New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-22
Gen. Rennenkampf Upsets
Plan to March on War
saw and Petrograd.
ENEMY IS ACCUSED
OF MANY OUTRAGES
Cars Soldiers Fine Fighters.
Says Correspondent Who Saw
Them in East Prussia.
fBy Gable TO The Tribune. ]

London, Oct. 22.-"The Daily
Chronicle" prints the following dis
patch sent from Grodno, via Petro-
grad by special correspondent who Is
now following the Russian campaign IN
East Prussia:
81 have returned here after iournev
along the East Prussian frontier as
close to the scenes OF daily fighting al
| could obtain permission to go. My
route was from the north OF Suwalki
southwark TO Graevo. a stretch OF coun-
try recently in German occupation, put
where now remains not a single Ger
man outpost. General Rennenkampi
presence on the present front is IN u
self victory Of brilliant quality, which
has brought TO nothing the German
purpose Of an advance on Petrograd
and Warsaw, in conjunction with the
| Silesian armies moving on Warsaw.
at is stimulating TO see the Russian
soldier in his habits, as he lives ana
fights. | have seen many thousands OF
them camped in rain-swamped Dogs or
marching indefatigably over roads
which long have been quagmlres OF
mud, always with the air OF stolid con-
tentment and the look of being bent or
business They include the Baltic
province men, speaking German with
a strong havoring. Jews from Riga and
Libau are brigaded with the huge 81
berians, whose marching must constl-
cute a world record.
"The Cossacks are past counting, and
with them are long-ccated, tight-oelted
Circassians and Kalmucks, all repre-
senting a mixture of races and Ian
guages like that of the British Empire
itself.
Actually the whole line is battle
front from north OF Wirballen to well
into Poland, and no day passes without
contact with the enemy.
Villages Laid Waste.
"This is an army in which every man
has fought Most of them have been in
hand-to-hand conflict with the Ger
mans. They have approached the front
through a country which the enemy has
devastated.
"There is no village which does not
bear the mark of wanton destruction or
life and property. | have seen things
for myself-houses burned, others pill
LACED and the contents dragged into
the streets and there smashed
Churches have been invariably de-
stroyed and desecrated. Piteous tales
are told OF the shooting of villagers
and attacks on women.
at is impossible not TO admire these
endless battalions of Siberlans. They
are common objects of this country
side. | came past Suwalki as they were
moving up, column after column, their
gray overcoats a-swing in rhythm, like
the kits of Highlanders. They who
bore the brunt Of fighting, unsupported
by artillery, in the forests OF Au-
gustowo, and with the Baltic regiments
pushed OIL and took Lyck-these are
the men who marched forty miles
starting at midnight, and then went
into action and made a bayonet charge
which their officers still boast about;
81 may not indicate the geography
of the front on which Russians and
Germans are now facing each other,
but the German general plan is to pro-
tect the railways and all approaches TO
vital functions, such as Goldaeg and
Insterburg. Between them and the
frontier lies country OF singular dit'
ficulty for troops. 1t is easy of defence,
with small broken hills, innumerable
lakes and roads winding in watery val
leys among woods.
"The Germans have gone to earth In
their usual lavish fashion, digging
themselves in with thoroughnesS
worthy of permanent fortifications'
Their trenches are 1--WE feet deep, with
earthworks in front zig-zagging as a
precaution against enfilading. Some OF
them are very cleverly hidden with
growing bushes. All peasants remain
ing in East Prussia are compelled to
work digging trenches. The emplace-
ments for guns of large calibre have
concrete foundations.
Germans Brought Families.
"The enemy had fortified Suwalki,
employing forced labor, connected up
the trench system with telephone in
stallation and appointed a military
governor and other functionaries.
Many German officers were Joined
there by their wives and families, who,
when they retired took with them SOU
venirs consisting Of nearly every port
able object of value in the town, be-
sides much furniture and clothing.
"The Russian trenches were scarcely
more than shallow grooves In the
ground, with the earth thrown up in
front Of them, making a barely suffi
cient cover for prone rihemen. At
carried by storm, with CHASTITY car
mage.
awe didn't dig much said Rus
shouldn't stay there, and that we
should either go forward or back, and
we were sure we would go forward "
"Near Augustowo the roads are lit
orally blocked in many places with
abandoned German transports which
became trapped in the terribly muddy
country Dead horses in hundreds lie
everywhere and the Russian sanitary
corps is busy burying them. Yet the
Russians, who are still moving about
this country. retain not only their usual
average health, but do not even COM
plain. Between Augustowo and Raj
grod the small stream is actually
Blocked with German stores, including
much gun ammunition.
"The German advance, which ended
in this debacle, has been the costliest
defeat in point of materials which they
yet suffered"
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