Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-10-28
OF POLAND
SUFFER BITTERLY
Russian Evacuation of Contest
ed Territory Marked by Pro-
miscuous Executions -
Many Instances Cited.

war. An investigation by a corre-
sponGent of the Associated Press dis
closes hat there was a rather promis-
cuous execution by the Russians OF
Jews accused of %spionage, that many
persons We're subjected to physical as
saultS of greater or less violence, COM
mitted with knouts or flats of swords,
and that in many places, chiefly out OF
the way villages and rural districts.
there was some plundering of Jewish
shops and houses by the Russian
soldiery.
The correspondent visited the two
chief cities of this district, Lodz and
P~iotrohow. His proposal to visit other
cities-Kielce and Radon We're named
Observation-Disclosures met by the state
ment of Jews consulted that nothing
much happened in the cities" and that
the proposed trip would not be worth
while. He questioned some Jews from
the districts around LODI n Plot
rokow, but was not able to visit the
small villages and the rural districts
generally. where, the Jews allege most
of the massacres, plunderings, VIOLA
tions, etc, occurred. h outstanding
feature, howevr, of every case investi-
gated was that. in the words of one
Jewish scholar, nothing happened to
the Jews without q previous deuncia-
ion" In some instances this feature
of the case was Immediately admitted;
in Others it was brought to light by fur
ther inquiry.
Jew Sacrifices Life.
A typical case of the latter sort was
hat of q Jew named Kozlowski, a
s~torekeeper at Malinitz, a village near
Piotrokow. The story first told to the
| Associated Press representative was
| this: When the Russians came to
| Malinitz in November. they Were angry
because it had come to their ears that
, some Jew of the village had boosted
that the Germans would make short
work of the Russians. The Russians
lined up all the male inhabitants of the
| town and threatened to shoot or hang
them unless the man responsible for
the words complained of We're delivered
| up. Thereupon Kozlowski stepped for
ward. assumed responsibility for the
words in question, and was hanged.
The correspondent finally succeeded
in having a talk with Kozlowski's son
and his father, Both of whom witnessed
the affair. When the Russians first
entered the village they asked for Koz-
lowski. He had been hidden by a
friend, but was eventually found. He
managed, however, to escape from the
soldiers guarding him, and the COM
mander of the Russian regiment there
upon had all male Jews drawn up in
a line and announced that all would
be killed unless Kozlowski was deliv-
cred up. Koslowski informed of the
threat. presented himself. He was taken
away by a squad of soldiers and shot.
"But how die the Russians know
there was a Kozlowski in town and
why did they want him % asked the
CORRESPONDENT.
"A rival in usiness had sent word
to the Russians that Kozlowski was a
spy and that he was storing up goods
for the Germans" was the answer.
Accepting as true the story Of the
manner Of the execution, as it was
told by the father and son of the VIC
tim, it was marked by a specific
cruelty which frequently marked ex-
ecutions during the Russian raid n
east Prussia last October. The As
sociated Press correspondent at that
time found many instances in which
the victims were stood against walls
fire, as is usual in such executions,
were killed by soldiers firing at will.
Kozlowski appears to have been ex-
ecuted in the same manner, after hay-
ing been bound to a tree.
Polish denunciations, according to
witnesses, We're responsible for the
only three cases of atrocity or cruelty
came to the home of Abram Kochan
on the Baluter Market in November
and took him away. His wife was
prevented from following him.. This
was on a Friday. The mans body
was found outside the city 'on the
following Tuesday. He had been shot.
Finds Son B%ayoneted.
Israel Blockman, an old man, told
how the Russians took his son from
the house on a Wednesday, and how
the body was found two days later
outside the city. He had been shot
and bayoneted.
Meilach Eilenberg, a man Of about
as, got into trouble with the Lodz au-
tharities in November by making and
selling cigarets without a license. An
official visited him and Eilenberg paid
So roubles as hush money. The fol-
lowing day soldiers, who, Eilenberg
said, had been informed Of the affair,
also appeared and wanted money. He
refused their demands, was arrested
commander in the Grand hotel. The
commander, who had not time to hear
the case through, told Eilenberg to
consider himself under arrest, to re-
turn to his home and present himself
the next day. Eilenberg started out,
led into a garden back of the hotel,
tied to a tree there and kept there for
lS hours. A rabbi. informed of the
case, appealed to the commander, who
had Eilenberg released.
A few days later the Russian COM
IN iiaNLh5 VI SolIlh1bIS l1NcSll.
gated the case, compelled the return
of the SO roubles taken from Ellen
berg and caused the CRATER to be sent
to Jail for six weeks.
There was some piundering of small
shops in Lodi by Russian soldiers, but
1t appears to have been of limited ex-
tent. Some shops were pretty we'll
cleaned out and their fixtures thrown
into the streets. AS a whole, however,
the procedure seems to have been as
described by the ownet Of a small to-
bacco shop.
THE Russians would come into my
shop" she said, point to some cigar
cts and ask, how much?' When / told
them, they took a handful, said
'spaseebe' (thank you) and walked
out"
Some Jews told of cases where their
countrymen had been badly beaten in
the streets.
Soldiers Plumber Town.
In a number Of instances the Jews
appear to hav fled before the soldiers
reached their villages. In many of
these cases their deserted homes are
said to have baen plundered and set
on fire. The Poles howAvnr also SYf.