The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-09-24
TELL TRAGIC TALE
Russian Officer Describes Inva-
sion of East Prussia.
Only . Ripe Apple Found in
Deserted Town.

Petrograd, Russia. Sept. IA
young Russian officer just returned
from Eastern Prussia gave q very in
teresting account Of the conquered ter
ritory.
I'VE make about distance deleted
by censors) miles advance a day at
present" he said. General Sams0nOff
was supposed to advance upon here.
Indicating a point on a map), but
failed. Death covered his shame.
How do we fight? Oh, splendidly.
The forward movement IL accomplish
ed to singing. The Germans seemed
distressed by the songs of the Rus
slams.
YES. the Germans are just as we.
They stick to it to the last point. When
captured they behave very correctly
and to all questions answer: I have
no information to give
How. do the German. population
behave?"
Not very we'll. They shoot at us.
they spy a great deal and have been
able to give much information by
means of subterranean telephones. We
could not understand how the Ger
man artillery fire was SO skilfully di-
rected till we discovered an under
ground telephone in a cellar. One day
We actua ly found and IS year old crone
telephOn ng to the enemy. During our
questioning she had a fit and died of
fright.
"Insterburg is fine town about the
size of Nizhnonovgorod. Life is not
sometimes fear poison. There have
been some cases of poisoning but the
inhabitants are afraid of punishment.
A Severe Penalty.
LAS for shooting from windows. we
have fixed a tariff. At the first shot
from window we blow up the house
At the second shot from the same
street we hlOW I'D the street
"Eydtkuhnen is a terrible sight. 1t
has no semblance to a town. There is
nothing in it to loot. When 1 came
through with my regiment, the only
thing we found were beer cellars. Our
men who had not had beer or vodka
for months went mad over it. You
must understand there was not soul
there but ourselves-nOt a house that
was not blackened by fire, not win
dow that wasn't broken. not room
that hadn't been ransacked. Precious
things of all kinds lay in the streets
ruined, soaked by rain.
las for the villages. they have mostly
been looted or burned. The Germans
fire them as they retire. Often at night
we had been glad Of the light of burn
ing farms and villages. They helped
us to find our wounded on the battle
field. COnfIa gratiOns have made night
into day.
Yes, it makes a melancholy i'm
preston to go through village after
village blackened. deserted. looted.
Once I noticed a ripe apple on a tree
in one looted village. 1t caused me
surprise. 1t was something that had
escaped plumber.
1T is dangerous travelling alone or
in twos. The conquered country is full
Of aElbushes. There are robber bands
and attachments of German cavalry
yet uncaptured. Armed bicyclisfs and
MANY soldiers 1kl11k in the woods.
1.-The Germans are straining every
nerve to arrange a big defeat for us.
EVERY one who can hold a gun is be-
ing pressed into the service against us.
We know that by the dead they leave
in the field. men in civilian attire and
many sailors from their warships.
Children of Is and 16 years of age, old
men. occasionally even women are
fighting US.
1T was unpleasant under fire at
first but after awhile it became ex-
hilirating. One feels an extraordinary
freedom in the midst of death. All
wounded soldiers want to get well to
return to the fight