The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1914-12-15
Newspaper Correspondent in
Thick of Great Battle in
the East.
HAD CITY IN THEIR GRASP
Germans Had Only to Walk in and
Take 1t, But Overnight Delay Cost
Them victory-vivid Picture
of Bloody Conflict.
By FRANCIS M'cULLAGH.


Correspondent Chicago Daily News.
Petrograd, Russia.-The German ad-
vance on Warsaw was achieved as
result of that most difficult operation
known as a change of front, performed
with marvellous speed and efficiency.
| The transfer of one-fourth of the Ger
man army from Belgium to Poland
was the least of the difficulties that
were overcome. Far greater was the
establishment of etrapes (shelters)
and lines of communication in hostile
territory. The Germans not only over
came these difficulties, but conceived
mastery plan of attacking War
saw and very nearly carried it to sue
cess.
Grand Duke Nicholas expected
German advance from East Prussia
eastward on Grodno or southwark on
Warsaw and had prepared for these
movements with General Rennen-
kampff's army west of Grodno and an
} other army at Kevno. Warsaw was
defended on the north by the for
} tress of NovOgeorgeievsk and a power
full army.
} Attack Comes Through SWamps
The grand duke did not expect an
attack from the south, where there
are swamps, the worst wagon roads
in Europe and few railways. But it
was from the south that General Won
Morgen came.
In all there were four German
} groups One, from Thorn, lombard
\ed Plotsk, but retreated, this being
} only a demonstration. Two groups ad-
vanced from Kalisz and Chenstokhov
} and. uniting at Skiernevitzy. moved
on Warsaw with binding rapidity. The
} fourth group. from Cracow, attacked
Radon and then IvangOrod, where the
object was to cross the Vistula, thus
outfianking the Russian army at War
saw and compelling its retreat.
The whole Austro-German battle
front was 462 miles in length, ex-
tending from the Baltic to the Carpa-
thians and therefore the battle of the
Vistula in the middle of October was
in some respects the greatest ever
fought l confine myself to a descrip-
ton of what saw with my own eyes.
Had Only to Walk In.
Warsaw was absolutely lost on the
evening of October II. The Germans
had only to walk in and take it. But
they delayed, probably waiting for
the fourth German force to cross at
Ivangorod.
: Next day the Russians had more
troops, and within a week they had
ten corps, or 100000 men, south of
Warsaw, and as General Won Nor
TANKS, he fell back October 20, with
amazing skill and rapidity
was able to see all the fighting on
the extreme front because of my
friendship with Russian officers formed
during the Manchurian war. From the
station of Prushkov, six miles south
of Warsaw, travelled the whole Rus
from Prushkov few hours before my
visit, but fighting continued on the
outskirts.
Great Trees Hurled AIoft.
crossed the fields to Sokoloff amid
a frightful bombardment. l saw one
big German shell align -rder the
gnarled roots of an US tree.
When the smoke Gle: lay this
tree was lodged in the >.anches of
some other trees c Dy. 1t had
been torn up by tt JOts and shot
upward hundreds of 1eet with terrific
velocity.
The curious effect of these mon
strous shells passing close to ones
head is that they produce nervous col
lapse, deafness, numbness and fire.
quent insanity. l personally helped to
the rear a dozen soldiers thus af-
fiicted. More dreadful sights | never
saw Now there are two hospitals in
Petrograd and Moscow for such sol
diers with more than one thousand pa
tients in each.
This frightful bombardment drove
me into the cellar of factory, where
| found two men and several wom-
en- and children, who had been there
three days, not daring to emerge even
to get a drink of water from the
pump only few yards from the open
ing of the cellar. They told me that
the bombardment had continued day
and night, and in proof of their wis
dom in not venturing out they pointed
to the bodies of three men and child
lying in the factory yard.
Germans in Solid Mass.
When darkness fell ! bolted out
again and soon took refuge again in
the house of a Polish gentleman, who
invited me to sleep in his house for
the night. ] slept on sofa, but in
the small hours of the morning was
awakened by shell which shook
every window frame in the house. My
host and his family soon appeared say
ing that the servants had all fed.