Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-04
EXCHANGE MANNED
THROUGH SWEDEN
Russia and Germany Sending
Home Those Who Are Hope
IessIy Wounded.
MELANCHOLY SPECTACLE
FOR THE SCANDINAVIANS
Although Crippled for Life, Men
Become Happy on Leaving the
Enemy's Territory.

Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden. May 25.-The
great task of exchanging wounded
prisoners between Russia and Germany
through Sweden will be continued
throughout the summer The ex-
change applies only to those prisoners
totally unfit ever to serve again. One
glimpse at a trainload of these miser-
able war derelicts leaves no doubt as
to their disability. Missing legs, miss
ing arms, sightless eyes shattered
jaws. twisted spines and here and
there the CLASSY stare which tells its
own story of burned out brain-these
are the evidences the Swedish people
see of the war that surrounds them.
The transfer through Sweden is
handled entirely by the Swedish Red
Cross or "Roda Korset." of which
Prince Carl brother Of the king, is the
actual and active head. The German
prisoners are received from the Rus
slams at Haparanda at the Swedish
Finnish frontier. only a few miles
south of the sweep of the Arctic circle.
In trains specially fitted for their use
tHe manned ana twisted wrecks OF
men are taken south through the en-
tire distance of Sweden, journey of
three nights and two days. the pace of
the train being timed for the utmost of
comfort. AT Trelleborg, the southern
most port of Sweden. the one-time
soldiers of the fatherland arep laced
upon German hospital transports for
the short sail across the southern reach
of the Baltic to the German port of
Sassnitz. From there they are taken
to Hamburg and held in detention for
one month as a guarantee against the
This quarantine period ended, the men,
most of them dependents for life, are
returned to their relatives and homes.
Three Trains a Week.
In the case of the Russian prisoners
the operation is just reversed They
are received from the German ships
at Trelleborg and are taken to the
north through the glowing sunshine
and the mysterious nights of the arctic
ATTITUDES where soon the days will
fade one into the other with only a
shade of twilight in between. The
work has begun this year with one
train a week in each direction. This
month the number will be increased to
three in each direction. The trains
consist of sixteen cars and have a ca :
pacity of about 30 soldiers. When the
work is fully under way the rate of
exchange will be about 5000 prisoners
a month. AS the percentage of totally
unfit" among the men must be COM
paratively small. some idea may be
gained as to the total number of pris-
oners held on both sides of the Rus
sian German battle line.
The first train started north from
Trelleborg with the burden of 30
physical and mental deficients-a
CHASTITY assortment of parts of men.
AS they hobb1ed or were carried down
the gangplank of the hospital steamer
at Trelleborg the procession seemed
like a veritable outpouring from the
depths of an inferno. 1t was plain to
be seen that each man there had come
TO grips with death and had fought his
way out of that grim clutch only at a
terrible cost of wound and scar. Pallid
faces and sunken eyes told the story
almost as quickly as empty sleeves and
folded trouser legs Down the narrow
steamer plank they came. awkwardly
trying to manipulate the unfamiliar
crutches. A right leg was missing here,
a left there. and in some cases perhaps
only a foot was gone.