Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-26
WITHIN THE IRON RING---IX
by FREDERIC ). IIASiiIN

VIENNA. November .1--peopie take.
the reverscs of fate more lightly in
lhe east than they do in the west.
Thus. among the prisoners In the Aus
TRAN camps. one finds Il ducil. t.hcc-.
iuinesS OF spirit that tx luckiu. among
me prisoners In Germun camps Thu,
rhSi*hihah never quite gets over his
rcpugnnncc to taking orders from ms.
enemy While SELDOM IL surly prisoner.
he is. nevertheless. nluor reserved .,
part he obcys orders punctiliouSly. AN,
conducts himself. as nearly as DossIbIc
as though utterly obIivious of his oar.
tors existence. The Frcuchmuu. on ,hs
other hand persists IN a polite. COM
municativc. jaunty hatred OF his foe
men.
With AuStria'S Russian prisoner,
the cuSc Is an entirely different one.
iheE are jovihl lot. and most OF them
get along capitally with their Aus
trian guards. The Russian is II spicn-
did Fighter. but he is not nearly so
successful twenty-four-h our-a- da y
every day in-thc-yca hatcr as the
EnsliShman. Ercnchnan and German
ia" Austrian, too. an easy poin.
sympathctic creature Of moods makes
u most companionablc jailcr: and. as
Tar as camp discipline permits the
Austrian ana the Russian take II Lively
curious llow-intcrest in one another
one iinds then. the temper of tho
RUSSIAN prison camp IN Austria Soci,i.
me bulky. sood-naturcd. child-liils
prisoners obey willingly: the guards
are friendly. and tho camp commanders
gre generally good fellows. truly 50,
hIlt"uS for their charges welfare
the russians give more trouble than
oiiiI"r the English or the French III
oHdcaNoriiis to break rutnn and cscnpc
""ch 10 inc nome country. but this Is
"et"nst inry are not such philosophical
victims "f l"nesicknesS as their west
orn allies. When "A Russian becomes
hil"d with thoughts of the tiny cot
.HDh liz the mids; OF its lonely stcppc
u" becomes melancholy genius for
""NiSinG WAYS and means for getting
there
group OF Russians broke camp near
Ichna disguised IN the costumes in
winch they had given several SUCCESS
iWt presentations of Russian plaV All
OF III" Iunaways were later rccapturcd
Tn" leading lady, a little batrlc-scar-
i'd RUSSIAN. with skirts sadly bcdraE-
= 'ch and torn. bodice slashed and rip
r'd by thorns aud exchanging
branches. was found by farmer asleep
ia - pine forest several weeks after
her escape. completely lost ana almost
starved. Sh" welcomed her return to
ib" Cirnr and three certain meals each
Escapes Frequently sre Mndc.
from another camp near tins city,
ESCAPES arc regularly made. in spite Of
all precautions. Most Of tho escaping
prisoner. arc rccap,urcd. after days Of
hopeless. hungry wandering Very fcw
are abb" to slip through and pass the
" guarded frontiers. iii" V"Ncl
commandment OF this camp explaining
III" tcasou 10, running a deep, con
'rctc'l ditch All around The CAMP out
'd" "f tho charged wire barricadcS
nj . 4 4 sl.
There are several Thousand prisoners
IN The camp. mostly Russians. seven
Of these prisoners. croni.s. ring lead
crS 40 all compla uts. and bitterly dis
satisfied with The reduced ratious that
nae IL come with the summer short
ages formed :, council. Thcy made
very careful plans for Guiding pursUcrs.
and tor passing III" frontier. and, win
"details all determined. they Sot about
ia" business 81 getting fire" from camp
The realization Of their task was no
cas-! natter ia the midst Of thousands
"i cuvipu, friends and hundr eds OF
HL;caful guards.
= place was selected along tho line
4 IL" Darricade, and here. working at
nigh. 10y Turns, they tUnuclcd Nay To-
liberty In order 10 reach the point
chosen for tunr.line operations with
cut attracting attention, and Tor tho
further purpose of making possible
fences. they stitched. en- outside Gov
.riuG OF green sod upon seven canvas
mats With tho mats fully ccncealjn.
them. changing She appearance OF the
cons iIators into so many hummocks
Of grass. they slowly crawlcd To work
at night. back and forth from the tun-
!cl 10 ,hc pia"" whcr" they hid the
dirt The grass mats were carefully
vatcrcd each day kept fresh and grow
inG.
started Their Long crawl.
once outside the camp, the s.Tcu
grass mats started upon Their long
crawl toward the east .Ns soon AS
ia. sun rose, the dcwy mats lay mo-
tionl-.s IA his rays. sp!otclcs - yer
,aui vegetation adding their mite TO
the beauties OF Whatever country
side they happened to be iil in Tho
night. the mats uudulatcd painfully
forward, o.. tluus lonely road. dan
:.lcd from the broad shoulders of their
motive powers When the prisoners
were hnali! caught several weeks af-
Ter their escape, the insep;,rablc mats
fourishcd in all their pristine green
and freshness. bat they themselves
were almost starved.
The irksome restraint and routine
OF life III the ur!som camps is lightly
borne bN tic Russians The Slav is