The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-04-22

LICK, Prussia, April 22.-Once TO-
600 people lived IN this town. Per
haps there were forty inhabitants
here-besides the sUldlers-when our
freight train crawled IN ut l o'clock
In the morning. -Four days before
the Russian had been driven out. He
left his sign manual on the town. |
doubt II there are fifty roofs left un-
touched. There are house which did
not burn-all these towns are built
Of stone and brick aud tile-but In
each one We entered there were proofs
that the Russian had tried 10 burn
them. They had ripped out the int
riOrs Of the houses and stUres-simply
ripped them out. II was as though
one had pulled the lining out Of Il
sleeve. | took the one bit Of loot re
manning. II was n stained and de-
faced volume Of Chaucpr, the poet Of
Canterbury | valued II because II
was the one book that still held to-
gether In the wreck Of n bookstore,
aud because. perhaps, Of a certain
irony | found In It's associations.
DO you live herey' Captain Steit'
encron asked II party Of peasants who
were making their way down the
street They were the first we had
seen- except soldiers - after five
hours IN Lyck. Two old men and
three youngish women. They were
gazing about %curiously
"Oh, no they said we live In
the next village. We came In to SEE
Lyck."
A sightseeing tour. for all IN,
world Ike Broadway, with differ
cnce. %steltenaron asked them II IN,
Russians had abused any one IN theiI
village.
"Oh, no" the said with simple graf
itudc. Tho treated us very nicely
They killed no one and they abused
uo women. We were very grateful
or COURSE they took all we had"
Seeing Russian Prisoners.
Having seen Lyck, We could beliey,
that. Further, we had had our firs
glimpse Of fresh-Caught Russian pris
0ners. II had been at Viddminnel
the night before. Our freight trail
had pulled up at a station. Fox anC
| were doing uneasily In the freighI
car, which had been converted into 1
passenger coach by the addition OF
round, red bellied stove and a few
benches. Windows had been cut II
the sides, too, but these trench-traine,
soldiers wanted to soak up all IN,
heat they could. The windows wer
kept shut The night was black a
the inside of a muff, md showing
We heard cries weird, wordless erie
In the darkness. Through the tigh
shut windows we caught reflection
Of glanclng lights.
"There are $500 Russian prisoner
out here" said Captain s%teitencror
who had investigated, Want n look ?
They were hefded up TO a fenc
which In other days keeps the Prus
sian populace from getting on to tn
track, precisely az one might her
cows. A few German soldiers OF IN
landstrum guarded them. The torch
lights glinted on the fred bayonet'
The Russians were staring duly q
ny. Their faces bore no emotio
whatever, except, perhaps a stupi
curiosity. ! counted a dozen varietie
Of fur end ~sheepskln caps, all conica
and all dirty. Their brown clothe
seemed warm enough, but unsOldiel
like and sloppy. A stench-a stenc
as ~ animals, and yet worse than al
imals-came from them as they moi
ed vqAesslly In their places. The
clothing was wet with the snow. Ia
ter we learned to identify that 4
the Russian odor. II does not var
greatly,
Had Enough Of Russia
Now came one Of the Incredible q
medicines with which this war
filled, Next 10 the lnclosure In while
the privates wehe herded was n
yard where the officers stood. The
seemed a fine LOT of men, In the glhi
OF the torches. Most Of them were tai
Many Of them had fine, keen, INTEL
gent faces. There were others wi
were hardly above the level Of u
men. But those nearest the fen'
were men Of quality. Captain SteI