The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-08
Appearance Is Cosmopoli- tan, Ever Gay-Theatres
 Open and Crowded
GREAT SUFFERING AMONG CIVILIANS
Difficult to Get Food as Railways Are Used by Military--Dange Arising From Hastily Buried Dead Is
 Commanding Attention

the Associated Press. .)-The story of the
 siege of Warsaw Is told for the first time by Polish gentleman. son of large landowner in the outskirts of the city, who has just arrived here, and who speaks as an eyewitness fresh from the scene, his estate being today the artillery park of the Russian center from which their heavy field guns are maneuvered for the defense of the city. His recital | s3or the Associated Press is a record of his own personal observations and he scrupulously refrains from any refer ence to general conditions not coming un- der his own eye
 Warsaw Is it a city of terror and confusion? people ask me. Not at all; human relations go on as usual and hu-
 man nature finds it's usual outlet. War saw is the background for million Rus sian troops. This makes it the center for a great number of Russian officers band strangers who give 1t a cosmopolitan appearance of animation and even of Saiety. The well-to-do people living east of the city have passed through to points of safety in the west. The land owning peasantry-for in Poland the peasants
 own land-have not the means of flight and are stranded in the city, but keep cut of sight. So that the city, with its many officers in gay uniform, its strangers and refugees, Is transformed from its usual peaceful aspect and has
  Theatres Are Open
 ''The streets are thronged. The thea tres are open and crowded. The restau- rants have throngs at their tables and on the street terraces. The cineameto- graph shows are packed. There are bands and concerts. The feeling Of ter TOT does not seem to have struck the crowds. It is like the life of London. which goes on with little thought of the Zeppelins. Only once has there been panic-when the Russian bank closed it's doors and all other banks followed. Ready money would not be had and everyone was in dread of the stoppage of funds and the interruption of the usual means of business and exchange. But that |~panicky period has all passed, the banks are open and business is proceeding nor |, r'ally. but with a terrible economic change in prices, particularly in food stuffs, Warsaw Is absolutely dependent for it's food supplies two railways, I5ut these are now in the hands of the military, who need them for the move- ment of troops, and the food for the troops. Poland itself supplies nothing, i for the fields are burned and yield noth- ing
 Prince Seweryn Czetwertyuski has taken the lead in grappling the problems confronting the ety-first to get enough food. and next public health and sanita- ton, combating the cholera plague which i carried off hundreds outside the city with F cases in Warsaw. and reburying the masses of soldiers dead who had been hastily thrown together in shallow sur face graves. He is a man of great ex- ecutive ability one of the grand con signers of Poland, and is at the head of Warsaw's central committee which deals with all emergencies.
 Must Have His Graft
 His first effort was for the food to de surrounding country, chiefly corn, flour and prime necessities. Tho Russian au- thorities were favorable, but the mii- tary requirements came first, and, be- sides, the urgent needs led to bribery among the petty railway officials, so that cars could not be got or moved without large payments. l myself saw 500 rubles of bribery exacted for moving car of fish. So that Warsaws stock of food has been getting scarcer and prices are mounting. Bread Is double and triple the usual price. Eggs which sold for cents are now c. At Easter each Rus sian soldier received four eggs-a million soldiers around Warsaw meant four m1i- 1. lion eggs-and the country was stripped of eggs. There is absolutely no beef and a pound of poor meat now cost Sc ccpeckg against the usual price of "A ccpeoks-the poorest quality of steppe- oxen.
 
 hut back of the army is the vast hemmed- ii population and peasantry practically living on the leavings of the army. Prince Seweryn's emergency committee has next given it's attention to the threat ening health conditions. The dead, soldiers were very badly buried at first, near wells Where the water was polluted, and in eaps just under the surface near houses. | -5ht all the bodies have now been re- buried deeply and away from wells and houses, This has stopped the cholera. : which was the greatest dread, even in Warsaw. although nothing could be made | known of 1t. In the estate next to ours the house was turned into a cholera hos pital and from this one place 200 dead from cholera were buried. It is on the main line of the passing army, so that many soldiers were stricken with the | plague. But the committee has now saved the city and suburbs from that danger. Tn December the plague was at it's worst; by February the reburial of bodies and other sanitary measures had effectively checked it, and now there is no cholera l in Warsaw or outside.
 No Quarter From Germans "The German army has shown no quar- ter to the country, but there has been no wanton destruction except at Kalscz. At my place they stopped 10 days. taking all | the cows and much clover. but not de- l stroying. They paid by slip of paper. l which means they never paid. They took Jour best horses for the artillery. and l gave a wounded horse and slip for 100 l marks. But they kept repeating every thing is paid for
 "The Germans carry no tents. and have no food supplies with them. that as the cavalry, artillery and infantry swarm | ed over our place they lived in our houses ! and outhouses. and drew their food from the country. chiefly cows and live stock, slaughtering the best milch cows for food and sparing only pedigreed stock. Thus the country was denuded of all it's sup plies and ordinary stock. But they did not wantonly destroy except for stated cause. They suspected the village next to us of concealing Cossacks in the eel lars. and the village burned down. not thing remaining but the chimnews A Polish village is not like an English: it is a long row of peasant farm holds
 built in a quadrangle, with clay walls and
 matched roofs.
 Then came the Russians, forcing the
 Germans back and taking anything that
 was left. It led to some strange scenes
 A Russian colonel came to our house for
 supper just his troops had pressed back the Germans. While at supper a peasant ' came to make complaint to the colone
 that the Russianse had taken six of his
 Vows. The colonel was angry, and sum- <moned his under officer, who had taken
 he cows demanding an explanation.
 Some Queer Logic
 "'Yes,' same the ready reply from the
 accused officer T took the cots. But
 fthey were German cows. Yesterday the
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