ssia and England for
many years. He was a democratic leader and his government was readily
accepted by the people. But as with all newly constructed governments it
moved very slowly and with characteristic Russian deliberation and
interminable talk and red tape.

This was too much for the impatient ones among the Russians who had
invited the Allied expedition. One Colonel Tschaplin (later to be dubbed
"Charley Chaplin" by American officers who took him humorously) who had
served under the old Czar and had had, according to his yarns--told by
the way in the most engaging English--a very remarkable experience with
the Bolsheviks getting out of Petrograd. He was, it is said, influenced
by some of the subordinate English officers to make a daring try to
hasten matters.

On the evening of the 5th of September, while the American soldiers were
patrolling the Smolny area, near Archangel proper, this Col. Tschaplin
executed his coup d'etat. He quietly surrounded the homes of Tchaikowsky
and other members of the Archangel State Government and kidnapped them,
hiding them away on an island in the Dvina River.

Great excitement prevailed for several days. The people declared
Tschaplin was moving to restore monarchy under aid of the foreign arms
and declared a strike on the street railroads and threatened to take the
pumping station and the electric power station located at Smolny.
American troops manned the cars and by their good nature and patience
won the respect and confidence of the populace, excited as it was. The
American ambassador, the Hon. David R. Francis, with characteristic
American directness and fairness called the impetuous Tschaplin before
him and gave him so many hours in which to restore the rightful
government to power. And Tchaikowsky came back into the State House on
September 11th much to the rejoicing of the people and to the harmony of
the Allied Expedition. The diplomatic and military authorities of the
American part of the expedition had handled the situation in a way that
prevented riot and gained esteem for Americans in the eyes of all the
Russians.

Archangel, Smolny and Bakaritza now were busy scenes of military
activity. Down the streets of Archangel marched part of a battalion of
doughboys past the State House and the imposing foreign Embassy
Building. Curious eyes looked upon the O. D. uniform and admired the
husky stalwarts from over the seas. Bright-eyed women crowded to the
edge of the board