South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-09-07
RUSS PRISONERS
ARE QUEER LOT
Have No Use For Visitors and
Seldom Talk = Different,
Races Will Not Mix.

with an officer Of the Austrian
ambulance service 1 visited the prison
camp hat has been established neal
here. The camp is really a large city
Of wooden barracks with electric
lights. paved streets. sidewalks. water
works. public baths and a small libra
-. Surrounded on all sides by
green hills the barracks and other
buildings cover the beautiful valley
Sor miles.
In this primitive town more b a
10000 Russian soldiers are waiting
Tor the time when the war viii end
and they shall be sent home Each
DAY the population OF the camp
grows, as long railroad trains con-
stantly bring more prisoners. and
new barracks have TO be built Every
race OF the Cars endless empire IS
represented. Here We find Germans
from the Baltic provinces. Poles,
Ruthenians, L~ithuanians. khirgises
and strange half-savage peoples from
the steppes OF Siberia.
The prisoners are a queer lot and
furnish unlimited opportunity Tor
enthnoIogical studies. AS they speak
a dozen different languages and many
do not understand Russian they have
formed clans which keep entirely To
Ia smselves.
The real Russian. for instance, viii
ave nothing to do with the Cossack,
and the German from COurland or
Lvland considers il below his dig
nity TO associate with a 'mujik' from
Jhe plains of VOlsa.
As a rule the different clans get
along pretty we'll together and quar-
yels and fights seldom occur The
small detachment of Landsturm
troops. which guards the camp, re-
ally has very little to do.
Visitors Not Welcome.
For visitors the prisoners have
little use and it is hard to get them
TO talk. All strangers are "niemtsI'
(Germans) TO them and only the
more educated have heard of the
.austriji' (Austrians).
The Germans they consider the in
carnatiCn of all evil and they firmly
believe that every .niemtsi' Is the
servant and agent of the devil. Their
General ignorance is only surpassed
By their superstition.
while we walked through the camp
we came upon an old Russian first
sergeant VINO g~ravely vas trying to
explain the causes of the war TO
about 80 of the prisoners.
The short Jackets brought on his
bloody conflict" he said. The war
came because the world is sinful and
immoral. God hates the shOrt jack
cts, they are indecent. The french,
English and Serbians are no better
than the 'niemtsi.' They also wear
the hellish jackets and offend the
Lord by their frivolity."
Most Of the listeners nodded APP
provingly and only one. a rather in
telligent looking young fellow, dared
10 contradict the argument of the
old man.
Il believe that a man can be
moral even in a short jacket the
young soldier said. but he stopped
quickly when he saw that nobody
shared his tolerant views.
For the defeats of the Russian
armies the prisoners blame the
"bIack art of the Germa generals.
They are firmly convinced that Him
denberg and Mackensen have sold
their souls To the devil. Hindenberg
they all know and consider him the
satan on earth.
The Works of He'll.
Military maps in their eyes are the
work of hell and they distrust their
own officers If they see one OF them
with a general staff chart.
a general who dOeS not hide the
fact that he uses maps and plans
loses all confidence and popularity
and Is hated as an imitatOr of the
Germans and AN inndel. Seventy per
cent Of the soldiers of the Car see
in the maps nothing but German
swindle" und black art"
still more superstitious than their
comrades are the COssacks. To them
everything that they cannot under
stand is magic Next to the Ger
mans the Cossack hates nothing more
than The real Russians. These he
calls murdeTers. crooks, OppressOrs,
etc. and he Will not even talk to
them.
Most OF the prisoners are good
uatured and behave well. Thev viii
lingly obey all orders of the guards
and work without a murmur from
morning till night. II they are com
handed 10 do so. Their appetite is
enormous. They are always hungry
and devOur incredible quantities OF
food. As TO quality they do not care
and they are perfectly contented
with % kettle OF soup, a piece of ba-
con or fat mutton and a couple Of
dozen potatoes.
Viii steal Anything.
One OF the weaknesses of the pris-
oners. and of the Russian sol
diers in general. is their disrespect
for the property of others. To eX-
press IL more plainly. they steal what
ever they can lay their hands on. like
all primitive races. Even high otti-
GERS are not free from this trait.
when the Russians were driven
from Lemherg. Gen. Lukin. the com
mander of the scventy-eighth (iSth)
artillery brigade. for instance. com
pleteIy cleaned out his quarters. the
residence of a rich lawyer by the
name of Posturak. The general took
two pianos. several carloads of fur
niture. paintings. silVerware and
clothing. and he sent the plumber 10
his country estate near Moscow
Another Russian army leader. Gen.
SyIa p. Hylewicz. helped himself 20
the entire contents OF a castle near
Iemberg. He was less lucky though.
than his Comrade Lukin. \ detach-
ment OF Austrian cavalry caught the
train which was 20 carry his rich