The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-11-19

The children were always crying
save when big shells burst very close
Then they became silent and cross
ed themselves, / noticed that they
crossed themselves in the Latin and
not in the Greek fashion. They were
all Catholics.
Suddenly the darkness was lit up
by a tremendous glare. The Saxons
lage, We were in the center of the
flaming area. but the soldier guard
ing the door refused to let us fetch
water from the pump in the yard.
Finally he srelented as our thirst a
intense because of the excitement
and the heat. In the vicinity roof af-
ter roof fell, great sheets of fire
shooting upward but our house did
not catch.
Sentinel Faces Fire.
Finally the sentinel was ordered
to retire. His face was shockingly
blistered and I believe he would have
remained at his post until he was
roasted.
Three Cossacks arrived questioned
us as to the whereabouts of the Ger
mans and rode off. A young pleasant
faced Russian officer entered the
house, went to the cellar entrance
and regarded the and chill
dren in silence. He seemed deeply
moved.
What a CHASTITY time they must
have had!" he said. y
Then he quickly commanded us to
n1nnr 1v,t ~ Nror 49, fhN Co~p,o,,e
would probably return and the
house would surely be smashed. He
began speaking Polish and ended in
Russian. He gave us q solder to.
guide us,
1t was a strange, frightened pro-
cession of men, women and children.
AS we crossed a hill southeast of the
railway line the fight behind us re-
commenced with great fury.
Germans Retook House.
The Germans retook the house,
which was burned and obliterated
and the young officer was killed. His
death sent a thrill OF grief through
all Poland for he was no other than
the brave young Count Potoski, head
of an ancient family of Polish aris-
tocrats.
Gifted with youth, health, money
and intellect, he. sacrificed all in
fighting against the common enemy
of Russia and Poland. III his blood
shall cement the Russo-Polish friend
ship it will not have been shed in
vain, and so would the terrible strug-
gle in the extreme east of Europe
heal a long feud, as in the extreme
west of Europe, Already it has put
an end to the long Anglo-Irish war.
i attended Count Potoski's funeral
service the next day in the Catholic
cathedral in Warsaw.
The fate o. the mansion in which
found succor is typical OF thous-
ands Of similar homes. From War
saw to Kclisz, Cracow and Cheusto-
hoy, Poland has suffered almost as
much as Belgium. Where the Ger
mans have not been the Austrians
have been, The kublin government
was devastated.
War Ruins Homes.
During the battle OF Warsaw
alone. hundreds of lisTalets and man
sions were fattenh in this steam
roller They We're taken and re-
taken by the opposing forces. In the
back gardens, narrow stairways and
private chapels men fought like
iends.
At the village of Rakitna the
fight conferred around and inside a
beautiful private Catholic chapel in
the magnificent park of a Polish
nobleman.s The chapel was repeated
.ly taken and retaken.
Sunday, Oct. IS, saw the most
savage fighting there, and the earn
age was worse at II O'Clock in the
morning, just when in ordinary
times, people would be assembling
for mass.
The slaughter went on in the sac
ristry and IN the altar steps. No mild
toned bell rang that day from the
steeple to summon the faithful to
prayer. Instead of a bell there was
a German machine gun in the steep
lie and its hard dry reiterated hic-
cough had nothing suggestive OF
heaven about it.
Demolished by Artillery.
Battered by cannon, pGmmeled by
mortarss blasted by dynamite, soak
ed by blood, blackened by gunpowd-
or riyen by nitroglycerin and con-
sumed by fire, this chapel underwent
what few structures have undergone
In history. Not one of the stumps of
the walls is mor than five feet high.
Amid the shattered stones lie corps
es, rifles and broken emblems of the
Prince Of Peace.
Oversa wide area south Of Warsaw
the struggle ragged for 10 days and
nights in village streets and isolat-
ed houses, backward and forward,
like a roaring flood. The Germanic
flood finally ebbed. but with its stu
'pendus strength so little impaired
that it is liable to roll back at any
moment.