The Sentinel=record., 1915-04-27

Koenigsbere, April 2G-Iust as Field Marshall von Hinderburg has become a dominating ugure throughout all Germany, so, in the province of East Prussia, Adolph von Batocki, the Ober rpesident, has become the most prom iuent character because of his inda. fatieible efforts in behalf of the hun dreds of thousands of persons made home ess by the inroads of the Rus sans.
 Non Batoch began his work as soon as he was called from private life to his high office last fall, for much had by that time been destroyed and devastated. With the more recent raid of Memel. and the destruction of a majority of the district of which it is the center he once more took to the field
 It was at Tilsit, one-time prey of the Russians, that an Associated Press correspondent met him, fresh from the countryside teeming with the wagons of the fugtves. He had just complet- ed an investigation of the work of the Russians which had been surprisingly thorough and dispassionate. Angered at the vast amount of de struction he was. but he had not in the least been mislcd by wild reports and conversations. He was intensely fairmnded toward the Russians and quickly gave them credit for decent Iactions
 By a thorough shifting process he got to the bottom of the tales of the fugitive and disproved much of what had been told him under the stress Of wild oXcitmont, Moreover he had seen the humor in many of the situa- tions ne had encountered and was not wholly depressed by what he had been through.
 Three hundred thousand inhabit- ants of his province, he estimated. had fled from their homes or the remains of them, and had to be cared for in various parts of Getmany. To accom- plish their care, typical German "sys- tenn" has been resorted 10. so that about l,500 fugitiyes from each see ton were taken care of together. ap- portioned off to districts all over Ger many.
 These 300.O0O persons, older and very young people in the majority. have fled from the agricultural dis tricts all along the curying Russian border from a district 300 kilometers or more in length, and extending in- ward into the German empire any where from 10 to 75 mlometers.
 For the most part these fugitivas are still absent from their homes, nor are they as yet being urged to return A few districts, notably Loetzen, Darkehmen, Angerburg and Gumbi men, which are only partially destroy ed, have been reopened to their former inhabitants, who are strag- lgling back slowly.
 Von Batocki found that about 1O0- GOO horses have been driven off by the Russians, some l4,OoO of which have been recovered by German offensive movements The loss is very keenly felt, nevertheless, for horse breeding is one of East Prussias main indus tries.
 The war has told heavily upon the province in this respect, for thons- ands of the choicest animals early in tIe war were drafted for military pur- poses. Von Batocki and others al- ready are considering ways and means for reestabishing the breeding indus try with government aid. as soon as the warends.
 The number of cattle taken by the Russians exceeded the number of horses, Von Batock has found, but also has the number recaptured been greatly in excess of the horses. Fully 1G,00 have been retaken by the Germans but most of the animals were in a weakened condition that re- quired most immediate slaughtering
 Nh his tour throughout his province the OberPresident said he found traces of many peculiarities on the part of the Russians. none stranger than their ealmost supersttous fear of espionage Electric light plants had been demolished, great meats had been dug about hospitals to counter act the supposed influence of the Rosentgen Ray and nurses and inhab- 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 Vladiyostok in Eastern Sibera. 9th CTS, especially. the nurses went only to Petrograd where they immediately - continued hospital work, and where