New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-11
MANY HOSTAGES
TAKEN IN BELGRADE
Belgian Consul, with Boys
of Is and 16, Taken
TO Austria.

London, Jan. 10. d. Ferrman
special correspondent OF "The Dalll
/ Chronicle" with the Servian army, anC
the first English journalist to enter
Belgrade since the Austrian occupa
ton. sends a long dispatch describing
the Servians' re-entry into their capt.
tai. in the course of which he says;
"The practice Of taking hostages, which
II has been reserved for this twentieth
century civilized war to revive, was re-
sorted to at Belgrade. am as
sured on unimpeachablc authority
supported by accounts of several wit
nesses. that not less than 1000 per
sons we're carried oil 20 Austria.
Among them were boys OF fifteen to
sixteen wears. nor were foreign resi-
dents immune VI. Bissers, the Belgian
Consul. who is also the director OF an
electric tram and light company, was
of the number. lie was handcuiied IKE
a common criminal. Neither the rate
nor the whereabouts of these clVliiail
prisoners of war is known.
"In Theresa there is stately man
sion. It's owner, VI. kersmanowltz,
died a short time ago, leaving large
sums for charitable purposes. inc
house was occupied by his widow when
war broke out. Chalked on the door
were the names of distinguished men
in the Austro- Hungarian peefage'
Baron Itchy. Graf Festetics, Grai Van.
derstraten. all lieutenants on the stan
of the army, who had been ITS denlLena
during the occupation. Though theIf
tenure was brief. they had made the
most of their time there. The place
was cutted. Carpets were torn up
tanestries torn down and pictures de-
stroved II was also lndescrlOaDly
flthv. This may have been the WORK
of soldiers after the departure Oh the
young noblemen.
Russian Legation Wrecked.
"The Russian Legation is wrecked.
The royal palace was thrown open 10
tbe ueople. 1T is yours said the Aus.
trian liberators, in the generosity oil
their hearts. but they had gone over II
with care first
Describing the appearance OIL BEL
grade. Mr.. Ferriman says;
"On a first view Belgrade does not
seem TO nave suffered to any great cT-
tent from bombardment. Nalklus up
the broad thoroughtare OF the hasla'
YOU arrive nearly at the top before you
zee a house with its upper story Dlo"A
away. and with fragment OF what APP
pears to have been its ROOF an immi-
nent peril TO passersby. But appear
ances are specious. Many buildings
whose facades are intact are skeletons.
Proiectiles with high trajectory nave
fallen through the roof ana wrought
destruction within. This IS the case
with a wing of the royal palace, the
windows of which are shattered
though the masonry has not suffered.
Within. however, all is devastated.
Museum a Heap OF Debris.
among the public building the
,,,,seunn l. a shameless heap Of debris
and the university is 50 much Knocked
about that the plainest and cheapest
remedy will be an entirely new edltice.
The higher part Of the city has nat
urally suffered most, with the eXcep-
tion perhaps of district around the
railroad station which is completely
battered down. Rents in the pavement
show that shells charged with very
high explosives were employed. One
huge gulf noticed was at least twelve
feet deep by fifteen feet long and eight
feet wide.
There are many instances Of the
yagaries 1f the missile. of destruction.
I visited a house i'm which ". Nikovitz,
who accompanied me IN my perigrina-
.ions. had occupied an apartment
There was nothing the matter with the
front. but neat hole in the side
marked the passage OF projectlle
which had traversed the building and
exploded m an adjoining house. which
is now q mound of brickbats and
"One-half of large establishment