Salt Lake Telegram | 1916-03-05 | Page 28 | Russia's Irregulars Are Thorns in German Sides

Russia's Irregulars Are I Thorns in inGerman German Sides Peasants Who Conduct Warfare Take Take Heavy Heavy Toll roll Of Invaders by Their Intimate Knowledge e. e of Marsh Country LONDON March 4 Germanys Germany's grimmest o o all enemies grimmer even than winfer winter is now upon her writes a Russian correspondent who discusses Germanys Germany's terror in the marsh lands in which he narrates witha witia with wit a grim humor of his own the exploits of a Russian peasant leader l ader who isa isa is isa a never ending thorn in iii the side of the Germans Germanys Germany's new dread the correspondent correspondent corre corre- writes is Russia's guerrillas irregulars and Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere Every Every- where along the mile front German German German Ger Ger- man outposts are being attacked sentries sentries sentries sen sen- tries are being sniped convoys raided trenches pestered at night and every everyday everyday everyday day a toll in death is taken and a astill astill still sUIl greater toll in terror German papers found in captured trenches use the words surprised and disorganized disorganized disorganized and sIert That was written after atter Russia's Rus Rue sias sia's greatest guerrilla hero Earless Pete crept with his band between two disconnected German trenches on the section and came back with the headgear of at thirty slaughtered Germans These Germans were surprised and slain from an ambush Seven Russians killed and wounded was the price paid Russia's heroic volunteers are either local peasants disbanded soldiers or young men from remote parts mostly belonging to the intelligent class The peasants are now awake By encroaching on wholly Russian and Greek orthodox soil the Invaders have rendered to Russia a special service In Poland the population might be cajoled or terrorized The Poles are third parties The Germans today are fighting among men of Russian race and faith and these feel teel that they are defending their hearths and homes Neither bribes nor threats avail Earless Earles Pete is Germanys Germany's terror His name suggests terror though he heIs heis heis Is not earless earlese at all but can hear a aGerman aGerman aGerman German sentry sneezing a a. verat away He is called earless because he has no ear open to his country's foes toes Pete slays no unarmed or disarmed man but in battle he neither gives nor takes mercy Earless Pete has never commanded more than seventy men but he has killed or put of action action action ac- ac tion at least Germans Germane Pete wins because with all their technical perfection the kaisers kaiser's wooden battalions battalions bat bat- lack the scouting sporting in In- needed for coping with guer rillas Petes allies are the winter snows still still m more re the winter thaw He operates operates op op- op only in marsh land laud In the marshes once thaw sets In malana malaria ma ma- in in- laria lana comes Petes men are They know the country countr they are familiar with narrow lanes of tra tra- land in the illimitable marsh Earless Petes newest exploit is this He made madea a a feint attack on a strong German outpost outmost and pretended to flee The enemy pursued Petes men took the longest narrowest path through the swamp When the pursuers pursuers pur pur- were crowded on a narrow road bordered by swamp land with rotten ice Pete turned and attacked Simultaneously Sim others of his men appeared ap appeared on either flank The Germans Germane could not deploy Those who left the road crashed through the melting Ice A terrific rifle fire cut up the Ger mans Thirty out of a hundred got away The rest perished Yard deep snow which hampers German movements is Petes I friend Swathed in white sheets moving ing lug silently on skis the guerrillas approach approach ap ap- ap and snipe or pour in volleys I Germans dash out shoot wildly try to charge and flounder In the snow In darkness these attacks again and again have succeeded in causing the Germans loss and spoiling their i nerves Midnight snow ghosts Is is' is Petes name for his followers Near the Germans with enormous enor enor- II labor have had bad to clear from snow snow-a belt of land a hundred yards wide before their trenches On on onearth onearth onearth earth background at least the ghosts will be seen Farther south disbanded Russian soldiers are cutting the enemy up These are that that 11 is chas chas- I the the best winter troops in the I world They were given rifles ammunition ammunition ammunition am am- amI matches and blankets- blankets nothing else else and and sent into the trackless trackless track track- less forests of to shift for themselves Last summer during the retreat from Brest BOO got cut off The Germans never captured them and now in small bands which sometimes reunite they roam the country Snipe cut railways and generally generally generally gen gen- terrorize the country They cut the culvert at and wrecked a German train Long ago they changed their uniforms for peasant peasant peas peas- ant garb Sympathizing peasants shelter then them give Information to them and mislead the German spies