Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-10-14
HORRIBLE STORFOF
RUSSIAN 0yTRAGES
AS TOLD BY GERMAN
.Csssacks Left Trail Of Woe
( and Suffering Along Line
Of Retreat
safe LUST ON GIRLS
AND KILL ALL MALES
Towns Were Burned, Farms
Laid Waste, Whole COun-
try DesOlated
lBy kari II. Won Wiegand.l }

Konigsberg, East Prussia, Oct, l3.-(
BY wire to Berlin, thence by wireless
via Sayville.) )-The czar' cossacks left
a bleeding trail of woe and desolation
across the fertile fields of East Prussia
as they swept backward into their own
country, smarting under the defeat suf
fered by them at German hands.
! have reached here after a 600 mile
automobile trip through this area, fol
lowing a path Of blasted lives, tortured
men, women and children and devas.
tated homes such as it is almost i'm
possible to believe, My journey was
made by virtue of a special permit is.
sued by the German general staff.
The battlefields Of Tanneburg and
Niedenburg were bad enough but the
country side told the most appalling
stories Of rapine, murder and inhuman
cruelty
Children Misused.
Around Niedenburg the Russians sat
sfied their lust by the violation Of
scores Of defenseless peasant women,
The country thereabouts was ravaged
terribly The csar's rctreating troops
took full revenge for their defeat on
the women, Catholic sisters aud young
girls bore cruelties worse than the
tortures of the battle field aud then
were dying az the Muscovite hordei
passed on.
The Russians killed every male Of
military age they encountered. The
country was stripped Of men between
the ages OF l4 and i5. Older men, too
who protested were slaughtered.
Tho Russian investment Of Konigs
berg was accompanied by the same rioI
Of lust az occurred at Niedenburg.
At Abschwagen, ten miles from here
81 men and women were shot, includ
ing eight boys between the ages Of L
and TO- heard stories from some Of
tho witnesses Of this inferno Of blood
One father said; "The cossacks sho
the people one by one, My wife and
fell on our knees and prayed God Il
spare our boy Of H. The Russian
bound MS and forced us TO see him fal
before their bullets as we appealed I,
heaven for aid.
phW tallllly MulueIcu'
AZ Abschwagen ! went TO the sicl
bed Of Young widow who rayed Of tn
horrors she had seen Three cossack
compelled her 10 stand az a window an
look on at the murder Of her husban
Of a month, Of her father aged 49, an
Of her father.in.law, 62.
Pastor Roekel, at Griesdenen tol
how the cossacks gored his brother I
death, prodding him with bayOnC
and gouging his eyes out,
Az Ortelsburg witnesses Of the RuI
sian retreat said the cossacks locke
four defcnsoless persons, including
deaf mute and child Of l2, in hout
aud then set the building on fire.
/ saw the blackened ruins,
In the region Of Darsehman I pc
! sonally counted 81 farms which III
! Russians had laid waste verified IN
f. shooting Of 30 civilians in this sectiol
The villagers stories agreed that III
murders were unprovoked.
Bodies MuAliatod.
AT Gardauen at least 100 persor
were shot and more than 30 are mis-
ing. Here again there were stories {
atrocities perpotrated on women. Repu
I able men said that girls Of a and
o were not spared.
!. Mothers and daughters suffered Ii
= same fate.
n AT Christiankehmen l3 men wei
Q shot and their bodies were mutiliated.
y Scores Of villages were devastate
the homes In them being wholly
4 partially destroyed. Many Of them wei
h unspeakably befouled from garrct
n cellar
b / met families who were mournin
Q male relatives who had totally disaI
. pearod the Russians having taken the
with them In their retreat.
. | am told the purpose Of the Russia
, campaign was 20 strip the country g
2 tirely Of material for soldiers
y The material devastation alone
I estimated at from s25O,000,000
l' s50O,O0O,0OO