The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
WAR ATITS REDDEST
URROWINGPOLAND
Once Peaceful Estates Now
Criss-CrOssed by Fire Of
Big Guns.
STACKS HOUSE VICTIMS
Special Correspondence TO THE Son.
BY SLOANE GORDON.

P~RrszKow, Russian Poland. June 10.
-ore OF the war ruined estates Of
Poland IS Pruszkow. One OF the wal
ruined villages of Poland bears the
same name and is OF the estate. An
other OF the ruined estates Is Pecice.
which doesn't sound at all the way It
" spelled. And 1t is in this vicinity.
These two estates have seen war In
It's most crimson form and they show
&, Peasants who formerly lived In the
village OF Pruszkow n had their cot
tages and their gardens and all the
little happinesses that suited and salts
fed them are living to-day in sheds and
shacks and caves-or in Warsaw on
charity. They are all destitute-the!r
means Of subsistence gone and their
prospects Of future happiness clouded
70 the darkness OF midnight.
Prusskcw the estate is or was pre-
sided over by the charming Countess
Potulicka, a woman %typically Polish in
grace, culture and loyalty to Poland.
II was In October-on the 18th OF
hN"I cAi eA " >"N ''"N
'the Germans came Those OF the
Pruszkow mansion had been notified
that there was a prospect of invasion.
but, like many others. they did not
heed the warning in time. They rather
felt that they would not be unduly dis
turbed even II the Germans did appear.
They were innocent non-combatants and
why should they be hurt?
Duel Of She'll and Bomb.
The Germans were coming with a
push and the Russian resistance was
not overly strong. but 1t was only when
the artillery got into action that Coun-
tess Potulicka and those about her
realized riat PruszkoY was on the very
lip of a crater of bubbling hell. The
frs, real warning was the bursting OF
a shell in the flower garden to the rigat
o. the stately mansion. This shell
came from the German side. To the
rear-with the house almost in the d.
rect path between the two lines-the
Russian artillery answered. The due
o. she'll and bomb was on! And for
sN DAYS Countess Potulicka, her
mother and two children. together with
seyouty-six servants and estate EN-
n.ONpes of all degrees, uareu not iHNe
Furthermore they dared not remain up
stairs in the house.
The peasant dependents, mostly IRON
the village, had gathered u the nome
Of no heads of the little community, as
\ children would run to their parents In a
Storm, and they were taken under WING
tust as n mother would gather IN mel
frightened brood. But they had TO x,
bc.oN mistress and maid. butler ano
Aus'Ior, chick and child. Eighty IN al
c;oNded into the cellar and lived ther'
.or six long days, while shells screamed
ana windows crashed and trees wer'
shattered all about, while chi!dfei
muaucd in helpless terror and the deat'
.nla explosion of every bomb seeme'
- pr,lace the end o. the world. re"
c.n have gone through more terrliyiht
cNncr.,uces. But every one OF the eish's
s-rvStl.
Tacy were so crowded in the celia
tat here was no room to lie down com
'orttb,y to sleep, The ventilation wal
not good naturally. Red clothing ha'
T7ryn taken from the rooms above II
e." 0rs' few hours, some food mac
beer brought down, On the evening o
the second day the firing ceased at abou
. oclO7E and the Countess went up
s'airs. determined to secure some warn
food She started "A fire and cooked tea
Those Of her immediate family and I
Few OF the peasants ventured forth also