Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-21
WOULD TAKE TEN YEARS
TO EXCHANGE PRISONERS
Transport Of Human wastreI OF
War Between Russia and Ger
many Begius.
MANY THRILLING STORIES TOLD
Each Man HIS Tasted Utmost OF Bit
terness Of Conflict, and Some SO
Badly Mangled That Even Death
ttefuscs to Accept Them.

STOCKHOLM. SWEDEN. May 90
Clad in great coats of West Point gray.
The FIRST OF tho hopclessly wounded Ger
man and Austrian prisoners OF war TO
come out OF Russia this year passed
through Sweden a few days ago In ex-
change for the helpless and h;,pless
'sussians who had been sent home from
Tho German hospital camps. The Aus
trianH and Germans were n more cheer
ful lot than the stolid. silent Russians
and seemed to have u more definite idea
or their future life
1t Ia nothing" said one young AUS
TRAN with his right leg gone and two
fearful scars on his face; ct am a
1eweler by trade. and my hands arc
aa good as ever"
!, Tho exchange OF wounded prisoners
Undertaken by the Swedish Red Cross
Is gigantic affair. Effective May It,
three trains running weekly In each di-
rection from the Finnish frontier to
tho southern reaches Of the Baltic can
handle but comparatively few of the
men 80 hopelesaly used up that tho war
ring nations arc glad to BIO rid Of them
Some statistician claiming to have
knowledge OF the situation has declare
that with trains running daily all the
year round. II would take ten years
10 complete the transport OF the human
waetrel OF war now held in Russia and
Germany.
e Ono OF the wounded Austrians on tho
hrst train coming from Russia was
asked how many of mis- comrades were
left in Russia
"oh'" he replied. there must be a
million Of them"
This prisoner said no had been "all
over Russia" and that few war pris-
oncrs. either wounded or whole OF skin
and limb, were permitted to remain IN
ono camp more than n month or two
He was wounded In August last, and
aaid he must have been In every hos
ptal camp from Viadivostok to Petro-
grad.
There was one young soldier from
Prague. Bohemia. who had had a ter
f!ble experience He was In the
cavalry. and was riding In charge
whom Il shrapnel she'll burst just be-
meath him The horse was killed. and
the rider was wounded twenty-one
times. Seven times nc was placed
on the operating table. He emerged
with ono leg gone and the other 20
broken. bent and twisted that II but
little rcscmbled human form.
And yet the man had pleaded with
tho doctors for that remnant OF limb.
They wanted to cut II OF. too, as
Hcl as my right hand. but heard
them talking. and said. Please. good
Mr.. Doctor, don't cut off my other
lex and my hand:. At last they let me
go" he said.
The hand was SCARED in many
places but seemed otherwise to be pcr-
Ia. Stl In, IT
putation is such An effective and ex-
,-ucditioUs treatment
Each man OF PIT on board the train
from Russia had his own thrilling story
To tell. Each one had tasted the utmost
OF the bitterness Of war. and some
seemed 60 badly manned and manglcd
that even Death had refused to ac-
cept them.
There was one poor fellow moving
about tho train with shcepskin pads
on his knees. and both feet gone.
me no good any more" he smiled
In broken English when he learned
shat the Associated Press corrcspon-
dent on board the hospital train was
an American.
And boom. boom, boom no good
either" no added. mimckinG the roar
of battle. This man had lain wounded
for days with his feet In a half-frozen
streau. When found he was moro
dead than alive. Up TO the time
:, he lost consciousness. no said. he must
havo been lying out OF doors for ak
or seven days. AN this time he hoard
tho ecreech and roar OF Shells passing
above his head. and occasionally e1-
plodinG about him. Any ono OF them,
he eaid, would have boon welcome
end to his agony. But now he was
smiling and cheerful on his way
home" He did not know what no
could do when he got there. for he had
been a horseshoer by trade. and a
horeeshoer without feet Ia not Of much
account.
Some OF the prisoners complained
bitterly OF their treatment at the hands