Oxford eagle., 1915-09-16
IS MAGIC TO THEM
Everything Russian Cannot Un-
derctand Is BLACK Art
Soldiers Of the czar Are STEPPED In
Superstition - Distrust ofseers
They See Using One Of the
General STAFF Charts
BY HUGO 5ETTAuER.
International News servfce.D ,

officer Of the Austrian ambulance serv-
ice I visited the prison camp that has
been established near here. The camp
is really a large city Of wooden bar
racks with electric lights. paved
streets. sidewalks. waterworks. public
baths and a small library. Surround
ed on all sides by green hills the bar
racks and other buildings cover the
beautiful valley for miles
In this primitive town more than
forty thousand Russian soldiers are
waiting for the time when the war
will end and they shall be sent home
Each day the population Of the camp
grows. as long railroad trains con
stautIy bring more prisoners. and new
barracks have to be built Every
race OF the czar's endless empire is
represented
The prisoners are a queer lot. and
furnish unlimited opportunity for eth
biological studies As they speak q
dozen different languages and many
do not understand Russian. they have
formed clans which keep entirely to
themselves
The real Russian, for instance. viii
have nothing to do with the Cossack.
and the German from CourIand or Lv-
land considers Il below his dignity to
associate with 4 -muiik~ from the
plains OF the volzz.
As q rule. the different clans get
along pretty well together. and guar
rels and fights seldom occur. The
small detachment o. landsturm troops.
which guards the camp. really has lit
tie 10 do.
For visitors the prisoners have 1T
tie use. and Il Is hard to get them TO
talk All strangers are -nienfsf-
/ (GeruAnsl to them and only the more
educated have heard OF the -austrts
I (AEstriznsl-
The Germans they consider the IN
earnasion Of al evil. and they firmly
believe that every -niemtsf- 10 the
servant and agent Of the devil Their
general ignorance Ia only surpassed
By their superstition
While we walked through the
camp we came upon an old Russian
frst sergeant. who gravely was try
tns 70 explain the causes OF the war
to about afty OF the prisoners
The short jackets brought on this
bloody eones@t.- he said The war
came as the world Is sinful and I'm
moral Cod hates the short jackets:
they are indecent The French. Eng
lish and Serbians are 10 better than
the 'nientsL' They also wear the
hellish jackets and offend the Lord
By their frivoIity.-
Most OF the listeners nodded approv-
ingly. and only one. q rather inteIlf-
gsnt-looking young fellow. dared to
contradict the argument Of the old
man
believe that q man can be moral
even in short Jacket the young sol
der said. but he stopped quickly when
he saw that nobody shared his toler-
ant views
For the defeats OF the Russian arm
les the prisoners blame the black
art OF the German generals. They
are firmly convinced that Hindenburg
and Aackensen have sold their souls
TO the devil Hindenburg they all
know. and they consider him the rep
resentative OF Satan on earth.
Military maps. in their eyes, are the
work OF he'll. and they distrust their
own officers II they see one Of them
with general stan chart
A general who does not hide the
fact that he uses maps and plans loses
all confidence and popularity. and is
hated as an imitator of the Germans
and an inhdeL Seventy per cent OF
the soldiers OF the car see in the
maps nothing but German sxindIe-
and black art
Sun more superstitious than their
comrades are the Cossacks. To them
everything that they cannot under.
stand Is magic Next to the Ger.
mans the Cossack rates nothing more
than the real Russians. These he
calls murderers, crooks. oppressors,
etc. and he will not even talk 10
them
Most Of the prisoners are good-na-
tured and behave well They willing.
ly obey all orders OF the guards and
work without a murmur from morn
ing till night. II they are commanded
to do So Their appetite is enormous.
They are always hungry and deyour
incredible quantities OF food As 70
quality. they do not care, and they ara
perfectly eontented with a kettle of
soup. piece Of bacon or fat mutton
and couple Of dozen potatoes.
One OF the weaknesses Of the pris-
oners. and Of the Russian soldiers In
general. Is their disrespect for the
property Of others To express 1,
more plainly. they steal whatever they
can lay their hands on. like all primI-
tive races Even high officers ara
not free from this trait
He Sings ~TIpperary."
GAINESVILLE, GAG. C. Hayes Of this