Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-26
DEVASTATION OF POLAND
IS COLOSSAL TRAGEDY
Entire Theater OF Eastern Fighting
Within Territory of Old
Kingdom.
TRAIN OF DEsoLATIoN IN PATH
Austrians From South, Germans
From North and West, and Rus
SLAMS From East Comprising
Country as in Double Wise.

. LONDON. July 25.-The desperate
fighting now going on around Warsaw
and throughout the eastern zone OF
operations centers attention on the
, colossal tragedy Of Poland, the second
I that unhappy country has endured, the
first having stirred America to it's
, depths when Kosciusko went there to
, tell Poland's own story and left it's
memories In the statue of the Polish
, liberator in one of the public squares
: Of Washington.
But that first tragedy was as nothing
compared with what Poland is now un-
dcrEoing, the entire theater of eastern
fighting being within tho territory of
the old kingdom of Poland. with Rus
sian armies tramping over the coun-
try from the east, Austrian armies from
the south. and German armies from the
north and west, all COMPRISING. Poland
as in "a double wise from four sides,
marching and fighting on a scale of
unprecedented magnitude. and leaving
train of wreck and dcsolation even
greater than that of Belgium or Serbia.
, This is the testimony of disinterest ed
eyewitnesses. Polish. English and
American, who have recently traverscd
the stricken regions. including c. c..
Gibson, of the Rockefeller Founda ton.
who declared on his return that this
was one Of the greatest tragedies the
world had known. the devastation Of
Belgium shrinking in comparison.
Such telegraphic news as tricklcs
through from Poland, except the official
reports of military operations from the
three sides. is censored and garbled and
gives only the picture of fighting, with
out that of the PROSTATE country under
the heels Of the fighters pressing from
four sides But from eyewitnesscs re-
turning. from Polish student refugees
from the scourEed district, and from
letters to those who have sought asy-
lum here. there is mass OF informa
ton on the real conditions at the scene
, of these gigantic eastern operations.
Much of this information flows into the
hands of Miss Laurence Alma TIA dema
daughter of the great English artist
who for three months has been work
ing day and night as the secretary and
directing genius of the Polish relief
, committee, whose officers and patrons
embrace about every name OF note in
. Ensland-peers, Cabinet members am
bassadors, artists and authors.
Think OF the magnitude of this ap-
palling Polish tragedy" said Miss Alma
Tadema to representative Of the AS
SOclateu fTeSS. II Is dllnCQlt Tor
in England or America, with conditions
serene, to cast the minds eye across
Europe and grasp the fact that all tho
titanic eastern battles are being fought
on Polish soil. And it is not only a
gigantic struggle of invading armies
from without one following another
with all their train of ruin and desc
lation hut 1t partakcs almost OF civil
conflict with Pole fighting against Polo.
INTENSE LONGING
, TO SEE POLAND RISE
There are" she went on. about lo,-
100000 Russian Poles. and about the
same number OF Austrian and Prussian
Poles. All OF them have that intense
longing to see Poland rise again as a
unified kingdom And yet of these a.
100000 Poles, n million Polish soldiers
are lighting in the Russian ranks, and
, another million are fighting in the Aus
: TRAN and German Enthusiastically
brother against brother. One of the
reports reaching me tells of a body OF
Polish infantry on the Russian side
charging at body of the enemy. with
bayoncts raised and the battle cries
ringing from both sides-only 10 dis
tinguish as they came to grips that
both were shouting the cry of Poland
common impulse, every bayonet was
? lowered and every man in the facing
ranks fell on his knees, and in their
common language breathed the Lords
| Prayer. That was Poland's prayer on
the battlefield OF this terrible eastern
conflict.
, Here is another thoroughly authenti-
waited case" said Miss Alma -Tadema:
"a Polish infantryman raised his rifle
and fired point blank at advancing
, foe only to see him pitch forward and
hear him cry out in Polish, My God. I
leave a wife and three children And
this agoniZing dying cry In Polish rang
In the ears Of the brother Pole who had
, fred the shot, torturing him night and
, day. until he literally went mad and
was taken from the ranks "a raving
, maniac.
1T was natural that the Russian Pole
should cast his lot with Russia. and
this loyalty has been rewarded by the
inspired proclamation OF Grand Duke
Nicholas promising freedom for Po-
. land. pledge which every Russia n
: Pole accepts in good faith as fore
, shadowinS the reuniiication Of the Pol
ish nation On the other hand the
!, Galician Poles showed a perfectly nat
, ural first movement OF the allegiance
to Austria which has given them the
right of their own faith and language
and some semblance Of freedom. This
and the laws OF compulsory military
service brought almost million Poles
into the Austro-German ranks TO figh,
against their brothers in the Russian
ranks. And yet in both Austria and
Prussia the overwhelming majority OF
the Poles are at heart solidly with the
kingdom OF Poland"
! TERRIBLE SCENES
IN STRICKEN REGIONS
When Mr.. Gibson. OF the Rockefeller
Foundation, returned from Poland M
told Miss Alma -Tadcma Of the terribl,
scenes he had witnessed in the strick.
\ en- regions. Together they planned FOL
extensive measures of relief TO he son