WASHINGTON. .Inly 17 Russia
in a line emotional moment, pro
dined a "battalion oT death" unmet
soldiers with poison phials in thei
blouses, sworn never to surrender
Rohemia. the enslaved and downtrod
den. thr mere historical remnant o
a nation, has produced the first "divi
sion of death."
It has been known for some time
that there were* about 20.000 ('zeeho
Slovak troops in a single group witl
the Italian army-first in training
near l’erugia and later at the battle
front itself. It is not commonlj
known, however, that these soldiers
will never he used on the defensive ex
e ept in the last extremity, and are* he*
ing held by the high Italian commanr
to be flung across No Mail’s Lane
when Italy strikes her next great blow
M ile reason for this is simple. The»sc
men will he hanged if they are cap
tnr»*d by the Austrians. Lour hundred
and seventy ( zeeho.Slovaks since tin
war started have been hanged it
Trieste alone over 1 per e-ent of tin
population for offense’s much more
venial in Austrian eyes than that *>l
serving in the ranks of the enemy
An army loses more prisoners when it
stands on the defensive. When it
strike’s, its casualties in killed and
wounded are higher, but the wounded
can be* rap’d for in the* rear of the
advancing forces. Therefore the
Czechoslovak division will he* throvvr
forward only when the* Austrians arc
reading backward.
To Fight for a Dream
And yet these Bohemians, with the
possibility of the Austrian noose
always ahead of them, are the hap
piest men in Italy They are in arms
to realize a dream to establish a new
republic upon the ancient "coast ol
Bohemia" and In the very heart ol
the present Austro-Hungarian state.
Throughout Italy they have excjjed
the greatest enthusiasm. They are in
stantly recognizable, for though they
wear the grey-green Italian uniform
they carry on their collars stripes of
their national colors red and white—
with another touch of red and white
in their Alpine caps Unlike the Ital
inns, they are mostly big and blond,
and as they pass along through the
cheering crowds of the towns and
villages near the front with flowers
behind their ears or stick in their
coats they seem to be always laugh
ing or singing.
They have been assembled from all
quarters. Many of them are deserters
from the Austrian armies. Others
were taken prisoners—most willingly
— in the successful Italian drives.
The Italians repeatedly found Vzecho
Slovak machine gunners in the moun
tains attached to their weapons by
stout chains forged upon ankle brace
lets. Victims of such a practice, of
course, furnished ready material for
the Bohemian division Others came
from Russia, seeping through one out
of-the-way channel or another into
Italy. Still others volunteered for
this foreign service in the United
This spring and summer, as the Bo
hemiau movement for indep ndcncc
lias grown within Austria itsell. re
ctuiting for tile Bohemian armies has
rereivetl a treniendous impitus. in
addition o tin- division already on Hie
in nt ir Itulv. another iom|<lete divi
sion is being organized in I'ranee
I iv ■ li" .1 . ' "in more f/eitio
i ..• ii"vs <n Iheii way to Italy
.iv • r a s.i hough lit tle know i; mr.
Tlie Czechoslovaks in itiissia, tens
ot thousand of them deserters from
tlie Vuslriali armies in the early year.
ot the war. and wholly unimpressed
f >v tlie Bolshevik antinational doc
Iric-'. are especially restless It is
believed that eventually a large pro
portion of these will find their way to
the Italian battle front.
But from the Austrian lines few
are coming over now. Bohemians in
the Austrian army at present are held
in the interior us far as possible.
When they are required on the fight
ing front they are sandwiched in be
tween Magyars, their bitterest ene
mies. and Herman Austrians, and
watched like convicts.
Bohemia in Ferment
The Bohemian division consists of
Czechs. Moravians, and Silesians,
mingled without discrimination Most
of them are peasants and work
men the latter highly skilled artisans,
as Bohemia is the very industrial
heart of Austria-Hungary. Practically
no propaganda on the part of the Hal
Ians was necessary to enlist them, as
they an intelligent and reasonably
well educated. And in Bohemia, per
hups, more than In any subject state
of Europe, the fires of an intense na
tionallsm burned undimmed. The set
tied I lapsburg polit y of division has
proved fruitless among them. And
Bohemia to-day is one seething fer
moot of rebellion, ripe for the inovi
table explosion
Throughout Italy it is believed the
| Bohemian division is tit* glowing
i lose which will lire this explosion
Here is ; tr ;'tt“;l I t- > . w ■!. dis i
jdilted. will equipped, wall otfiered,
i umler the immediate eommaml of one
of tlto most highly regarded majoi
generals in the Italian army These
I men tire prepared to die practically
, sworn to die but even more, they
are prepared to win under the folds
of their own flag Once they fight
their way into Austrian territory they
l know that the repercussion will sound
. throughout the Austrian state. Swarms
of Bohemian patriots will flock to their
j standard ready to die with them i(
| necessary.
And when that happens Austria
] Hungary will be torn asunder, past
the power of the Herman cement tc
tnend.
Have you looked over our stock ol
! t’ongoleum rugs? The Northwester!
■ I lard wure store.
■ --——““—
L
mm si
OEPtRTlENl
According to a letter just r« eivei
l>\ bistrlet Attorney Koth of th
Fourth division from John \\\ ba\i
solicitor general ot the department *>
justice at Washington, the proceeding
in the appeal fiom the decision ii
the case to test the validity ot tin
territorial eight hour law are to. b<
dropped, and the decision ot Judg<
Bunnell declaring the law invalid wil
therefore stand. Tlie solicitor genera
said:
“I am wiring you today as follows
In case of the (Tilted States versa
Northern Commercial Company am
(leorge A. Coleman, my telegran
April twenty-second directing writ o
I error is hereby revoked If writ al
ready sued out you need take no fur
ther steps to perfect it.'
“Further reflection has convince*
the department that the writ of erro
could not be successfully prosecute*
in this case You will proceed at
accordingly.
The ease involv'd was that where
in the Northern Commercial Company
and others were found guilty of vio
luting the eight hour law by working
their employes more than the speci
tied number of hours. Judge Bunnel
held the general eight hour law invalid
as being in violation of const it utiona
rights. An appeal was taken by th*
district attorney, and this will now
he dismissed.
-#
WHOLE CHINESE PROVINCE
I OVERRUN Of OESPERSOOES
I’KKIN, May 18 (l>y mall).—Chin
| <>se soldiers are spreading terror ir
a district in Honan seventy miles b>
twenty, burning villages and other
wise destroying propertey and commit
ting crimes common to a state ol
anarchy, according to reports to the
i legation here.
With the removal of General Wu
I’ef-fu. who had some Influence with
I the troops, the soldiers obtained the
I upper hand. The military governor ol
j the province. Chang Chin-yao. is said
! to have built up a military force by
promising recruits the privilege of
looting In lieu of regular pay. The
I Chinese population is fleeing from the
| district in terror, abandoning their
, homes to the mercy of the marauders.
A portion of Honan is In similar
straits. The activities of the robbers
have led the military governor of that
province to apply to the central gov
ernment for troops to suppress the
lawless elements. The bandits have
made the districts on the borders of
Chihli, Honan and Shantung their
happy hunting ground, and they never
tail to escape punishment from the
authorities of one province by cross
ing into another whenever they are
chased by soldiers.
WEDNESDAY
ALL MEALS
WHEATLESS i
Vtl MO nVZAIV taAilll M a II
, rMTTY <X r.rjAM WT u*** * V
C**NTAT N’l Nv> W.llA, A
I *----—-1
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