The Washington times., 1915-02-24

The Kaiser was with his men when
they took weszczellen. near Lyck. ny
bayonet His star officers could hard
ly restrain him from taking part In
the fghting. 1t was impossible for
them to keep him out Of immediate
danger.
The Kaiser's entrance. into Lyck
teemed with the dramatic. 1t was
as II his arrival had been perfectly
timed as the climax to the third great
scene Of triumph for German arms
in the eastern theater Of war. His
big automobile rushed into the East
Prussian city just as the Cars armies.
after four days Of asspetase, rat bloody
Before the Emperor's eyes. Won
Hindenburg and Won Ludendorf de
livered one of the mightiest smash es
of the war. once more clearing Ger
man soil Of Russians. The tenth Rus
sian army. under General sievers,
comprising eleven divisions Of 1885,
900 men, was two-thirds captured or
annihilated-
Russ Rolled. Out of Germany.
swept through East Prussia with
startling velocity. sending the slavs
scurrying in retreat. The Russian
tenth army that since last October
had occupied the narrow strip in East
Prussia, extending from north OF
Gumbinnen. southwark to Darkehmen
and below Johannesburg. was rolled
out Of Germany. crushed and disas.
trously beaten as the result Of des'
perate battling east and south OF
the Mazurian lakes.
Beginning at Darkehmen. ! have
been with the German army for the
Ing Russians. From Goldap south to
Lyck, their retreat became panicky.
This was evident by the abandoned
equipment, the stranded automobile
and the countless bodies Of Russian
dead. The character of the battle
ground and the roadways over which
this great conflict was waged Is best
illustrated by the fact that we made
moved southward Our automobile
frequently stuck in huge snow drifts.
Desperate At Lyck.
For four days there was desperate
the Prussian frontier. There the Rus
was defended by the Third Siberian
Corps. reputed to be the best fighter.
in the Russian army. The stand they
made at Lyck did honor to their fame
as soldiers. The city was taken by
storm only after the Germans had
seense savS or Gsses ths tes
part Of the Cars beaten armies to
escape over two roads leading out OF
| Prussia through the swamps to Au.
gustowo and Suwalki.
While this onslaught was in pro.
gress. the kaisers northern army
forming the German left wing, was
advancing by forced marches to eff.
feet a junction with the central army
The third German army on the righ,
wing was swinging in from the south
sian left.
! Third of Russians Escape.
| Despite the \,nost tremendous effortl
and the unprecedented endurance of thu
| German troops in making forced
marches through snowstorms and vas
stretches Of marshes and swamps. tn,
attempt completely to surround th'
Russian army. as evidently planned
did not wholly succeed. Fully a thlrt
| OF the Russians got past Augustow,
before the Germans could close up tn
gap.
But yesterday when l left the arm!
| at Augustowo. the Germans were hang
ing on the tanks and the rear Of tn,
fleeing Russians. Eight miles east o
| the town the Russian rear guard wa
| making a desperate stand to cover tn
retreat. while Russian re-enforcements
coming from Grodno. were thunderinl
| a cannonade.
When l left. the Germans hoped t
| surround an entire Russian division II
the swampy forests. Large bodies o
| Russians were still surrounded in tn
swamps, while the balance of the arm,
was fleeing In the direction Of the fort
ress Of Grodno. 1t was known at tha
time that the Russian prisoners mum
bered $4,000. that II guns. over 100 ma
chine guns. $50 ammunition wagons, an
thousands of rifles had been taken
The Russian dead and wounded wa
estimated at between 10000 and $1,000.
Russ Burn and Wreck.
In their retreat the Russians de
stroyed property ruthlessly. Betwee
Lyck and the border they took re
venge by burning every house an
farm establishment. In Lyck itself
they demolished the interiors o
houses, wrecked furniture. an
smeared the walls with vile filth.