Page:Albert Beaumont - Heroic Story of the Czecho-Slovak Legions - 1919.djvu/44



MILAN, March 27.

The scenes witnessed by the Czecho-Slovaks at the outbreak of the revolution, and in which they at first joined with enthusiastic demonstrations, are described by Captain “S.“ in the following narrative. The first impression of the Czechs was that all the difficulties which they had encountered from the old régime would now be removed, and that they would receive encouragement and help from the Republic, which they had not received from the Empire. Their joy was of short duration. Captain “S.“ continued his story as follows:

My apprenticeship was short. I learned little about mechanics, but much about revolutions. I had little expected such an upheaval when in Turkestan. The day I arrived at Rostov, a town of over 70,000 inhabitants and full of workmen and factories, everything was quiet. There were already 1,700 Czechs at the works to which I was sent. I was introduced into a workshop and assigned to a machine for cutting the threads on the covers of shells. I was to look on for two days and learn. On the second day all about my apprenticeship was forgotten. The workmen came in, talking with excitement. A strange rumour was going about the town. There had been a revolution in Petrograd, the Tsar had abdicated, and the Republic had been proclaimed. When the news reached the telegraph and telephone offices the public officials would not believe it. They asked for connection with Moscow and Petrograd. Petrograd was cut off. But communications with Moscow continued, and it kept confirming the news and adding many details.

It was impossible, in the excitement, to work, and after a few hours the factory was closed. All the workmen rushed out into the streets. They formed excited gatherings, and the Czechs joined them. Some workmen must have got to the bell towers, for all the bells started ringing, the faclories joined with their whistles and blew off steam. The Russians