Page:Lars Henning Söderhjelm - The Red Insurrection in Finland in 1918 - tr. Annie Ingebord Fausbøll (1920).djvu/49

 lives, and partly because it showed how exceedingly difficult the task of the Protective Corps practically was. On the 6th November, about fifty armed Russian marine soldiers arrived by train and motor-car in the neighbourhood of the estate of Mommila in Tavastland. At Mommila were staying some friends and relatives of the owner, the Landbrugsraad Kordelin—eleven ladies and eleven gentlemen. When they were warned by telephone of the sudden concentration of military in the neighbourhood, they applied to the nearest town for a guard. Six men were sent. The next morning the soldiers marched into Mommila, cut the telephone wires, took the guard captive, and made an energetic search throughout the house. Four of five of the sailors proved to be Finns in uniform, a couple of these were bad characters from the neighbourhood. During the search gold watches, bracelets, rings, bangles, garments, etc., disappeared. The sailors made themselves at home at the breakfast-table and let the hungry visitors see how much they enjoyed the meal intended for them. As a reason for this enforced hospitality, now one reason, now another, was given. The search was for corn, arms, German spies, all according to circumstances. When the search was ended, all the eleven gentlemen were arrested, in order, as it was said, to be taken to Helsingfors. In the meanwhile the news of the proceedings of the soldiers had spread, and from the neighbouring town, Lahti, thirty men of the Protective Corps proceeded to Mommila to find out what was actually going on. On the high road, some kilometres from the estate, the thirty men met a motor-car packed full of armed sailors, and behind it came the whole bevy of prisoners in various vehicles guarded by sailors. The leader of the Protective troop signalled to the motor-car to stop, which it did. On his asking what the soldiers were up to, they answered