Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-09
SERb|ANS LOOK
TO OFFENSIVE
AFTER RESISTING THE AUS
TRAN ONSLAUGHT THEY
HOPE TO FREE KINsMEN
IN THAT COUNTRY.
FIRST IN AUSTRIAN ARMY
Many Given Opportunity to Help
Their Own Nation When Sur
render Is Made.
FIRST IN AUSTRIAN ARMY

render Is Made.
Skopyle, Servia, Feb. 8 Correspond
ence OF The Associated Press)-Ser
via, once the focalJDoint Of the Euro
pean war, hut later almost lost to
view ilrthe maelstrom which swept
the greater powers into the struggle,
gives ample evidence of having borne
her just proportion Of the sacrifices
of the nations. Sunering on all sides
is intense, hut thu spirit of the troops
is undaunted. q
Crave for Offensive.
Since the recent defeat OF the Aus
TRANS freed Servian soil or invaders,
plans have rapidly eole forward for
the next move in the great game Of
Wharf.-The offensive. Hundreds OF
wounded soldiers il the hospitals
have told the Asso, .ttcd Press cor
respondent that they feel their Sec
ond life purpose VIII be lost if they
are unable to help in the %deliverance
Of their kinsmen on AuS;ro- hungarian
territory. The Servian offensive will
be shared by the Russians and the
hope is expressed here and at Nish
that Roumanian troops also will be in
the column hurled across the Hun
garian frontier.
The motto of the Servian army is
Something to defend; something to
reclaim" Tha something to defend
was the independence Of their king
dom. The something to reclaim is
that part of the ancient Servian en-
pire when even after the victories
over the Turks and Bulgars, still lies
outside the limits of the Servian kins,
dom.
Lived in Austria.
The Traveller IN Servia is somewhat
dazed at first t. discover among the
prisoners of war a large percentage
Of Serbs Of the purest race and
tongue. Living in Austrian territory
my until a surrender gave them the
opportunity to serve ,heir own coun'
try. Some are helping in the mill
tary hospitals while others are doing
scout and picket duty along the Ser.
Wan frontier.
Lying far beyond the European war
center, Servia seemed a difficult des-
tiratiOn for a journey beginning al
New York, but experience proved cas-
Ter than anticipation. Belgrade, the
front door of the Ealkans was impos-
sible indeed, but Salonika, the back
door, was found Hospitality open. In
war time back doors and side alleys
are apt to he safer and quicker means
of getting about than guarded doors
and fortified frontiers.
With Paris easily attained, the rail
journey from there to Erlniisi, Via
Turin and Milan, differed little from:
what it might have been in ordinary
times. The crowds of uniformed sol.
diers at the stations and the remark.
able number of women in mourning,
however, gave evidence of the
changes of the past few months.
Swift little Italian steamers make the
journey from Brindisi to Salonika an
enjoyable one, ending always with an
inspiring view of Mount Alympus, up.
on which the Greek peasants still be.
lieve the ancient gods sit in jucS>
ment over the fate of Greece.
Many Servians Return.
Clean, comfortable, first class cars
take the traveller from Salonika to
Djejeli, at the Servian frontier. A
change of trains at this point brings
no deterioration in railroad facilities.
These trains are daily crowded With
Servians of the better class who left
their homes IN the interior during
the Aus, rian invasion, but are return.
ing to them, assured it is safe to do
so.
At Djeje!i, the chief Of customs, Mr..
Simitch, invited the correspondent or
The Associated Press. together with
other foreigners, into his office, where
Turkish coffee and cigarettes were
served. This courtesy was repeated
by officials at NEARLY every station
where the train stopped and is one
with which the traveller meets in all
parts of the Balkans.
"a Given Fine Attention.
A splendid new municipal building
at Djejeli was converted into a hos
pital soo- after the war began. AS
Don as the rwounded were able 10
leave the overcrowded hospitals al
the front they were sent to such re-
mote spots as this. The hospital is
scrupulously clean. In mid-December
some sixty men were lying on iron
b%edsteads, all looking comfortable
and we'll cared for, though there were
no nurses. A number of Austrian
prisoners Of Servian race were act
ing as orderlies to the two doctors in
charge. For prisoners of the enemy
to be serving as nurses seemed YER.
ably a union Of the lion and the lamo,
until the situation vac explained.
In one of the smaller rooms Of this