GENERAL KORNILOFF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17089, 22 August 1917, Page 7

GENERAL KORNILOFF

RUSSIA'S SUCCESSFUL LEADER. ; ONCE IN FOE'S HANDS i Held a prisoner of war by the <Vustrinns, General Korniloff, tho famous Russian leader, ' made his escape in disguise and travelled "» 300 miles through enemy countrj To-day-he is in command of the army which, by its successful offensive in Galicia, is setting j' a noble example to New Russia Reading like a page from a romance, the full story \ of his adventures is told for the first time -| by Ivan Novikoff in the June issue of the' Wido World Magazine. ; Known as the "Terrible Division," tho Twenty-eighth had long been noted for their dash and grim courage. Korniloff,. 3 it is stated, was a tiger to his enemies and a father to his men. His name was the' regiment's war cry, and they felt <=afe in his hands. In tho spring of 1915 when tho Russians wero. attacking, Korniloff s men were ever foremost. The way of lie Russians was barred by an - apparently impregnable height which was held bv two divisions. KornilofFs men seized the Wight after a fierce fight, defeating twelve times ** their number. They held tho height for a ' time, but heavy Austrian reinforcements wore called up. Tho Twenty-eighth were 1 almost surrounded by 60,000 fresh troops. k "WE MUST ATTACK" "Wo are too feeble to resist any longer; we must attack," said Korniloii Volun- « teers were called for, and with Kornuoff at tueir head they engaged the Austrians, while the remainder ot.tue division escaped. ' The men lougni nobly, and held tne surprised enemy lor long enough to servo their s purpose, .tractically every man was wounded when Korniioh' was hit, and the hglrt ended. Ihe few survivors wero taken prisoner J "Dreary niontns ot illness loliowed, and" when Kormlori: recovered he was taken as a prisoner of mark to the chateau ot tho hsterhazy at Eisenstadt, m Hungary Deter- ■• mined to escape, Korniloii made lriends (. c with his guards, and among them he lound a Slovak. 'JLhis man sympathised with, tho •■ Slav General, and agreed 'to nelp hinq. What part ho played m escape has not been revealed, but one day the General -, passed tne guararooni door and sajr a com- i * plew- private soldier's umlorm lying on the ' table. There was nobody in the room, bo, slipping m, Korniioii' hid tho kit under 'his * coat.- X'wo evenings later, having ixpen- ~} nieuted with the borrowed uniform, and v found it fitted him, and having shaved off * his moustache, he decided to make his escape. , ijeizmg Lis opportunity when the sentinel of the gate had turned hie back, he slipped > out Strolling noncnaiantly for a time he £ soon broke into a run, and met his tolovak ~> friend, 'Ikey had provided themselves with a map and a compass, and had accumulated v a small store oi money. HAZARDOUS JOURNEY FACED. Russia was 300 miles aw'ay, but tho general and his unknown iriend (he neytx knew his I name} set off with a good heart Making towards Budapest, they avoided the , towns, but their plan of escape was at- ' most wrecked. t,. " Wherever we . went the gendarmes eyed „/ us suspiciously," said Korniloii'. ' One day * alter a long, hungry march, my blovak j guide decided to ask for food and water _? at an isolated farm. We were on the £ point of exhaustion, and, .though I tried to v v. dissuade him, he went. I waited in vain. * lor .10 long hours tor ins return Then. 5 I saw gendarmes surround the hou6e, and v heard shots fired. Flight, alone, was the T ° only course open to me." On reaching Budapest, Korniloff found] the .city full of troops. Amid all these i" soldiers the disguised Russian in his Aus- * trian uniform was unnoticed. Sitting m * -r small eating-house, he overheard the conversation of a couple at an adjommg table, - r1 and learned that a price bad been put on „*> his head. Buying a newspaper, bo found { a large advertisement containing an ad- '' * nouncement to a similar effect It in-!" ? j eluded an excellent portrait of himself. ' But tho general in the privato's uniform , \ passed undetected. Ho even made friends with an: Austrian artilleryman who was „J" bivouacking in the street. "I am rejoining my regiment after convalesccneo," said Korniloff. _', The pair ex- '.. changed confidences, and the Austrian con- { fessed that he was sick of the war,, as were t all his comrades. That night thel Russian * general and the Austrian private slept side j by side in the streets of Budapest J PRIVATIONS ENDURED In the morning Korniloii* set out on ha , tramp across Hungary. With his map and ~ compass ho hoped to steer a suaight line , and do the journey in about a inontn Day * after day he tramped. Occasionally peas- , ants would look him up and down -' and ask, "Osztrak?" ("Austrian?"). " and ho would nod his head. He slept in* tlie open air at nighty but was compelled to pay for everything he wanted to eat, so ") that his tsmall store of money dwindled." A day came when he got nothing to but some wild strawberries. A woman from whom he asked a piece of bread * chased him away from her door, calling hmi' ■< "Vcrdammten Osztrak." Things looked ** black, but Korniloff knew he would reach. safety in a few days if he could hold out •He had been walking for. 20 days '"* * Disaster nearly overtook him at Klauscn- - berg, a centre of great military activity. *""' He was walking down the main street whena harsh German voice called 'Halte." *•„ Korniloff stopped and a young Austrian i p officer asked, "Why did you not stop and 4 salute me?" Despite KornilofFs protestatioms that he had not seen the omcer and J , that ho was '"Johann Bach," who was * hurrying home to his wife, the officer called two soldiers and ordered his removal Vto i the barracks. ' .' ' / ~> Tho general's ready wit came to the rescue. He told his guard'that they were irOonly taking hirn to the barracks because he tX did not know the way, and suggested an ts, adjournment to a beer garden.. A comely ■; girl waited upon them and looked with in-i^ J terest at the The soldiers felt effects of a second glass of beer in a re- y markable manner, snd Korniloff left the "J table. The girl thrust a piece of bread i and moat into his hand and said, " Flee J> across those fields. I will keep them in $ talk. I have put something in their j*■ y beer." . ■ . i Kissing her hand, the general took advice, and walking practically all night, J loft Klausenberg miles behind. *' SAFETY REACHED AT LAST , There seemed-a new sympathy in the next. day, for Korniloff knew he was in / Transylvania, and his heart had been glad- «£, dened by the news of Rumania's entry uito the war. Meeting two peasants, he fessed. that he was a Russian. They *?; directed him to the house of Mathias zcr, a shepherd, "who guided hud to iho t * Russian outposte. -> Safe among his own people again after f his tramp across the enemy Empire, wheio ,•"£ he had been an outcast with a pnoe on hia \ head, Korniloff was received with joy Ho ' sent a sum of money and a letter to the old J •; shepherd. 5