla, that you won't disgrace yourself. Are jou strong enough In spirit to face all the trials and dangers of this colossal war? Are ou strong enough In body to shed blood and endure the prhatlons of war? Aro you firm enough at heart to withstand ZMvm m jhi a uwwzamr ,K-L'sr,rmj - . miW lm.m HHm. W iamKT. iKK .imfBBJKKHtAHrt.V mMMHvMMMMW '..BKKKm tHmiJKVAVT SMJkimw A-vJKSlamBf 3V7vaiamra KH ' I lir.'m KKHmKKKKH KKKKKKKm.iKKVmKKKHIKKKK.mKKKKKKr'craBKKW KM( mK t KMBimU fllHSHIViVPIHRH!S TCiL06RRRH -RwAK:RRr - mljmkKVk?rt'Ka "VtmVJTrl'. H v w V Vw BlHKKaKKKIKKl SbNKBkvlIJBw-ri- ,4KKA'ISiLKBwwan7rIfiKVM,"- " -.-.. V'&fKfiVKKKH tllA Att n Ia.m tl.nt . Ill n.i In ml sacrifices for tho country. It was November, 1314. With my heart steeled In tho decision I had made, I resolutely approached the headquarters of the Twenty-fifth He servo Battalion, stationed In Tomsk. Upon entering, a clerk askod mo what I wanted. "To seo the commander," 1 replied. "What for?" he Inquired. "I want to enlist," I bald. The man looked at mo for a mo ,ment and burst out laughing. He called to the other clerks. "Hero Is a baba who wants to enlist!" he an nounced Jokingly, pointing at me. There followed a general uproar. "Ha"! ha! ha!" they chorused, forget ting their w ork for the moment. When the merriment subsided a little I re peated my request to see the com- Imander, and his adjutant came out. He must have been told that a woman had come to enlist, for ho addressed me gaily: "What is your wish?" "I want to enlist in the army, Your Excellency," I answered. "To enlist, eh? But jou are a "baba," ho laughed. "The regulations do not permit us to enlist women. It is against the law." I Insisted that I wanted to light and begged to see the commander. The adjutant reported me to the com mander, who asked to have mo shown In. With the adjutant laughing behind me, I blushed and becamo confused when brought before the coinmanderi He rebuked the adjutant and Inquired what he could do for me. I repeated that I wanted to enlist and (lent for the country. "It Is very noble of you to have such u desire. But women are not allowed In the 'army," ho said. "They aro too weak. What could you, for Instance, do In tho front line? Women are not made for war." "Your Excellency," I Insisted, "God has given mo btrength nnd I can defend my country as well as a man. I have asked myself before coming here whether I could endure the life of a soldier and found that I could. Can't you place mo in your regiment?" "Golubushka" (Little Dove), the com mander declared gently, "how can I help you? It Is against tho law, I have no authority to enlist a woman even If I wanted to. You can go to the rear, enlist as a Red Cross nurse or In some other auxiliary ot the service." I rejected his proposal. I had heard so many rumors about the women In tho rear that I had come to despise them. I therefore reiterated my de termination to go to the front as a regular soldier. The commander was deeply Impressed by my obstinacy and wanted to help me. He suggested that I send a telegram to the Czar, telling him of my desire to defend the coun try, of my moral purpose and pray t! t he grant mo the special right to enlist. The commander promised to draw up the telegram himself, with a rec ommendation of his own, and have it sent from his office. He warned me, however, to consider the matter again, to think ot the hardships I would have to bear, of the soldiers' attitude toward me and the universal ridicule that I would provoke. I did not change my" mind, though. The tele gram was sent at my expense, costing eight rubles, which I obtained from . ic.i,,.i.Uii9 iii.il ,,... lu,uc i vu, a crUl pan:ul cii0ice tnat j ,Vas called living among men? Search your soulUpo lo niaKe a cholc8 bctwetn my for an answer of truth and courage." mother and my country. It cost me And I found strength enough in me so much to steel myself for that now to answer "yes" to all these questions. I life, and now, when I was seemingly I suppressed the hidden longing for I near the goal, my long-suffering mother Yasha In tho depths of my being, and called upon me to give up this ideal made the fateful decision. I would go that possessed tnc, for her sake. I to war and fight till death, or, if God was tormented and agonized by doubt, preserved me, till tho coming of peace. 1 1 realized that I must make a decision I would defend my country and help ' quickly and, with a supremo effort these unfortunates on the field of , and the help of God, I resolved that slaughter who had already made their ithe call of my country took precedency JSWJ Vtv.Afc.'liS.VWOT-.-'wn Xi, "Taw5sa VAT. && ri m!.TCV(re-v;3nkEtraa A W. V'?i ? r 1V2ZT V... i . feaw HHW WMM JaS-vaaVaVaVtwMaaVaW aVSTxaVafa -mmi . JallK . MHV; ifliin.' B wMm ( IBBBBr SBBBBlV oCbBBBBbVi AHllBBr VSBc SlVJll QIBr HHHHHfJHn MiutiXlSJIIH DolrliLareta's comrades-in-arms When 1 disclosed to my folk the nature of my lslt to the commander of the Twenty-fifth Battalion they burst Into tears. My poor mother cried that hi-r Mania must hae gone Insane, that It was an unheard-of, Im possible thing. "Whoever knew of a baba going to war? Sho would allow herself to be burled alive before let ting me enlist. My father sustained her. I was their only hope now, they said. They would bo forced to staro and go begging without my help. And the house was filled with sobs and walls, the two younger sisters and some neighbors Joining In. My heart was rent In twain." It was . over the call of my mother. Homo time later a soldier came to tho house. "Is Maria Botchkareva here?'1 he questioned. He came from headquarters with the news that a telegram had arrived from the Czar, authorizing the commander to enlist me as a soldier, ana that the commander wanted to see me. My mother did not expect such an answer. She grew frantic. Sho cursed the Czar with all her might, although she had always revered him as tho Little Father. "What kind of a Czar is he?" sho cried, "If he takes women to war? He must have lost nls senses. Who ever heard of a Czar calling women to arms? Hasn't no enough men? Goodness knows, there are myriads of them in Mother Russia." She seized the Czar's portrait on the wall, before which bhe had crossed herself every morning, and tore it to bits, stamping them on the floor, with Imprecations and anathema on her lips. Never again would she pray for him. she declared. "No, never!" The soldier's message had an oppo site effect on me and I was thrown Into high spirits. Dressing in my holiday costume, I went to see the commander. Everybody at headquar ters seemed to know of the Czar's telegram, smiles greeting me every where. The commander congratulated me and read Its text in a solemn voice, explaining that It was an extraordi nary honor which the august Em peror had conferred on me, and that I make myself worthy of It. I was so happy, so Joyous, so transported. It was the most beautiful moment of my life. BIIIIIHIIIIHIIIIMIIHIHIIIIHIlM Plenty of wholesome milk for your child TXT-HULESOME milk milk that is y T properly safeguarded is the finest ot all health-giving Of course, for the baby, you want milk that you can depend on always. But at every age if look of health in the child, the physical condition that wards off disease by all means use milk freely. The most economical of all body-building foods whether for childhood or age. And Supplee-Wills-Jones Clean Milk may be depended upon just as Supplee-Wills-Jones Service may be depended upbn. Supple C V The commander called hla orderly In land Instructed him to obtain a full soldier's outfit for me. I received two complete undergarments made of coarse linen, two pairs ot foot-rags, u laundry bag, a pair of boots, one pair of trousers, a belt, a regulation blouse, a pair of epaulets, a cap with tho Insignia on It, two cartridge pock ets and a rifle. My hair was clipped off. Thero was an outburst of laughter when I appeared in full military attire, as a regular soldier of tho Fourth Com pany, Fifth Regiment. I was con fused and somewhat bewildeted, hardly being able to recognize myself. The news of a woman recruit haa preceded mo at tho barracks, and my arrival there precipitated a riot of fun. t waa surrounded on all sides by green rs emits who stared at me incredulously, but some were not satisfied with mere staring, so rare a novelty was I to them. They wanted to make sure that their eyes were not deceived, so tney proceeded to pinch me, Jostle mo und brush against me. "Get out, she ain't no baba," re marked one of them. "Sure, she is," said another, punch ing me. "She'll run like tho devil at the first German shot," Joked a third, pro voking an uproar. "We'll mako it so hot for her that she'll run before even getting to the front," threatened a fourth. Here tho commander of my company interfered, and the boys dispersed. I was granted permission to take my things home beforo settling perman ently at the barracks, and asked to be shown how to salute. On the way home I saluted every uniform in the same manner. Opening the door of thehouse, I stopped on the threshold My mother did not recognize mo. "Maria Leontlevna Botchkareva here?" I asked sharply, In military fashion. Mother took mo for some messenger from headquarters, and answered, "No." I threw myself on her neck. "Holy Mother, save me!" bhe exclaimed. There were cries and tears which brought my father and little sister to tho scene. My mother became hys terical. For the first time I saw my father weep, and again I was urged to come back to my senses and give up this crazy notion to servo in the army. The proprietress of the house I "ic IT'C UAnc nc nnyuiic WE MAKE IT" Waterproof Canras Covers for any pnrpoir. We mako Tenia, Airnlnii, Hat". Oymnaalum Mata and RoUar Curtalna, Canople and Tenta to bite. norn RTMCINO A. SMITH & SON 37 N. 6th St. I'llONK .MAKKKT 37JI $ foods for the child. you would .have that fine -Jones Ik and old Nastasla Leontlevna wero called In to help dissuade me from my purpose. "Think what the men will do to a lone woman In their midst," they argued. They will kill you secret ly, and nobody will ever find a trace of you. Only the other day they found the body of a woman along tho railroad track, thrown out of a troop train. You always have been such a level-headed girl. What has come over jou. And what will become of your parents? They aro old and weak, and I you uro their only hope. They often ,sald that when Marusla came back they would end their lives In peace. ,Now you aro but shortening their ,days, dragging them to their graven in sorrow." For a short spaco of tlmo I vacil lated again. Tho fierce struggle In my bosom between the two elements .was resurrected. But I stuck by my I decision, remaining deaf to all pleas Then my mother grew angry and, cry ing out at tho top of her voice, sho shouted: "You aro no longer my daughter! You hae forfeited your mother's love." With u heavy heart I left the house for the barracks. Tho commander of tho company did not expect me, and I had to explain to htm why I could not powi that night at home. Ho as signed me to a place in the general bunk, ordering tho men not to molest me. On my right and on my left were soldiers, and that first night in the company of men will ever stand out In my memory. I did not close my eyes I unco uuring mo mgnt. Ten minutes were gUcn us to dress and wash, tardiness being punished by a rebuke. At the end of the ten minutes the ranks formed and every S A Word About Cigars For the past two years the high wages that have been paid to all kinds of labor have caused an abnormal demand for ten-cent ;'and two-f or-a-quarter cigars. This demand has brought forth many new and unknown brands, and at the same time it has produced much experimentation and exploitation of new types of tobacco ; the use of freak wrap pers and mysterious filler blends. m m swi I3 ss. m& :s. ?.-. .-it Hfn'rinffci Mo-mtrciw quarter. Otto soldleV's hands, cars and foot-rags were Inspected. I was In such haste to be on tlmo that I put my trousers on Inside out, provoking a veritable storm ot hilarity and paroxysms of laughter. The day began with a prayer for the Czar and country, following which pvery one of us received tho dally altuwanco of two-and a-halt pounds of bread and a few cubes of sugar from our respective squad commanders. There were four squads to a com pany. Our breakfast consisted of bread and tea and lasted half an hour. At tho mess I had an opportunity to get acquainted with some of the more sympathetic soldiers. There were ten volunteers In my .company, and they were all students. 'After eat ing, thero was roll-call. Whoa the officer reached my nomo he read: "Botchkareva," to which I answered, "Aye." Wo wero, then taken out for In struction, slnco tho entire regiment had been formed only three days previous. The first rule that the train ing officer tried to Impress upon us was to pay attention, watch his move ments and actions. Not all tho re cruits could do it easily. I proved God to enlighten me In the study of a soldier's duties. It was slow work to establish proper relations .with tho men. The first few days I was such a nuisance to the company commander that he wished mo to ask for dismissal. He hinted as much on u couplo of occasions, but I continued to mind my own business; and never reported the annoyances I endured from tho men. Gradually I won their respect and confidence. The small group of volunteers always de fended me. As the Russian soldiers call each other by nicknames, one of tho first questions put to me by my During" these times and under these unusual condi tions Otto Eisenlohr & Bros., Inc., have not, insa single instance, veered from the straight path of sound prin ciples of cigar manufacturing. ' . Sixty-nine years of successful experience 'have determined for us that Sumatra 'tobacco constitutes the ' finest wrapper procurable! We know to a proven conclusion that fine Havana tobacco is the only foreign tobacco that will blend satis-5 factorily with high-grade domestic leaf. Our method of aging and curing domestic lea,f is recognized by experts, as well as by the public, to be unique and entirely an individual "Eisenlohr" achieve ment, i ' That oft-repeated advice to the smoker, "Stick to CINCO, It's Safe," is adequate evidence of the con-: fidence that the public has in CINCO cigars. That com prehensive phrase, "Eisenlbrfr's Masterpiece," instantly describes the remarkable HenriettajAclmiral cigar. No. better cigar is possible at thirteen cents or two for a Henrietta Cig&ris Come in Four Sizes Perfecto 1,0c Straight ', ' Admiral and Invincible 18c or 2 for -25c President 15c Straight -' ...... Any one is truly a Masterpiece;. CINCO Cigars are made in three sizes, 7 cents each; and each one measures up to the saying : s &5cr- Caavrisht Eltenlokr d Area., l$lt ' OTTO EISENLOHR & BROS., INC; Established 1860 friends was what I would like to be called. "Call me Yashka," I said, and that name stuck to me ever after, saving my life on moro than ono occasion. There Is so much In a name, and "Yashka" was the sort of a namo that appealed to the soldiers and always Confidential (Oflizier Vize-Feldwebel is in Vaux with 137 men) One reason why the American Troops were able to storm the town of Vaux was the won derful amount of information our Intelligence Department had learned about it. The Intelli gence Officer's report is given complete, to gether with the first all-American barrage map and a photograph of Vaux after the Americans had captured it in Everybody's Magazine for March. This is part of the story of the forty days' fighting at Chateau-Thierry written for Everybody's by Maj.-Gcn. Omar Bundy, com mander of the American Troops. With this historic narrative of Gen. Bundy's, a symposium on future, legislation by eight im portant members of Congress, "Our Aliens," by George Creel, and a book full of other fea tures, the March Everybody's will soon be off the news-stands. Get your copy today. cverybodvs V Maqazine &!) 'jMqgazine Now on Sale At , KtgUttrtd V. 8. rottnt Offit worked In my favor. In time It be came the pet name ot the regiment, but not before I had been tested by many additional trials and found to be a comrade, and not a woman, by the men. (CONTINUED TOMORROW) All News-stands mi wm m (Londrca) i- 'Jt i s ? . kartvt to enutt my mother. m. Y, i
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