Norwich bulletin., 1915-04-29

are they as yet being urged to re- turn. A few districts, notably Loet- zen, Darkehmen; Angerburg and Gum bimen, which are only partially de- stroyed, have been reopened to their former inhabitants, who are struggling back slowly.
 Won Batocki found that about 10o,- 900 horses have been driven off by the Russians, some 14,000 of which have been recovered by German offensive movements. The loss is very keenly felt, nevertheless, for horse breeding is one of East Prussia's main indus tries.
 The war has told heavily upon the province in this respect, for thousands of the choicest animals early in the war were drafted for military pur- poses. Von Batocki and others al- ready are considering ways and means for reestablishing the breeding indus try with government aid. as soon as the war ends.
 The number of cattle taken by the Russians exceeded the number Of horses, Von Batocki has found, but so also has the number recaptured been greatly in excess of the horses. Fully 100000 have been retaken by the Ger mans, but most of the animals were in a weakened condition that required almost immediate slaughtering.
 Tn LnlS HIS pIOSlHCS, the Ober-Praesident said he found traces of many peculiarities on the part of the Russians, none stranger than their almost superstftious fear of espionage. Electric light plants had been demolished, great meats had been dug about hospitals to counter act the supposed influence of the Roentgen Ray, and nurses and irThab itants suspected of spying had been carried off by the hundred to Rus Sia.
 The fate of these is still in a ma jority of cases unknown to their friends and relatives. Some, it is not known, have been taken as far as Vladivostok in Eastern Siberia Others especially, the nurses, went only to Petrograd where they immediately continued hospital work, and where | with few exceptions they were decent 1y and carefully treated.
 Von Batocki and all the others who have investigated conditions in East Prussia are utterly at a loss, however, | to understand the Russian motives in carrying off aged women and months | old children. If the Russian fear of Prussian | spying has been great, they themselves I have done their share. In addition to l having had some few agents in the l towns along the border they made ex- | cel1ent use of the windmills that
  | nal stations.
 Patrols, or agents, were able to com l municate with the columns behind | quite effectively by turning the arms l of the windmill in prearranged man. 1 ner.
 l To this same purpose also the Rus- sians found the hay stacks very use- | full, and would set one afire to give ! one signal, two for another and so on How many tons of hay have been burned for this purpose it is irnpossi- ble to estimate, but the number is | very large.
 l The worst of the plunderins and | footing, the Ober-Praesident found | has been committed by Russian sol | diers who have come into the pro- vince lately: The first troops to en- ter, last fall, were for the most par1 we'll disciplined and respectable, sol | diers rather than looters.
 1 During all the time that the Rus. sians occupied Tilsit and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaivitch made it his head. | quarters there was scarcely any vio. lence or trouble. But as the first line Russians were defeated and decimatet l their ranks were taken by less dis | ciplined men who have carried theil deeds of violence farther and farthe, until East Prussia today Is but 5 l wreck of it's former self.
 | Won Batocki is unusually young fol | the position he l1olds-stilI in his earl, forties. He is a captain in the army and a few years ago served his pro- | vince as 'Landrat' or magistrate | Personally wealthy, he retired to hit
 big East Prussian estate, only to bt | called back into service when the wa, was well under way.
 He is short, nervous, wiry and ac. tive, and on his tours of inspection does the work with a thorougness
 that is surprising. He fails te get ex.
 cited over excitab1e tales but probes
 them with somewhat disconcertina | coolness.
 He makes his home for the present in Koenigsberg in 8 typica1fy old. fashioned German state residence
 which, like his wife and himself, Is s model of simplicity. At the conclu,
 sion of his most recent tour of Eas Prussia he entertained at lunch C ] party of newspaper correspondent:
 who had been viewing the depreda. tions of the Russians. No family mea among friends could have been noor,
 charmingly informal than was thu luncheon-quite typical of him. say
 those who knew him best, and strong.
 ly indicative of one of the reasons fo,