The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-01-13
Child 2of Worlds Greatest
Pacifist Conf sses to
BeWiIdermellt.
FRIENDSHIPS. !. ! /!
Cannot Understand Why
Men Who Wound Have
Violate.
BY COUNTESS ToLsToY.
Daughter Of leo Tolstoy, World-Fa.
nous Author Of Russia.

Copyright, 1916, by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.l
MOSCOW, Russia, Jan. f13.-About
fortnight after / first left Moscow
as a nurse on an ambulance train our
work began when we were sent to
bring wounded from c.. 1t is a
pretty town picturesquely situated,
but here and there were deep, round
holes made by the. German shells and
opposite the station were ruined
buildings and pine trees half a CEN
fury old uprooted and broken with
spltnters of shrapnel scattered over
all.
Night had fallen and rain was drlz.
cling on us. All was quiet. The big
station, its walls riddled by shots and
| its windows broken; was. thing of
the dead. Suddenly we heard the
sharp, cracking. abrupt sounds of
rifle firing, and we learned then that
the Germans were only two miles
distant! The next morning when we
went through the town we found that
few Inhabitants remained. Cossacks,
infantry. officers and trains OF wagons
passed by.
Several Of the officers asked US for
newspapers. will you believe II"
they said, "for six weeks we have not
heard what is going on In the world ?"
"And how are things going on
here?" asked these officers. I'M
shaven and wearing dirty uniforms,
but bright and full OF spirits.
Every WELL" they replied. 1.-THE
Germans have lost their go. We used
to have a hard time in making them
surrender. Now 1t is much easier
they are worn out and hungry"
But they have done lot of dam
age here"
"oh, that's nothing! on Just go In
to the church and see what It is like
there. They kept their horses in it
and even desecrated the chalice!"
Later we met an old man who was
standing in front OF his house and
moving his arms in a peculiar man
ner.
"1s he mad?" asked one OF our or
derlies. 4.8 .#
The old man turned quickly in our
direction and began to shout and
curse.
you'd go mad yourselves II you'd
been robbed and ruined three times
over like met" Then the thunder of
cannon drowned out the sound OF his
weak voice.
We received IA wounded, among
them 80 seriously wounded German
prisoners, some of whom were not
more than is or 16 years of age. One
OF them asked me IL it could be pos
sible that all Russians were as kind
as the surgeons and nurses who were
attending them. When l asked him
why this surprised him he answered,
"our officers told us that all Russians
are cruel, and that they would torture
us il we were taken prisoners"
Next we were ordered to R.
which was crowded with wounded. I
was deeply moved by the peasants Of
the surrounding country, who brought
what they could to the stations where
our train stopped They would pass
up through the windows to the wound
! ed bread, apples, linen and pickles.
It was also touching to see how the
soldiers shared these gifts with one
another. One nurse wished to divide
them by lot since there were not
enough for all, but the wounded men
did not approve Of such method.
mo, no, nurse, don't!" man would
say, "Let him have all Of this pickle.
I can do without it, ] don't want it,
At one station was walking beside
a wounded man who was being car
ried on stretcher into the bandaging
car of our train when a peasant wo-
man came up and lifted his blanket.
II was q frosty day, and pushed her
aside for fear the soldier would catch
cold. ~
one trip made in car filled en-
tirely with German wounded. You
Should have seen how they enjoyed
their tea and bread. I'VE have had
nothing hot to drink these two
months!" they said.
When went to help one officer who
lay moaning he said to me in German
that one Of the orderlieslhad told him
that / was Count Leo Tolstoy's
daughter, adding that he had read my
fathers work.
"But do you not know that my faith
er was against war?" asked.
"Yes." he answered. "But do you
think that we wanted this war? No,
we went because we were ordered to
A fortnight later we were transfer
...a,,.Jnd f~a,,3 +ha Eaunfta1a IN