The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-04-09

A III paris % Poland have been
II sorely stricken BY the war.
Between the Mszssian lakes
and the C~arpathlan passes. a distance
Of about ese miles. the eontendins
armies have been swhyinF back ana
forth over the lands Of the Poles Ia
Prussia. Isnssian and Austria Ac-
eordInx 20 a statement issued BY the
general Polish relief committee. sent
out from headquarters At vevy-Lau-
same, Switzerland. s.ooo.o 900 Of Aus
tro-0ermans and 1900, 600 Of RUS
SLAMS have eeen fighting oyer this
district OF some $4,000 square miles.
.trsading down and tearing ap the
country and sending the inhabitants
10 immediate death or slow starva-
tion. Henry sienkiewIcz is president
OF this committee and Ignace Pader-
.ewshi In the vice president These
are The names that inspire confidence
In any statement that may be rent
out over them Hut Il h a sad and
almost unbelievable tale their state
ment tells.
The Poles. they say. are obliged to
nsht IN two opposite campo. and for
a which Ia not their own. ON
both sides they are put IN the first
line OF battle and often the Polish
soldiers KIN one another in bayonet
charges. They get no exemption
from military service. such a. ~
granted In the central provinces OF
the b~elllgerent countries bat they are
subjected TO a mos rigorous con-
scription. In order 20 clear up an
conscKipta that could be taken by an
invading enemy. The Poles have
hitherto furnished about I.s00. 600
soldiers. about equally divided be-
tween the opposing armies, and up
10 the time when the statement was
issued 400. O00 Of these had been lost
IN killed. wounded and prisoners. As
hard a. the fate Of these soldiers.
lighting for countries not regarded
by them as their own. may be. Il Is
"a nothing compared with M dis
treaa that has fallen upon the peacer
ful inhabitants OF the country.
Villages. country houses. farms ana
farm buildings have beer pIlaged.
burned and destroyed. Whole fami-
lies have been sent out 4 do the best
they ran without food shelter. money
or sufficient clothing. Horses and
cattle were taken by the armies or
left to starve for lack OF pasture. An
the stores OF corn and forage were
seized or destroyed. The whole Of
1.-THE agricultural production. valued AZ
about $500. 600, 900 a year. has beer
entirely stopped for a long time, and
factories In the populous and hereto
fore prosperous cities hay been de-
molished or Frustrated. A rural pop
%uIation Of 10000 900 has been reduced
60 begsary, and d very large proper
ltion Of them are quite homeless. dy-
ing Of hunger and cold. feeding on
proofs. barks ana even carrion, roam
Ing through the woods or sheltering
themselves in the stricken towns
Nevertheless" says the commit,
Tee, 'In the fac Of so appalling q
Tragedy the world seems unmoved. II
~ certainly not for want OF compass.
sion. but for want Of exact ipforma'
ton on The true state OF affairs n
Poland u Is to correct this lacl
Of Information that the statemen,
which has here been briefly and in
adequately summarized, has beet
scnt out There IL an American
branch OF the general committee e1'
local branches OF the american com
mlttee. Leo Bojnowski is secretsrl
OF the committee In New Britain.