Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-12-18
Victorious Army Changed in
a Day to Staggering Dis
organized Mass
ROAD MARKED WITH
THE DEAD AND DYING
Austrian Outrages Drove the
Servians to Fury and
Caused the Disaster
(By William &. shepherdl

"'"' DVN' 10. ne route OF the
austrian retreat from Seryia was a
path of horror.
was with the Hapsburg forces dur.
ing their precipitate retirement.
The road they travelled was marked
oE the bodies of dead and diving sol.
dlers by the wrecks Of wagons and bv
the still worse wrecks of men driven
insane by their sufferings.
| saw the Austrian army transformed
almost in day from body of con-
querors into a staggering, disorgani2ed
mass Its retreat was rOut.
After spending weeks in France and
Belgium, after observing the German
troops in the field and after watching
the fighting at Przemsyl, it was In
Servia that ! beheld the most horrible
scenes Of the war.
arrived in Seryia following many
weeks with the Austrian army in
ualicia, whore | had witnessed the sol.
dlers heroic attacks and defense in
the campaign against the Russians.
The Servion campaign was different.
Austrians mhuman.
Perhaps the Austrians long smolder.
lug hatred Of the Seryians, coupled
with their belief that servian plotters
arranged and executed Archduke
Francis Ferdinand 3 assassination, was
responsible for this difference.
Austrian outrages in Servia have
been worse than those charged against
the Germans in Belgium
For 40 miles from the frontier the
country is deserted and as silent as
the tomb. Hundreds of residents of
Seryinn towns have been executed.
November Is the Austrians took the
correspondents then with their army
Into Servia to show them how the
enemys lines were being driven back.
We travelled $50 miles into the
northwestern corner Of the country,
Eighteen towns which We passed were
utterly deserted, In every one | saw
one or two walls marked by the bullets
fired at the execution Of inhabitants.
Austrian and Hungarian officers
denied that women had been executed
but admitted that such fate had be.
fallen hundreds Of men.
Hanged Prisoners.
One Hungarian officer showed me n
six foot pole which he said he used in
his killings. He explained that he set
this pole upright fastened q rope to
the upper end, forced his Seryian vie.
tim to sit in chair, adjust the free
and Of the rope about the mans neck
and then knocked the chair from under
him.
He was usually dead" commented
the officer, 81 In eight or ten minutes,
saw 20 square miles Of Servian
trenches Of perfect pattern in which
the bodies Of Seryians were rottinp.
They had been denied even decent
burial.
The. Austrians promised with great
iubilation to take us into Belgrade
November 25. But their plans were
suddenly changed.
We were hurried ont Of Seryia In
wagons. There was no explanation.
After leaving the wagons we were
loaded onto train aud taken TO Bud
apest There huge wagon trains filled
the roads. In them were mudmen and
wounded.
Aud then we discovered the Seryians
were advancing.
Blizzard Adds TO Horror.
We had been taking part ~ q re-
treat-in an utter rout.
The country was being swept by O
terrific blizzard the day we left
Servia The roads were IN nm un
speakable condition. The hardships OF
travel were fearful.
II was as IL Belgium should arise sud
denly and drive out the Germans.
The statement that many soldier.
Went insane is no cxnggcalion.
In one case an Austrian lieutenant
lying wounded by the roadside, saw
the major Of his own regiment riding
by and called to him whcrcupon iht
major turned and shot him IN the leg
He was stark mad
After my many weeks Of association
with Austrian Officers and newspaper
men, ! was astonished at the condition,
] found In Sctvia
The alarm seuscd among The rcW
dents Of Budapest was noticeable als,
IN Vienna.
The city was thronged with homeless
refugees from Gnlicia
When | left Vienna December I, Goa
was being doled out to the citizens II
Fifteen pound lots, which the rcoipcntl
carried home on the shoulders or u
rich, In taSicabs or their carriages
The Austrinns crtcise the German
mercilessly. declaring that the latte
are not helping them. In turn, th