The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-27
AT THE BACK OF WAR.
A Glimpse at the Refugees as They
Crowded Kleff.

II Is a big two stored building, n
kind of merchants exchange, standing
In front of a sandy square, with two
immense halls and numerous large adj
jacent rooms. In "a small space cut off
by a paling from the square, the en-
trance to which is guarded by n police
man, is II swaying crowd, very filthy.
very ragged.
We push through, up an outer iron
staircase into the main room. to find
ourselves in the midst of hundreds Of
refugees, intermingled with yet others,
prisoners brought from Galicia on
charge OF espionage. over a thousand
people must be in the building. They
lie on the foor in every stage of mis-
cry IND weakness; there is not a
stick Of furniture in the place, moth
ing but the refugees and their frowsy
rags. Yes, II is the limit.
Many are crying silently. They
come round us, not ohtrusively, but
in "A piteous, ~fricndless way, as II
hardly daring to believe that any n
can take interest in them. They begin
to talk, for among the visitors Is n
from their own land, a bluff, genial,
bearded figure, who knows every VIII
lage and every family in the country.
Where's your MOTHER" Dead"
Father Captured" who is this
girl?" IAN orphan" Here is an
other, one of seven sisters; she knows
where FIVE are, or thinks she does, the
sixth has disappeared.
There are over sixty little children
in the room, most lying quietly. and
not even crying, but one scampers
ceaselcssly about Growing and stamp
ing. with "A broad grin and dancing
brown eyes. lie cannot be above three
years. lie was found in Lwow, but
beyond that no one knows anything
about him For his fun and sweetness
they call him jolly willy. In one
corner a young woman, with a face
like Michael Angeles Delphic sibyl.
Is trying to suckle her baby. Twice
she tries to give IL milk, but she can
not. There is none to give. h is
too weak. Hard by IL another couple.
The mother looks healthy, but the
child Of three weeks, born out OF time
On the road. lies open mouthed with
eyes staring. 1t has the face of a very
old a sharp and puckercd.
Then they all begin Ia tell us. They
are hungry. Some have not eaten for
days. None have had enough to keep
them above the point of constant suf-
fcring. Most literally they are starry
ing. Fortunately the representatives
OF a British relief organization who
are in kieft are on the spot and the
situation Is taken in hand. Three hum
dred pounds of bread are procured, tea,
and as much milk as the neighborhood
can provide. a sausage makers shop
Is bought out n big boiler found and
set going, meal tickets written and
distributed. and before long the refu-
gees are having their first real din
ner since who knows how long. 1t
was late before the workers got to bed
that night.
The mex day showed how valuable
one simple meal may be. Already the
look Of sharp misery on their faces
was less, their eyes less tormcn,ed.
The bread Of yesterday had done more
than give them fresh blood, II gave
them hope; they have begun again To
believe in life. by midday an old
kitchen had been cleared out. and in
the big coppcrs some ninety gallons
Of "kasha" and pork dubbed merrily
for the first dinner. The general look
Of the place had not yet changed
much, nut the work had begun.
An English engineer, a neat. hardy
lorkshircman, himself escaped from
death on the Gallcian oil fields with
his wife II child of sixteen months.
came forward To help the British COM
mittee, and is now rebuilding the stove
and fitting a third copper; another
committee has been found To- tcnd the
prisoners; the Grand Duchess Tati-
ana's committee has promised n doc
tor n medical supervision, and with
the engineer will improve the imper-
feet sanitation, a daily source of dan
ger. Best Of all. a bath has been
bought n forty children already
washed. OF course they cried. but af-
terward--,
The change wrought in them can
nohow be So well described as by the
simple fact that they shrank from put
ting on again their dirty clothes. The
feeling Of cleanliness was pleasant 10
them, their skins had become miraCu-
lousy white n soft, and instinct told
them, what one may he sure none else
had yer done, that a sweet clean lit
tie body should not be covered vi
with linen brown with CRIME. But
much time must pass before enough
linen can he obtained for these and
the other thousand men, women and
children all in the same need.