Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-10
LUTSK PRESENTS
MARTIAL SCENES
This Quiet Little Russian Town
Has Changed Hands
Four Times.
TROOPS PASS CONSTANTLY
Carloads Of Wounded Soldiers
TROOPS PASS CONSTANTLY
Carloads of Wounded Soldiers
Go Jolting Through the
Crowded Streets.
ny STANLEY wAsHnuuN.

Bh STANLEY WASHBtRN.
LrTSK. September 9-Imagine a
small sluggish stream winding through
a meadow. "urvlnr in a great elbow
round hill on which is pcrchcd n
medieval castle surrounded by a strag-
Cling little Russian town which has
been growing up for 500 years. and
you have picture of LutSk on a
branch limo Of railway, it was before
tn" war as quiet and isolated as though
1t were on IN" banks of the Amur in
far off Siberia
When first knew I.utsk rather moro
than year ago. peasants. when ques-
toned. spoke vaguely of the conflict
as something apart from them. no
doubt much as they did of tho Man
churian campaign twelve years ago.
When next visited the town. the Ger
mans already were driving through
Gaiicia. saw the peasants digging
trenches and laughing as they dug.
for none believed the enemy ever
would reach them. Since those days
the cloud of war has swept over the
western horizon. and Lutsk has
changed hands four times.
Thanks to the courtesy Of genial
and obliGinc commandment we are
given room in hotel in the main
street Everything belongs to the
military now. and when you want
quarters you go TO the commandment
and he allots YOU n vacant place in
which to spend the night. An orderly
reused an ancient man, who. with
sulky footsteps. lighted us along
dusty hall into room with n balcony
facing the great highway
All night long there is the constant
roar Of traffic beneath our window
Again and again we are awakened by
the bra"cn clamor OF military music
crashing out the superb strains OF the
Russian marching songs. as the rcgi-
mental bands. fifty strong. go swing
ing down the street at the head OF the
columns pressing onward to take up
in turn their burden at tho front.
GREAT ARMY SEEN
ADVANCING AFTER VICTORY
As one sat on the road at Novo
Minsk. in Poland. last year. and
watched the Russian army go by in de-
feat. SO now one may sit here and see
the spectacle of great army advanc-
ing after victory. Now. however. II is
TO the crash Of music. while then the
only sound was the shuttle OF weary
feet ploddiag through the dust.
With crcaking limbcrs and jinglir &
chains, with the six sturdy little
horses uecks straining in their collars
the loaded ammunition wagons pass
in columns a mile long. Then for half
an hour one may watch the odds and
ends OF transport. Miles and miles of
peasants carts, bearing food. pro-
vcnder, huge loavcs of bread. are sue
i.I l,,.F
with regImcn;al and staff baggage.
These turn aside to lie, the field tele-
graph column pass. with its innumcr-
able little two-whcelcd carts. loaded
with poles and coils for the communi-
cations.
Perhaps behind them a long column
OF the two-wheclcd. two-horse carts
with small-arm ammunition for the
infantry passes unanimously over the
rough cobbled stones. Huge motor
lorrics filled with petrol demand a way
through the surging crowds. with bel
lowings OF their horns. while motor
cars from The various STATS pass and
repass each otker, more insistcnt still
for the right of way. Interminslcd
with tn" throng are the carriages OF
the town, now Communicated by cf-
fcers who have local business to at
tend TO. Wagons loaded with barbed
wire wound on great spools are con-
spicuons in the procession.
y dozen times day the traffic must
pull aside 10 permit the passage of
troops going TO the front. These come
through battalion after battalion their
cOppcr-tingad faces gray with the fine
white dust of the road. Relow us arc
the quarters of general who has lust
come to this front, and he stands bare
headed on his balcony and calls out
greetings 10 his men as they pass be
meath tho window.
AS FAR AS one can sec both up and
down the street. the surging masses OF
Khaki figures with their fixed bayonets
swing with their long stride. roaring
out their marching songs at the top OF
their lungs. those wonderful songs to
the cadence of which hundreds of
thousands of men have died these past
two years.
The pavements. too. are crowded
with those who have their part in war
Sisters Of Mercy. tired. dirty and COW
cred with dust. lean wcarily against
doorways watching with us their en-
pire in review-for. humbiy speaking.
every quarter of Russia is represented
here
The picture is not complete without
your filing il in with the backwash
from the battle fields. which day by
day is crawling eastward 1t is true
that we rejoice at news of an advance
and cry aloud for offensvcs that the
war may end: but when one knows the
price that 1t costs TO advance, il dimS
the romance of conquest.
CARTLOAD AFTER CARTLOAD
OF WOUNDED SOLDIERS
Here we see the price, hour after
hour. in CARLOAD after CARLOAD
Patient, dirty, accomplishing, they go
joltinR through tic town. those of the
wounded who are we'll enough to
travel at all. Some with bandaged
arms or bullying white-clad feet, sit
with legs hanging over the ends Of
the cart, chatting gayly of the victory.
Others. with bandaged heads, survey
the crowds without enthusiasm or
emotion, while cart after cart creaks
by under the load Of those too badly
wounded to sit up at all.