Page:Albert Beaumont - Heroic Story of the Czecho-Slovak Legions - 1919.djvu/72

 the delegation. There was then no holding our men back. Captain Ulrich, our senior officer, sent an armed company into the demand the immediate surrender of our officers and men so treacherously detained. The Soviet took fright, and, although they had 2,000 men at their command, they dared not appeal to them. They handed out the prisoners and apologised. Our company returned quietly to the station.

The local Soviet, however, did not give itself up as beaten. They informed us that the inquiry would continue, and that they were asking for instructions from Moscow. Our echelon was kept at the station for ten days. We had taken the precaution of occupying most of the station buildings, and also getting hold of the telegraph wires. The surprise came in the form of a telegram from Trotsky, which our operator caught. It was a secret instruction to the Soviet of Cheliabinsk and to the Bolshevik authorities everywhere to arrest and disarmour troops by force, if necessary, wherever we might to be, and to shoot any Czecho-Slovak thereafter found with a rifle. It was one of the usual drastic Bolshevik methods. Either obey or be shot! But this time Trotsky did not calculate well what he was doing. We may be sure that he regrets that telegram to this day. It was one of his biggest mistakes.

Our delegates, who were at Cheliabinsk, were not slow in coming to a conclusion. It was an open declaration of war against us, and was accepted as such. As we had possession of the telegraph wires of Cheliabinsk, we also used them, and we informed our echelons wherever we could. But as this was likely soon to be reported to Moscow we did not stop there. The delegates to our National Assembly took it upon themselves personally to inform our numerous echelons east and west as far down the lines as possible. Some of them travelled hundreds of miles, and when they could not go quickly enough themselves they sent confidential messengers, all dressed as Russian or Bolshevik soldiers in disguise. The commanders of our echelons were to take possession of all the stations, disarm all Bolshevik garrisons or put them to flight, take over all provisions and war materials, and if necessary occupy towns. In a word they were to act and defend themselves and protect the other echelons as in an enemy’s country.

The first thing to be done was to capture Cheliabinsk itself. We knew that the Soviet of Cheliabinsk had given orders for the garrison to take us prisoners the following morning. At eight o’clock the Bolsheviks were to move on the station from the three separate barracks which they occupied. We made sure to be four hours ahead of them. Fortunately we had two battalions at Cheliabinsk. The troops were got ready during the night, and at four o’clock they surrounded each of the three