Omaha daily bee., 1915-04-25

EltSskeAD~ EE1kGTnEa4 q
| force had included. according 20 all &C.
counts. 800 cossacks. followed by civil
ians. who completed the work Of wreck
\ age.
Half hundred Russian prisoners
were concluding the work OF burying
their III dead fellows when the Asso-
ciated Press correspondent left Memel.
Choked with Refugees.
The route led back 60 Tilait, stu choked
with refugees. Ever and again there
would appear long wagon trains OF am
munition and supplies. bound for some
point along the long fighting line, and
once in a while batteries OF artillery
blowing through the deep mud.
A non-commissioned artillery officer,
Flooding along toward the hospital in
Tilslt. asked permission to ride and told
the tale Of the previous days battle. His
company. called in an emergency 90 act
az infantry and help defend a position
near the border. had been badly broken
up by what he described as a yiIlainous
machine gun fire.
These Russians certainly can shoot"
he declared. 1--WE put In . good many
years az anartilleryman and don't mind
artillery fire. Neither IL infantry fire
disconcertlng. But deliver me from the
machine guns. It'a awful. Out OF
eishty-six of ua they killed six with bul-
lets from a flank fire and severely
wounded lot more But we held that
position"
Turns 60 Biinding snow.
The rain turned 70 binding snow,
through which the automobile slipped and
slithered on its way from Tilsit 10 Pil
kalien. PiikalIen used 10 bear q very
lively reputation because Of its rum shops.
! but all that Is left OF them nov IL
} wrecked interiors and smashed glass. A
few OF 1.-the thouSands who formerly Rived
in the place are still there. wandering
about aimlessly. waiting for the time
: when the war will be over and former
activities restored.
In ALI tho city there n not q trace Of
gunfire or damage by Smelling. The RUS
SLAMS. 40 the Inhabitants tell. came IN.
occupied the place for a while, and then
set fire 20 Il when the Germans who
drove them out approached, In all OF
East Prussia u has only one paFaleil--
0oidap. lts gaping fire-singed walls, lta
handful OF inhabltanta. it, mocklnE signs
indicating former prosperity. tell the
,, story Of destruction more strikingly even
than deserted villages and isolated build
ines from which tho owners, have fled.
Enhaneeu Spectacle.
The very presence OF a few people
serves 10 enhance the spectacle Of DESC
J lation.
Yet even P1lksilen. twice the stronghold
. Of the Russians since the beginning Of
the war. did not Cypress one al the city
nearest TO it-Sehirwlndt. directly on the
Russian border. appropriately named the
, 'city OF the dead" by an otherwise UNI
, emotional German lieutenant
, The approach 10 schlrwindt leads nlone
, a bread. tree.ilned boulevard. For miles
one can see the tall. two-spired church
that stands a. an outpost for the city.
Here. almost for the frat time were in
dieations Of bombardrnent. for both the
towers had been riddied by shells from,
, big Euns. and the roof In a half dozen
places is saplng.
al Crows OaIy IahabItasts.
schirwindt's only living '1nhabitsnts'
! are fiocks OF carton crows that were
devourtng the carcaases Of the horses
KILLED In the battles there. The birds rose
IN black clouds as the automobile an.
: preached and cireled overhead untll /,
n was gone.
8 In all sohirwindt there remains only
: one object that has not been partly OF
r entirely destroyed--a little public foun-
q tain. surmounted by bronze figure
{ sheltered by the church. The last inhab-
e liant has fled for none OF the houses
are habitabis.
. Months ago the pews in the church
n were ripped away TO make room foI
4 horse stalls. ana over all the dust 1,
= thick. Empty cartridge shells litter In,
. floor both of the church ana OF house,
that were used for defensive purposes
1 AZ the entrance 20 the house OF worship
e there stands out the ironical sign. orna.
e mented with a soldiers riddled helmet
o bearing the words: Peace be with you.
. Their COantIess Graves.
;, Farther south lies Goldap. which wa
; reached only after blowing through
y snewdrlfts-lats in March--with the al,
- Of Russian prisoners and their shovels
The way led across the battlefield o
Gumbinnan again-row sitter row OF de
o serted trenches with their BARRED wir
, entansiements and their counties
y graves
y ooldap Il In every respect a secon,
Il Pilkelm. though there Is more life Their
now than has as yet been revived in In
u more northerly cities.
= The first troops TO occupy Goldap wer,
y possessed Of the idea that the German
were operating an extensive and effev
y tive spying system and believed that 1
u was being operated through the electn
. light plant An the city. rhenefore thel
n demolished the plant
u Eventually these troops were drivei
% out, but were followed by others whlcl
e stased for four months. quarterine them
selves N such buildings AZ they had no
a. burned down or had not been destroye.
" By their predecessors.
! -. -, 49,. -,