Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-08-26
WILMA IS ONE Of
THE TEUTONS'
MAIN DETECTIVES
Its Capture Would Cause More
Startling Change in Eastern
Campaign Than That
of Warsaw.

Washington, Aug. p3.-Vilna Is one OF
the most important immediate objective'
of the Teutonic drives in Russia, for Its
capture and retention by the German'
would not only threaten the comnunica
ton oe the Cars armies but would also
cripple the second line OF Russian de-
Tense, along the Bug, or the Brest Lit
ovsk line The holding of wilma would
practically cut the northern communica
lions of the powerful fortress and mill
tary entrepot upon the Bug, and bring
, with 1t a more startling change in tn,
eastern campaign than even the capture
OF Warsaw. A description of this mpor
tant railway. trading, and manufaotur-
ing city Is given in statement on wal
geography issued by the National Geo
graphic society. 1t rcads:
wilma is a city Of 10000, an industrial
and trade center situated In the mlds
of a region OF tangled forests. almosi
impossible marshes. and low-lying lakes
at the intersection of the railways from
Warsaw to Petrograd and from Libau
the Baltic port TO Rostof, at the mouth
Of the Don: It lies nearly midway he.
tween the cities Of Grodno and Dvinsk
two other points upon the Warsaw Petro-
EIdu runway tHTe1ltIcn DN inc herman
invaders. petroErad lies 1876 miles away
to the north-northweSt of Wilma, and the
country in between is a labyrinth of lake
morass. woodland and wet meadowland
1t Is more than 10 miles from the Germar
frontier, toward which it is guarded b.,
the fortress ot Kovno in the northwest.
The city is an ancient one, of which
fact its appearance bears every testi-
mony for its irregular ground-plan strag
giles among. around ard over the knot OF
low hills upon which the city is\huilt IN
accordance with the traditional aimless-
ness OF the middle ages Its streets ar,
narrow. and not especially well-kept. I,
wears. however, a general air OF com
Portable prosperity. for Wilma sends large
quantities Of goods to the Black sea and
to the Baltic 1t handles n very exten
sive business in grains and timber, article.
which 1t exported before the present war
in great quantities to GERMANY to Hol
land, and to England II also has impor-
tant textile and leather industries. wilma
manufactures considerable tobacco. knit
goods clothing artificial flowers and
gloves
The old town is rich in memories A
mass of ruins that were once a brilliant
castle Of the Jagellons is here wilma was
probably founded in the early part Of
the 10Th century. but Is first mentioned
as the chief fortified town of the Iithuan-
ians In llN. It was the nucleus abou.
which the great Lithuanian power grew.
and a capital In which the ancient re-
ligious service was continued until the
end Of the 18th century. The God Perk
unas housed here in a splendid temrle
and protected his people in their swamp
and woodland until DESTROYED ruthlesslv
In 1887 by Prince Jaciello, after his CON
version and baptism
Wars plague and destructive fires have
PLAYED havoc with the citys prosperity
and growth. II was nearly ruined alto
gether In the nth century. during the
struggle between Russia and Poland.
Russia finally took possession Of the CITY
In l'h, after Poand's partition. The
Poles of Wilma aided the uprisings
against their Russian overlords in 1891
and in 1853. and bitter punishment was
administered for this by the Cars gov.
eminent The native Russian element in
the city is small. It Is estimated that
more than 80 per cent. of the population
is Jewish, while the Lithuanians and
Poles make UP the greatest part of the
remainder"