Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-15
POLAND MADE COCKPIT
OF BATTLES OF EUROPE
Her Sons Are Fighting Fratricidal
Contests In Armies of Three Dif-
fcrent Warning States.
DEVASTATED FROM END TO END
Henri Sienkiewicz, Author OF "Quo
Vadis," Wildly Describes Appall-
ing Conditions in His Native Land.
Galicia as Barren as a Desert.

Especial Cable to The Times Dlspatch.l
BERNIE. SWITZERLAND. February
l4.--licnri Sienkiewicz. tho famous
Polish novelist. and the author of "Qou-
Vadis." Is, like tons of thousands of his
| compatriots. a refugee. driven from
homo by the war. He Is now at Vevoy
with the members of the Committee Tor
tho Relief of Victims of the War In
Poland. OF which he Ia president. and
lgnace Pnderewski vice president. The
lnttor will visit New York in connec
tion with the Polish work.
No more appalling picture OF death,
destruction and devastation has ever
been drawn than that outlined by Sien-
kiewicz. who declares II ia unique in
history. He says:
Poland has nothing to do with the
war. She has been conquered and par
titioned. She Is not one OF the beliiger-
ent nations, yet n million and half OF
her sons arc fighting fratrlcidal battles
In the armies OF three different war
ring states. Our country is made the
cockpit OF the battles OF Europe. and
Is devastated from end to end. three
quarters OF u million men hearing arms
for Germany or Austria.
UTTER IMPRECATIOHS
IN COMMON TONGUE
Think what this means, When the
order for charge liz given hordes OF
soldiers rush on each other When they
get within striking distance, and com
mcnce cutting one another down they
ma the language In which they are ut
tering their imprccat!ons Is their com
mon. natal tongue. II frequently hap
pens that when the Red Cross nurses
go TO collect the wounded they lift
from heap one man In German uni
form. another In an Austrian, and n
third In u RuHsian-but all three OF
them Poles.
The misery is really very great in
the kingdom. In Poland alone there
nre 1900 villages burned, and thou
sands of chapels and churches damaged
or destroyed. Nine out of Poland's ten
provinces have been occupied by Ger
mans. who seized everything they
found, even TO peasants chickens. The
homeless villagers sought shelter in
the forests. where women and children
are now dying OF cold and hunger by
the thousands daily.
IN the whole 100000 square kilo-
metres of territory In the possession
OF Austrian and German troops not one
grain OF corn. not scrap OF meat. nor
population. The material losses are cst,-
mated mt ,00o.00o,000 rublcs. AEricuI-
ttfre has been ruined. and every indus
try destroyed -Four hundred thousand
workera have lost their means Of nveu-
hood.
Tho state OF affairs in Galicia Is
Just as dreadful, too, for from the
civil population there, the Russians
comma ndeered 100000 horses and g.
100000 horned cattle. aud seized all
the corn. leaving that once rich country
as barren as n desert More than L.
100000 inhabitants sought refuge in
other parts OF Austria, in sheer des-
titution.
TRENCHES REING DUG
ABOUT HIS HOUSE
81 was at my homo in Oblcgoreih
under Tho government OF Kielce dur
ing the early part or the war. working
on n new novel. had TO Interrupt IL
and leave all my books and documents
The last news heard of my homo was
that trenches were being dug around
IL, even In the garden.
Leaving my home. I made my way
TO Vienna. where 1t was reported tina,
! had been arrested by the Austrians
This Is not true. After some difficulty
tho Austrians. accorded me permit
10 come here to Switzerland.
There has been n committee for
tho relief of Polish distress created In
Berlin, of which tho United States am
hassador is a member, but Americans
can sell no more corn. and Russia
would not sell II TO the Berlin commit
tee for fear II nigh; be used 20 feed
German troops. II is only to :our
committee. established I'm neutral
Switzerland. that the Russians are
likely TO supply corn"