Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-09-21
MANNED men N
FIGHT FOR SERv|A
Ar1nless and Legless Grip
pies Of Previous Con-
Aicts are on Duty.
(By Henry WOODY


Rome-(By mall to New York;
Tho response Of Servia's population
to the third call to war in less than
two years will probably pass down In
history aa one Of the most patriotic
and one Of the most pitiful sacrifices
ever made by a modern people. Before
even the first soldier In the war had
been killed. the mere mobilization
alone of the Servian army presented
a spectacle calculated to make an in
delible impression on the mind Of ev-
cry person who saw 1t of what war
really means.
OF the 100000 men which the little
(, state was able to muster for its con-
hict with Austria, Just one-third Of the
! entire number, or 100000 formerly
able-bodied men. came bearing the
wounds, fnutilations, eyeless sockets
and the armless and legless stumps
which the two previous wars had i'm
posed on them. In a country, poor as
Servia had remained after Its two first
wars. few of these had been able to
lessen their misery with such luxuries
as artificial eyes. arms or legs, yet
/, they came just the same. singing their
/ national hymn and the war. songs of
the Slav people, and offering up for
their country what was left of them
Just as cheerfully as in the first two
wars they had offered up their sound
and physically whole bodies.
One In Ten Soldier.
At the time of Servia's first war two
years ago as a member OF the Balkan
league against Turkey. she then had a
+, population Of less than 100000.
From this she was able to muster in
| an army of about 100000 men or an
army composed Of one person out Of
every ten OF her population. In this
| war, and the one that followed against
Bulgaria, $4,000 of these men were
killed, while another 100000 suffered
! terrible wounds as the result of the
i hutcheries which characterized both
wars.
Although as a result OF these two
conflicts Servia more than doubled her
! territory and increased her population
! to nearly 100000, these acquisitions
did her little good as far as lesaening
the burden of her third var with AUS
! tria- She had not yet had time to or
ganize a military service in her new
mustered from there when the third
call to arms came barely sufdced to
make up for those who had been kill
ed in the first two wars.
Duty for Every Man.
1t was this condition that in the
conflict with Austria made necessary
the enrolment of every man who still
had enough left of him to serve in
any capacity whatever. AS a conse-
quence. those who were SO badly
manned from the first wars as to be
unable to enter the ranks as full
fiedged soldiers were organized into
the patrols necessary to guard the rail-
ways TOR military purposes. Others
who could not even do that were as
signed to the camp work of preparing
food for those who could fight.
This sacrifice met by the common
soldier of Servia found equal response
also in those higher up. King Peter,
who for years had been an intense
sufferer from uric acid poisoning, aft
er personally participating in both the
previous wars and then remaining on
the throne until the affairs of his little
state could be placed on safe basis
had less than month before the third
call Of arms turned the throne over to
his son in order that he might under
take the cure necessary to regain his
health. At the call to arms, he aban.
doned the sanatorium where he was
staying and hurried to the head of the
army.
Army Chief a Martyr.
The same spirit was also shown by
General Putnik. head Of the Servian
army. From sleeping outdoors in cold
and rain during the two previous cam
ed arthritis Of the most painful kind.
Like King Peter. he too. at the third
declaration of war was taking for the
Arst time that he had been able the
necessary treatment. Leaving at once
his sanatorium he hastened back to
Servia. Against the advice of all the
doctors Putnik succeeded in reaching
the city and again placing himself at
the head Of the strategy board of the
army,