The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-10-16
CITYS VARIED HISTORY
WILMA HAS LONG BEEN A PLACE
OF IMPORTANCE.
Made Capital of the Province Of Lithu-
ania in the Fourteenth Century
Figured in the Disastrous
Campaign of Napoleon.

They call Wilma Little Paris The
resemblance is not, however, striking
to the western eye. When you have
discovered that Wilma stands on a
river, with hills rising above it, you
will find little more suggestion OF
Paris Its river, the Villya, can hard
ly be 200 yards wide, and flows
through many winding gorges or de-
fles densely Swallowed by fr and
birch The town is crowded in mar
row and net too savory streets on the
slopes OF the hills, and above it, on
the summit, called Zamkooaya Cora,
or Castle hill, stand the ruins of al
eight-sided tower OF red brick, the
remains of the castle which Gedynim,
grand prince of Lithuania, built early
in the fourteenth century, when he es-
tablished Wilma as his capital But
the site has a much older history.
Whatever the primitive faith Of the
Lithuanians may have been and
strange are the stories in old chrOn-
icles-it is reasonably certain that
far away in the dark ages they were
worshiping a sacred fire kept forever
burning, like the fame of the Roman
Vestals, at the foot of this Castle hill.
We may, therefore. assume that Vii
ma, like Chartres and many another
city now forever associated with the
glories and the mysteries Of the Chris
tian faith, was a shrine Of an older
and grimmer religion long before its
hills had heard the message of Chris
tianity. On the spot where the pagan
IRE famed stands now q place like
Greek temple, the Cathedral of St.
Stanislas, wherein is the silver coffin
of the great Polish saint, Casimir. But
there is a sanctuary in Wilma more
honored- Above the old town gate
near the railway station there is a
chapel which possesses an image of
the Virgin far-famed fer miracles.
You may see the street below full OF
ranks of worshipers kneeling and
crouching in prayer. Catholics Of the
Latin and OF the Greek church unite
in their faith in the Virgin of the Os-
ira Drama chapel.
Wilma is the headquarters OF the gov
ernor general Of the Lithuanian prov
tnces and OF an army corps 1t is an
important educational center. 1t has
a large trade in timber and grain At
the present time its population may
be estimated at 100000 people. But
its chief importance is neither admin
| istrative nor commercial 1t stands
at the junction of the railways from
Berlin and Warsaw to Petrograd, that
is. it is one of the greatest centers Of
communication in Russia. From the
| German frontier it is 120 miles dis
|
/ From Warsaw it is PSI miles. But
| these railways, though the most i'm
portant, are not the only lines which
converge on Wilma It is connected by
line running southeast, through
Minsk, with Kief and the great re-
sources of southern Russia, while yet
another branch gives communication
due south with the fortress of Brest-
Litovsk and the Pripet valley and
Rovno- Through Minsk on the south
eastern line runs the railway, which
/ by way of Smolensk reaches Moscow
| 1t was Wilma which Napoleon chose
as the advanced base of his famous
invasion Of Russia He secured the
/ line Of the Niemen and made wilma
! the strategic center of the French
/ forces. When he advanced he left
Murat in command of his magazines
and hospitals The greatest of French
| leaders of cavalry seems an odd and
| inexplicable choice for such a post
| Nor did AIurat, who might have done
much for the advance and something
for the retreat, distinguish himself
at the base. His men when the dis
aster of Moscow was known pillaged
the stores and left behind 10000 sick
and wounded and 100000 francs. Ma
poleon had run away from the place
! in disguise some days before When
the Russians came back. twelve DAYS
later, they found in one hospital alone
1900 dead bodies piled like pigs Of
lead one above the other