Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-12-18
Nv RAYMOND &. SWING.
correspondence Of The Chicago Daily
News.)


News.)
psrliu, Germany.-The task Of gath
ling material about atrocities is per
- the simplest of the activities Of
shose reporting this war, but the tash
~ confirming these stories is one to
Awe a trained juryman mad. After
spending several days among soldiers
a the front I have come to the con
cluaion that one of the horrors of wal
4 the wildly exaggerated stories about
atrocities, and that these stories are
asarly as harmful as the verified
Atrocities themselves. They will
make any sane and progressive peace
uovement extremely difficult, which
must find its support from a people
believing with bitterest hate every ex
aggerated statement about an enemy
and refusing to believe the crimes OF
IL own army.
There are plenty of atrocities with
incontrovertible evidence. Such cases
ore not difficult to find. particularly in
East Prussia. Henry c. A. Mead. who
went to East Prussia for The Chicago
Daily News. brought back a report OF
which quote the following:
In the hospital of Soldau there lies
q woman who can speak with terri
bic conviction about the bestiality of
Cossacks. When the Russians came
through Soldau she was working as
Eurse in the little Soldau hospital.
With three aged men she hid in a shed
behind the hospital. A shell burst
near the shed and drove them from
their hiding place. They ran to the
street. as the Cossacks were riding
past. The three men we're immediate
b killed and she was attacked by FIVE
Cossacks and then shot. The bullet
struck her shoulder and she survived
70 tell her story. had 1t from her
own lips as she lay in the hospital"
swears to MutiIations.
Mr.. Mead continues to quote from
IN afidavit of August Kurz of the
fifth company, landwehr:
we were marching from Lauten-
burg to Hohenstein when attacked.
Our company entered the woods. and
ln the woods was separated from my
In the woods l came on
the bodies Of II women, all Of them
This aflidavit is supported by anoth-
ef member Of the same detachment of
troops who saw the same gruesome
light
In East Prussia there are many sto-
hes where conclusive proof of this
Iort 10 lacking. but which apparently
bear the earmarks of truth, and
which win make 1t difncult for the
East Prussians to believe that the Cos
rack is better than his reputation. The
cruelties inflicted on women. the muir
der Of old men and the horrible abuse
Of children are told In many quarters.
There are several instances where
Russian o@cers themselves warned
the population to Zee. a. they declined
10 BE- responsible for the actions Of
he Cossacks.
eaw Evidence Of PlundsrIne.
Mr.. Mead himself saw many evt
lences Of plundering. Tapiau. Web
On Soldau and Allenburg were ruth
saely robbed by the Russians. Shops
nd homes were in the greatest dis
rider when he was there ten days at
sr Russian evacuation. Allenstein.
nstsrburg and Tilsit. however. were
vt plundered. though in Tilsit were
bund papers indicating that the city
~ to have been plundered in two
|aya General Hindenburg's victory
. Tanneburg interviewed. In these
Aree latter cities the Russians be-
lavsd well. paid for everything they
'ought In the shops and gave bonds"
nr oommandeered supplies.
H. Mead heard conflicting stories
'eoat . general massacre in Absch-
lmssn- All versions agreed that the
lussians had killed nearly all the pop
llafion. and the likeliest reason he
leaId md was that the invaders, be-
Issing that the landsturm troops there
40 civilians. had revenged what they
fought to be franc-tireurism. The
'enbsr Of dead is variously estimated
lem $50 to 300. The evidence about
leschvangen is confusing and the
'ufA u hard to determine.
Seeking 10 Poison Water.
Another story. for which there was
20 authority, though no direct evil
~ was found by Mr.. Mead, was
. man had been captured in
.eodesberg with several tubes of ty-
~ bacilli, with which he was try
N 70 poison the water supply of the
WIN the western armies stories
atrocities and plundering are as
uful a. In East Prussia. The !
q U fairly familiar with accounts |
1.eged German and Belgian atroci-
u Belgium. There are many
rons of these stories; they seem
include all the most horrible
which the human mind can
n 1--we. l shall add only one to this
! German flyer in Belgium, a
.nose reputation 10 exemplary
.ao bears a name known to the
,s vas forced to descend with his
when his observer was
" He left his observer with
oplane while he went back to
-. When he came back he
~ ooserver-who was his most
riend-with eyes gouged