Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-12
IN TAKING OF WARSAW
EMPTY HUSK IS FOUND
City So Thoroughly Stripped by Rus
slams az to Give Germans
Hollow Victory.
FIGHTING Is EXTRAORDINARY
In Capitals Cafes Men and Women
Calmly Sip Their Coffee, While
Only Few Yards Away Mighty
Battle Is I'm Progress.

Especial Gable to The Times Dispatch.
ROTTERDAM. August 1.-The first
descriptions from the German side OF
the entry into Warsaw betray tho truth
mat IN taking the Polish capital the
Germans Erasped only an empty, husk.
An interesting story. written by n high
~ placed German officer, describes for
the first time the extraordinary char
acter or the lighting at the last mo-
ment when the Russian rear guard.
win indomitable courage. harassed
from lraEa, across the river the invad :
ing forces The officer writes;
Quickly our car runs along the road.
inc Russian retreat towards Warsaw
had scorched the fields and burned the
farms and villages. AS we fly past, on
both sides of the road lie the wrecks of
carts. soldiers coats, cartridge cases,
boots and bread carts. Many fresh
graves mark the route along which the
Russian army travelled to its regroup-
ing.
FELLED TREES PLACED
IN ROADS AS OBSTACLES
"Fellcd trees placed across the road
as obstacles have been removed by our
men. German soldiers are standing on
the walls of forts in which there WAS
fighting in the morning. Then como
the walls OF the town and the fortress
llseil--mere earthen walls with anti
quated defense works.
In the suburbs there seems no end
10 the long streams OF refugees coming
out by the same roads over which the
German troops are marching into tho
town. Along the high sides OF the roa d
thousands OF people are standing.
watching the entrance of the German
troops. Then we go through the old
Eate into old Warsaw itself All the
windows and balconies of the high, pal
ace-l'kc houses are occupied.
Everywhere one turns he sees bright
faces and roses thrown by black eyed
beauties. The rain does not keep the
beauties Of Warsaw indoors. Although
they wear diaphanouE blouses they
and breathe again. The cafes are
crowded with brightly dressed people.
Nearly all the shops are open.
Suddenly we come to n place COM
pletely empty OF people. The only noise
here is that of zipping bullets and eX-
plosions from the other side OF the
river
The fghting is still going on. The
Russians are on the other side. They
have dug trenches. On this side our
men arc lying behind street barriers
and the corners OF houses firing across
the river. The Russians return lively
fire. Machine guns battle from both
"a
inE from the bigger guns
on ONE HAND Is PEACE,
ON THE OTHER, WAR
Here is all the activity OF big
town; scarcely a hundred yards away
there is n struggle of life and death
In front OF us are the Russian post
tons. On the opposite bank the guns
roar and the shells crash into the walls
We turn around and we have In front
Of "s the life OF p big city. At that
corner is cafe where men and women
arc slipping coffee as if in peace time
Many are reading newspapers.
"A black thick smoke rises from the
other side OF the river where the Rus
slams are continuing the work of de-
struction. The public buildings are all
empty; all the furniture is gone
empty walls, empty rooms everywhere
The means of communication have been
carried away: telephone and telegraph
apparatus of all kinds is gone. Every
where. even in the private houses OF
officers, is gaping emptiness.
Evening comes and the lights ap-
pear. still the long streams Of refugees
continue TO flow away from Warsa W
We still hear the chatter of machine
guns. and now and then the Arc Of big
field guns"