The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-03-03
HUGE RABBIT RUN
EFFORTS TO CUT OFF RUSSIAN
ARMY BECOMES HUNT.
MANY PRISONERS TAKEN

MANY PRISONERS TAKEN
Dispatch From Poland Gives Account
Of Recent Operations in Which Von
Hindenberg Made Quick Drive to
Cut OF Russian Army Under Gen.
Sieyers.
A dispatch from suwalki, Poland,
describes the recent fighting IN East
Prussia The German forces unoer
Field Marshal Won Hindenberg 6, by
hard fighting and extraordinary
marches, inflicted such striking de-.
feat on the Russians opposed to them
in the recent battle of the Mazurlan
lakes country that the Russian rem
nants are a negligible quantity in the
operations now in progress.
The Russian killed and wounded
in the four days fighting are estl-
mated at 10000 men. Over 60,0oo
Russians, out of total CT loO,OOo
engaged, are prisoners in German
hands.
The fighting has been described as
the February campaign In East Prus-
sia and north Poland, and it is re-
garded here as a second Tannenberg.
The Russians, composing the Tenth
army, were commanded by Gen.
sievers.' BY a skillfal use OF the
railroads and by the sacrifice OF en-
tire battalions to bring on a te"
guns, he saved greater part OF ms
artillery, but $4,000 Of his 10000
men already are counted among the
German prisoners, while the Russian
killed and wounded in the four days,
hattie and the subsequent running
fights are estimated at 10000 men:
At Suwalki there could be heard
the sound of artillery from sWampy
region to the southeast, where an
isolated Russian division, perhaps
10000 men strong, has been com
pletely surrounded, but is still offer
ing resistance. Several thousand
more Russians probably still remain
in small scattered bands or are wan
dering within the ring which the Ger
man troops have closed around the
woods and swamps between SuWalkl
and Augustowo and the German from
tier, The capture Of these wanderers
is expected here and is regarded as
merely an incident in campaign tc
which the great success is called only
German military men do not be-
lieye that Gen. Sievers will be able
to bring any of his troops safely be-
hind the fortress Of Grodno.
The above statement may seem tt
be exaggerated, but a correspondent
of the Associated Press, motoring
along the line of the Russian retrea
over roads in deep snow and through
a desolate and swampy country, gam
ed an impression Of complete defea
and decentralization. Abandoned gum
and automobiles, wrecked and over
> turned wagons, sledges and ammuni
> ton caissons encumbered the way
Rifles, blankets, knapsacks and othe
: equipment had been thrown away b.
the feeting soldiers. Dead horse
: and an occasional fallen soldier wer
: everywhere along the roadside.
At the street corners in SuWalkl
Augustowo, Lyck and other town
are great heaps Of abandoned rifle
and bayonets. Large bands Of Rus
sian prisoners, many of whom sur
/. rendered without firing shot, wer
encountered along the way. Tn
Russians in retreat seem to haV
only had time enough to burn tn
houses on the German side Of tn
= frontier and destroy the Live stocl
: which they were unable to carr
away. From Lyck to Prosnik, TO
example, only one house with a roo
: was seen. The Russian part Of Pros
: ten and the Russian villages beyon
= had not been touched.
The first phase Of the campaign
the phase resulting in the destruction
:, of the Russian northern army-ma
1 be compared to a gigantic rabbi
drive, or surround, in which me-
r were the prey.
While the attention Of the Rus
slams was concentrated on the War
>, saw campaign, Field Marshal To
e Hindenberg quietly assembled a
e Overwhelming force in East Prussi
4 and suddenly launched it in two CO..
!. umns against Gen. Sieyers.
e One column drove in from tn
y south and threw back the Russian
! who for months had been besiegin
the lake ways to East Prussia an
the other column from the mort
swung round to the eastward an
southwark, aiming to join the south
ern German column and cut of th
retreat Of the Russians.
The two wings closed to the cas-
Of Suwalki and Augustowo only re-
d hours too late to catch the entir
q army Most of the units OF the Rus
e sian force, however, were caught.
p The delay which enabled the rem
/ nant to escape was due to nature
o The line of advance of the souther
e column lay through the belts c
d swamps which form a natural de
q fense of the Russian frontier. It
almost without roads and troops al
K tempting to use the cross-countr
< trails became almost hopelcssly bos
z ged. The correspondent saw column
: Of infantry, many of whom had pas:
= ed through mires more than ankl
a deep.
b Mature" said one German con
e mander to the correspondent, "a
e ways helped the Russians. Two day
e of hard. frost and we should have ha
every man"
f The correspondent accompanie
o the right wing Of the German armie
and it was to these troops that th
heaviest part of the fighting fell. Th
left wing, sweeping down from tn
north, was called upon to accomplis
marches Of 40 miles daily in pursu
of the Russians.
The battle in the south was Of a
unique character. Again nature ait
t ed the Russians. 1t was fought in
: driving snowstoTm, a fierce cuttin
t wind driving the flakes into the face
= and eyes Of the advancing German
| until tl,a,, cor16 coo -co1y coo