The record-union., 1892-04-23
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS.
Gems From the Pen of the Distin.
guished Traveller.
Cracow, Poland's Ancient Royal Capt.
taI-Huge Outer Forts and Massive
Minaretted Walls - Polish Jews
Knouted from Russia, Their Suffer-
ings and Indignities are Still IntoI-
cradle at Cracow.

| ings and IndignIties are Still Intol-
| cradle at Cracow.
| Especial Correspondence of the RECORD
UNION. Copyright, 1892
CRACow, Galicia, March 80, 1892
! If one could first approach Cracow
from the north, filed with the senti-
mental romance of Polish heroic memo
| ries, and have in mind the Poland and
! Cracow of that time when Cracow was
the residence of Polish sovereigns, view
OF the ancient city would be one of great
impressiveness.
At any distance, from this direction,
the structural seeming is one of unim-
paired splendor. Its many church spires,
| quaint and huge-peaked roofs, spacious
! palaces and dark old towers, are clus-
tered in great profusion around the
| Wavel Rock, on which stands the castle
of Zamek, the former royal castle of Po-
land. AT its base the dragon of the cave,
which noisome hole may still be seen,
was killed by Krak, the Cadmus of Po-
land. At the city's southern side can be
| seen the cleaning waters of the blue
! Vistula, which almost encircles the olden
town. The splendid Vistula vale stretches
fair and far beyond. And the southern
| horizon is a serrated edge of misty blue
where, over against sunny Hungary, rise
the peaks of wild Tatra and the grand
| Carpathian range.
But splendid as is this first seeming the
| ancient city of kings, cathedrais and uni
versities, is now simply gorgeous shell
of stone, swarming with population the
III
| human eyes ever beheld. The city once
held from $4,000 to 100, 900 souls and was
| the commercial as well as royal capital of
| Poland. Its deSertion and degradation
| reached an apparent lowest ebb quar-
| ter OF a century since. Subsequently
| Austrian reforms, and the general. i'm
! provement of the condition of the Cali
clan Polish peasantry,. and especially
the stimulating effect Of excellent devel-
opment in agricultural and the mineral
and petroleum fields of Galicia, re-
awakened some of its old-time CONNER
clal activity.
But this fell away again as Lemberg
gradually became the commercial capital
| of Galicla. Then came another influx of
| population, but of so dolorous a sort that
| Cracow's S spreSentincreased housing of hui
| mans is certainly the most painfully and
pathetically abhorent in all Europe The
| city is not more than ten English miles
from the Russian frontier. During all the
unspeakably cruel prosecutions of Rus
sian Polish Jews which have Indignantly
| thrilled the civilized world during the
past few years, Cracow has received and
succored a greater number of these help
| less refugees than any other single Euro
pean city.
So near is the city to the Russian from
| tier that every week, often nearly every
| day, witnesses professions of these out
| casts given speed across the border by
| the impetus of threatened knout and
| lash, and the even more goading fear of
actual murder. In 1864 l saw, with burst
| ing and mutinous heart, the d-forsaken
folk of my own race as they were driven
| from Atlanta, while their homes were
burned behind them. But revolving as
was that brutal scene of so-called mill
! tary necessity" it could not be compared
with what is of such common occurrence
here that it attempts no further comment
| or attention.
Two great objects of interest will be
| found before you enter the city. To the
north is one Of the most gigantic embat-
| tied fortresses in Europe. Austria has
always claimed that this was for use as a
| frontier fortress in the event of Russian
hosulities. AS nearly 1000 spies in citi-
Zen's clothing are said to be still in use
| in Cracow and the immediate vicinity.
| the Polish peaSantry prefer to belie& g
it was built, and is kept manned for the
purposes Of awe and effectual subjuga-
! ton.
! In any event it forms threatening an
swer to a still greater monument to ma
| tional feeling which may be found but
| three miles distant upon the eminence of
| BrowniSlawa. This is the colossal Kos
ciusko Mound.
over in Ireland the humble peasantry,
| loyal in their memories for even legend
ary hero or saint, when passing the spot
were the body fell, or was inferred cast
] pebbles upon the grave and nIurmur
| prayers for the repose of the soul. A sim
| liar Polish national alteration of the brave
and the good has resulted in this most
curious memorial mound in Christen-
| dom. 1t is l50 feet high, and is princi-
pally formed of earth, brought in sacks
and barrow loads with infinite toll from
all the battlefields famous in Polish his
| tory. Grim and tragic is the satire upon
| this sacred heart-built memorial on the
| part of relentless power. When it was
| nicely completed the Austrians found it
an excellent pedestal for one of the huge
detached forts with which they pro-
ceeded to surround Cracow in a five miles
| circle.
very interesting and massive. They will
remind you of the tremendous walls of
old Neuremberg down in Bavaria. They
are quite as high and thick, but are va
| ried at intervals with surmounting tow
| ers, both square and round, OF immense
thickness and great hight with most
/ picturesque minaretted roofs. The gate
ways are quite as remarkable as those at
Malta, and are given great additional
quaint charm by their curious old shrines
| These are very ancient; indeed so old
| that the carving of the fioriture and inn
ages are almost wholly defaced. From
| this fact alone they seem to attract the
greatest number of worshipers; and on
many occasions / have been scarcely
| able to pass beneath these huge arches
owing TO the crowds packed like pam
| icky sheep upon their knees against the
shrines.
Round about and within the old city at
| this season of the year, just as the foliage
! is beginning to show along the banks of
the Vistula and among the gigantic trees
| of the ancient promenadeS, a casual glance
| gives the impression of serenity and even
| brightness. One feels as though quiet
and satisfied content must reign within
and without. But once inside the nrass-
i've gateways the heart sickens at what
the eyes continually behold.
Soldiers are everywhere. Gay in their
rich trappings they spurn their fellow
civilians as though they were beasts
| Were l one of these human animals be-
| meath them / would surely answer their
| insults with dynamite or melanite; and
one has only to move about these streets
an hour to understand and condone the
| awful reyenges the goaded humans of
| some of the old-world hives are taking
| upon their oppresSorS. No Polish lowly
woman can walk these streets without
f IL