Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-19
RUSSIAN NEWS REPORTS
INCREDIBLE, SAYS DUMBA
Austrian Ambassador Denies Truth of
Stories From Petrograd

NEW YORK, Sept. 19.-Dr. Constantin
Dumba the Austro Hungarian Amhassa-
DOR exaspcrated by reports of extensive
Russian victories in Galicia and Russian
Poland, has given out a statement char
acterizing the reports as absolutely false
and misleading, and designed to iniiu-
ence public sentiment against Austria
Ambassador Dumba's statement reads:
~ am compelled to protest most cn-
phatically against the false reports sent
via London from Rome. Milan, Geneva.
Copenhagen and st. Petersburg about the
Austrian campaign in Russian Poland
and Galicia. To quote some of these re-
ports purportinG to come from official
sources:
CALLS STORY INCREDIBLE.
"The Austrians lost since the battles
OF Lemberg $4,000 men, dead and
wounded and 100000 prisoners I have
read this incredible lie at least twenty
times in big headlines, repeated even in
the same paper several times. But we
hear that Immediately afterward the
Austrian Generals. Dankl and Auffen-
berg, who had to retreat from Russian
Poland, succeeded in uniting and rally
ing for a new flag ] do not think that
anybody endowed with a little common
sense can for one moment believe that an
army Of 100000 having lost 100000 men
should be able Immediately to rally for
new fight
According to official 90 Petro-
grad news, the Austrians, while recedinE
and hOtly pursued to Lemberg, had al
leady lost about 100000 men. tThere was
hardly any one left To tell the tale.)
The steel forts of the first class fortress
Of Mchailowsk had been slenced and
4 stormed with incredible bravery by the
ltngCilnu In, nhlf i- n
small village with 9O7 inhabitants. where
the Austrian troops had erected provi-
sional field trenches. The reports spoke
Of $40 Austrian field guns and 1000 heavy
guns captured Nobody knows the
whereabouts of these mythical 1900 heavy
guns as no Austrian fortress has been
takenO
Then again: The backbone of the
Austrian army in Galicia was utterly
broken after the fall of Lcmberg.' 1t
Practically no longer existed, so that
the dreaded Cossacks had their choice
between a rush to Budapest to join hands
with the Serbs and the announced on
slausht to Berlin via Breslau."
CALLS NEWS FANTASTIC.
Count Berchtold, the Austrian Foreign
secretary, sent the following dispatch by
wireless denying Russian reports:
after the battle of Lemberg the Off
ela' Russians news agency published as
usual fantastic news about an alleged
victory Of the Russians, giving the num-
yer OF prisoners taken as $1,000 and the
number OF captured guns as 900.
II is interesting to compare with this
STORY the official communique of the Rus
san General Staff, dated September IA,
SSoout the same battle. Here the numbers
s1, e gone down to 5000 prisoners and 20
suns The Communiuue admitted that
ueneral Brussllow was in a very critical
hard fighting. ''''' a''e'
,ion Is not at all astonishing that Rus
n,aa Is used purely strategic concentrating
ba.aneeVers baa,l OF our forces around Lem
Ss,,s, cers Tor spreading false reports; but the
nrovon s,ols way In which this is done best
deser,,, 'hat our own official war reports
esSefFe the fullest confidence"