Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1918 — U. S. MARINES LANDED [ARTICLE]

U. S. MARINES LANDED

AMERICAN FORCE GUARDS DOCKS AT VLADIVOSTOK. British and Japanese Troops Also on Patrol Duty—Refugees Tell of Fight at Blagovieshtchensk. Harbin, April 12.—American niarines have landed at Vladivistok, as well as British and Japanese forces, according to advices from that place. The Americans are in control of the docks, while the Japanese are guarding the railway and ammunition depots.. Harbin, April 12.—Refugees reaching Harbin from Blagovieshtchensk give details of recent disorders in that city. The trouble arose as a result of an attempt by the bolshevik! to disarm the Japanese, who had armed for self-defense. During the first day of the trouble General Koshevnikoff, commanding a few Cossacks, aided the Japanese and repulsed the bolsheviki, but the latter, re-enforced by Red guards, overcame the defenders of the city. General Koshevnikoff lost 100 men killed, including eight Japanese and two Chinese.

Between 200 and 300 noncombatants are reported to have been slain. 'I he refugees secured 8,000,000 rubles (over $4,000,000) j of the Imperial funds, which they are bringing to Harbin. Washington. April 12i —The landing of Cnited States marines at Vladivostok is less in order to “protect American lives and property” than to reassure the Russians disturbed by the advent of the Japanese armed forces. The American Asiatic squadron has been in and about the Siberian harbor off and on all winter and the navy has been expecting the tidings that men had been put ashore ever since it was known that the Japanese forces were there. It seems to have been deemed, best to sandwich In a few American marines with the Japanese and the English In the hope that they would convince the Russians that nobody had designs on their eastern provinces. , As a lot of munitions stacked up in Vladivostok came from this country and were paid for with money loaned to Russia by the United States, we had a reasonable ground for insuring their protection. Moscow, April 12.—The excitement over the Japanese landing at Vladivostok is rapidly subsiding, and the Moscow newspapers are generally inclined to the belief that the incident will be settled locally and that the Japanese and English will withdraw.