Evening star., 1917-01-29
Russians Jovial Lot.

Russians Jovial Lot
With Austria's Russian prisoners the
case Is an entirely different one They
are jovial lot and most of them get
along capitally with their Austrian
guards. The Russian is a splendid
fighter. but he is not nearly so success
full twenty-four-hour every
day-tn-the-year hater as the English
man. Frenchman and German. The
austrian, too. an easy-going. synpa-
tnetic creature of moods. makes a most
companionaole jailer, and, as far as
camp discipline permits. the Austrian
ana the Russian take lively, curious
Yellow interest in each other.
One hnds. then. the temper of the
russian prison camp in Austria social
The bulky. good-natured. childlike pris-
oners obey willingly: the guards are
friendly, and the camp commanders are
seneraIiy good fellows. truly solicitous
Tor their charges welfare The Rus
SANS give more trouble than either the
Enghsh or the French in endeavoring
70 break camp and escape back TO the
nome country. but this is because they
are not such philosophical victims of
homeSichneSS as their western allies
When q Russian becomes filled with
thoughts OF the tiny cot-izba-in the
midst OF its lonely steppe, ne becomes
a melancholy genius for deyfsius ways
and means for getting there
Escape in Theatrical Costumes.
A group of Russians broke camp
near Vienna disguised in the costumes
in which they had given several sue
cessful presentations of Russian
play. All of the runaways were later
recaptured- The leading lady. a little,
battle-scarred Russian, with skirts
sadly bedraggled and torn bodice
slashed and ripped by thorns and low
hanging branches, was found by a
farmer. asleep in pine forest, several
weeks after her escape, completely
lost and almost starved. She welcomed
her return to the camp and three GER
tain meals each day.
From another camp near this city
escapes are regularly made. in spite of
all precautions. Most of the escaping
prisoners are recaptured, after days Of
hopeless, hungry wandering. Very
1ew are able to slip through and pass
the well guarded frontiers. The vexed
commandant of this camp, explaining
the reason for running a deep, con-
creted ditch all around the camp out
side of the charged wire barricades,
told story of very clever escape.
Formed a Council.
There are several thousand prisoners
in the camp, mostly Russians. Several
of these prisoners, cronies, ringleaders
in all complaints and bitterly dissatis-
fled with the reduced rations that had
to come with the summer shortages,
formed a council. They made very
careful plans for eluding pursuers and
for passing the frontiers. and, with de-
tails all determined. they set about the
business of getting free from camp.
The realization of their task was no
easy matter in the midst of thousands
of curious friends and hundreds of
watchful guards.
A place was selected along the line
of the barricade, and here, working at
night by turns, they tunneled a way to
liberty. In order to reach the point
chosen for tunneling operations with
out attracting attention, and for the
further purpose of making possible
their escape once safely without the
fences, they stitched an outside cover
ing of green sod upon seven canvas
mats. With the mats fully concealing
them. changing the appearance of the
conspirators into so many hummockS
of grass, they slowly crawled TO work
at night, back and forth from the tun-
mel to the place where they hid the
dirt. The grass mats were carefully
watered each day, kept fresh and
growing.
Start Long Crawl Eastward.