Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1915-09-29
IS " MAGIC TO THEM
Everything Russian Cannot Un-
derStand Is "BIack Art"
Soldiers Of the Gar Are STEPPED in
Superstition - Distrust Officers
They See Using One of thu
General Staff Charts.
BY HUGO BETTAUER.

Reichenberg Bohemia.-With an
officer of the Austrian ambulance serv-
ice / visited the prison camp that has
been established near here. The camp
is really 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-
stantly bring more prisoners, and new
barracks have to be built. Every
race OF the cars endless empire is
represented.
The prisoners are a queer lot, and
furnish unlimited opportunity for eth
biological studies. AS they speak a
dozen different languages and many
do not understand Russian, they have
formed clans which keep entirely to
themselves.
The real Russian, for instance, will
have nothing to do with the Cossack,
and the German from Courland or Liv-
land considers 1t below his dignity to
associate with a "mujik" from the
plains of the Volga
AS a rule, the different clans get
along pretty well together, and quar-
TplS and GUhfo cnldnno ho
small detachment OF landsturm troops,
which guards the camp, really has lit
tie to do.
For visitors the prisoners have lit
tie use, and it is hard to get them to
talk. All strangers are "niemtsi'
CGermans) to them, and only the more
educated have heard of the "austriji"
(Austrians).
The Germans they consider the in
carnation of all evil. and they firmly
believe that every "niemtsi" is the
servant and agent of the devil Their
general ignorance is only surpassed
by their superstition.
While we walked through the
camp we came upon an old Russian
first sergeant, who gravely was try
Ing to explain the causes of the war
to about fifty of the prisoners.
The short-jackets brought on this
bloody conflict" he said. The war
came as the world is sinful and i'm.
moral. God hates the short-jackets;
they are indecent. The French, Eng
lish and Serbians are no better than
the 'niemtsi.' They also wear the
hellish jackets and offend the Lord
by their frivolity."
Most of the listeners nodded approx.
ingly, and only one, a rather intelli.
gent-looking young fellow, dared to
contradict the argument of the old
man.
L believe that man can be moral
even in a 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 Mackensen have sold their souls
to the devil. Hindenburg they all
hiiO"s anu AiCg NOnbiutI llI1 lIl6 rep
resentative of Satan on earth.
Military maps, in their eyes, are the
work of hell, and they distrust their
own officers If they see one of ther1
with a general staff 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 infdel Seventy per cent of
the soldiers of the car see in the
maps nothing but German swindle"
and black art
Still more supcrstitious than their
comrades are the Cossacks. To them
everything that they cannot under
stand is magic" Next to the Ger.
mans the Cossack hates nothing more
| than the real Russians. These be
calls murderers. crooks, oppressors,
etc. and he will not even talk to
| them.
Most Of the prisoners are good-na-
tured and behave well They willing
ly obey all orders OF the guards and
I work without a murmur from morn.
ing till night. if they are commanded
to do so. Their appetite is enormous.
They are always hungry and devour
incredible quantities of food AS to
quality, they do not care, and they are
| perfectly contented with a kettle OF
soup. a piece OF bacon or fat mutton
and couple of dozen potatoes.
One Of the weaknesses OF the pris.
| oners and OF the Russian soldiers I'm
general is their disrespect for the
property Of others To express Il
more plainly, they steal whatever they
can lay their hands on, like all print.
! tive races. Even high officers are
| not free from this trait.