The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-07-02

oorcHyktn 10 zeal witt tne pre-
Iiminaries necessary TO cary
into effect the automny for Po-
land, which was proclaimed by
Grand Duke Nicholas, command
erin chief Of the Russian army,
August ID Of last Year.
Galicia and its borders continue Il
embrace at present the main field o
military activity. The Russians ar,
fighting hard I'm the Galician territory
that remained to them after the Teu
tonic drive to Lemberg and beyond
either tn save that territory to them
selves or give their rctreating armiei
a chance to retire I'm good order. Des-
pergte battles, according TO official re-
ports, are continuing along the Dnie
stsr, where the Russians claim &c
have retained an advantage. despit,
their admission that the> Austro Ger
man forces pushed their way across IN
river I'm two places. In both cases tho
crossing forces were pushed back an'
are clinging preCariously TO the lel
bank of the stream. the Russians as
seTt in the KOsmierjine district, Crane
Duke Nicholas forces are on the Of
fensiye and claim to have carried the
strongly fortified height by an assault
Conditions in Lemberg. -.
Accounts OF conditions In LemberI
during the Russian occupation, re
Csived I'm Berlin. tell of the hardships
suffered by families of officials dis
placed by the change from Austrian t.
Russian authority. Prominent men. re-
duced To penury. had to resort TO Woo
ChOpping for a living. while women
their families went into kitchens
baked bread and cakes. then travele,
from house TO house selling theiI
products.
Activity along the front where thu
austrian and Italian armies are facing
each otheP>is still chiefly in the nature
OF artillery engagements. with ocCa
siOnal interludes OF infantry activity
The Italians claim. however TO he
gradually advancing along the lsonZ6
river and to have repulssd the Aus
tTian attacks al several points.
Venice. June 25.-The story Of the
tall Of General Baron Auffenberg from
his position as commander of one a.
the most powerful of the AustrO~lun
-arian armies TO an incOmmunicadC
cell In an unnamed prison is one u
the most closely guarded secrets H.
Vienna. Austrian newspapers are no
allowed 10 even mention his name
and inquireTs even in the Hungarian
house OF deputies have been advised
To let the matter drop. From infOrma-
ton which has just reached Venice. il
appears that the general was summar-
lily arrested as he was about To leave
for Switzerland, and has not since
been allowed TO communicate even
with his family or lawyers. His OBJ
jet i'm going TO Switzerland was 1.-THE
publication of n volume Of memoirs
I'm which he hoped to establish his
innocence Of mismanaging the Aus
tTian campaign against Serbia by put
ting the blame upon the shoulders OF
the Austrian commander in chief. III
Archduke Frederic
His Rise and Fall.
The following explanation Of Gen
eral Aunenberg's rise and fall comes
from personal friends of the general
II Is in general agreement with such
facts of the case as have been pre-
Viously established:
General Auffenberg. as n former
minister of war and one of the great
soldiers Of the empire. was placed I'm
command of the armies which under
took the invasion of Serbia at the be-
ginning OF the war. This invasion
ended disastrously. the Austrians
were defeated with tremendous losses
and retired back across the frontier
in disorder. There was n hasty in
vestigatiOn I'm Vienna. and the investi-
gators reported that General Auffen-
berg was mainly responsible. owing
TO his gross mistakes of strategy i'm
planning and carrying out his onfense.
They recommended that he be sus-
pended from his command
Attributed TO ~ Health.
But il seemed nwise to the mill
taTy powers To thus draw public at
tention to the extent of the disaster
In Serbia. so il was decided that Auf-
ferberg's retirement should be attrib-
uted TO ill-health brought on by the
strenuous eXertions of the campaign.
and that the title of baron should be
conferred on him 10 support the i'm
preston that after all nothing really
forces I'm Serbia. The new baron was
ordered home. and placed on the re-
tired list among Officers at the dis
position of the emperor for future
military service
The general came home reluctant
end mystified. and began some quiet
Investigations of the situation. AS
soon as he found out that he was
blamed for the failure of the Serbian
campaign he demanded that his side
OF the story should be heard. He got
no encouragement I'm official circles.
but II became generally known among
military men that he planned TO re-
establish his own reputation by show
ing that the blame for the failure must
be attributed TO the Archduke Fred
eric.
Made the Scape- goat.
I'm one case. for example, the
general declared to a group OF mill
tary men, 4 will not be made the
scape- goat for an archduke who ought
never to have been entrusted with the
supreme command of the imperial
forces. but who ought rather to have
been locked M I'm his palace In Wen
ma to prevent his meddling In the
conduct of the war.
This remark, together with others
of similar nature, reached the ears
of the archduke. and the latter's in
fiuence was exercised to bring about
the downfall of the general. The eli
NAV came when Auffenberg asserted