Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-07-28
GENERAL DOOMS
NEPHEW CAUGHT
As A DESERTER
Russian Commanders Vote De-
CideS Fate of Young Pole
Who Quit Regiment.
JOINED THE AUSTRIAN ARMY
General Radymno Had the Misfortune
to Preside at the Court-MartiaI
Which Sealed the Fate of
His Favorite Relative.
BY DR.. WOLF Won scHIERBRAND.

IT'S FdNOTIIG hSldllNG.
BY DR.. WOLF Won SCHIERBRAND.
correspondent of the New York SUM.
Vienna.-DOubtless the darkest ma
,ional tragedy in this world war is
that of the Poles. There one sees a
distinct chronological entity, a people
whose tongue is the most musical and
cultivated of all the Slavic languages,
with a fine literature showing names
like that of Henry K Sienkiewicz, of
universal fame, advanced in all the
arts, Paderewski being a fine exam
pie; the most gifted of all the Slavs,
of high valor, of a quality both dis
tinct and elevated Yet the curse Of
destiny has brought it about that this
people of altogether about 22,000,000
has been split up into three unequal
parts-roundly, 100000 of them IN
der Russian rule, about 100000 I'M
der Austrian and about 100000 under
German rule And what results of
even the present giant upheaval will
be so far as the Poles are concerned
not even the wisest can foretell.
Tragedies Every Day.
Meanwhile every day tragedies on a
minor scale are happening among the
Poles which, for the most part, will
never see page and printers ink. Yet
many are worth the telling. Here is
one in point. l tell it just as it was
told to me- without the slightest at
tempt at coloring the facts. Let the
reader judge for himself
Among the Russian prisoners taken
at Tarnow, Galicia, some three weeks
ago by the Austrian army was a fine,
dignified looking man, general who
had not yielded without first using
his sword. He was General Stephen
RadymnO, a Pole by race and Ian
guage, but brave, undaunted soldier
of the car. He is now recovering
from his injuries in one of the reserve
hospitals of Vienna, and later on will
be taken as prisoner of war to one of
the great camps in Bohemia.
Nephew Deserter.
General Radymno had the misfor-
tune u US 1OAOSu " COlIdCA14ll LIS Ia
yOrite nephew to death He presided
ut the court-martial which sealed the
Young mans fate, and his was the
deciding voice that doomed the young
man to immediate execution; for the
Nephew, Jan Radymno, had committed
treason. Although serving in one of
his uncles own regiments as first
lieutenant, he had gone over to the enc
yny-to the Polish legion fighting I'M
der the banner of the Hapsburgs. This
he had done in the middle of the
night, and in his shabby quarters, a
short distance back of the trenches,
there was found the next morning
slip Of paper on which were a few
lines addressed to his uncle, the gen.
eral saying he found himself forced
TO choose between two duties-and
that toward Poland came first" Then
he mad added word or rwo to the
general himself imploring MIN to fol-
low his example "and help free Poland
from the Muscovite yoke"
Poles Make Raids.
All this happened early last De-
cember; the generals trenches were
held for five months longer Back of
his positions were woods, impene-
trable, deep in snow, and into them he
was frequently obliged to send skirm-
ishing parties to attack the rear of
the Polish Legion of Austria, who
made frequent raids. The rumor some
how spread in the regiment to which
Lieutenant Radymno had belonged
that he was with these legionaires and
that he even directed { number of the
raids and sudden attacks. The Rus
SLAMS were bitter, and many prison
ers captured were given short shrift
One Russian soldier named Destyatuk.
who had belonged to the 'rotte"
SQUAD formerly commanded by Lieu
tenant Radymno, swore he had rec
Ognized his former officer in the ranks
of the enemy on one occasion.
The general, his uncle, never heard
any of these rumors, however.
One night late in March, when the
snow still lay thick and gale was
blowing, the very company to which
the deserter had belonged was sur
prised. The men had changed their
quarters only the day before, having
lost many in their trenches. and had
been sent to the rear. This particular
raid was singularly bold, rapid and
desperate. The Russians were sur
pTised in their sleep. and before they
could gather for a stand they were
badly beaten. But at last there came
succor, and then there was hard fight
ing. chiefly with the bayonet on ac-
count of the uncertain light With
half the little force slain, the Rus
SLAMS finally got a small band of their
foes into the church. and there. after
q hand to hand struggle, took some
prisoners.
Uncle Condemns Rim.
Amons The prisoners was Jan
RadymnO. or what was left of him. A
bayonet thrust had split his cheek and
cut bee lips. His blouse hung about
him IN tatters. In this condition he