A ROMANCE OF THE WAR Woman Who Went As A Soldier A romantic story of the war, with a very tragic ending, has reached Paris from Russia. Among the men belonging to a Siberian regiment stationed at Port Arthur was a soldier named Liatnikoff who was popular with his comrades, but was often "chaffed" about his effeminate appearance. He had been selected as a servant by a young officer at whose quarters he lodged. One unlucky day, while he was on an errand, he fell and broke a leg, Liatnikoff expressed a very strong wish not to be taken to hospital and as he was being conveyed thither he took a penknife out of his pocket and deliberately severed an artery in his left arm. As the soldier on his arrival there was being undressed to be put to bed, the surgeons, to their amazement, perceived that he was not what he had represented himself to be. Liatnikoff in fact, was a beautiful girl, barely 18 years of age. Blood poisoning supervened, and the patient had only been three days in the hospital when all hope of recovery had to be abandoned. The young woman sent for the officer in whose service she had been, and implored him to marry her, reminding him it was her devotion to him which had led her to pass herself off as a man in order that she might follow him to the Fast East. His brother officers, are also said to have pleaded her cause, but for some unexplained reason he would not listen to them. As soon however, as he had heard of the death of the poor girl who had loved him so well, he returned to his quarters and blew out his brains. Clarence and Richmond Examiner (Grafton, NSW) 24 May 1904, page 2 [Trove]
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 07:30:56 +0000
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