Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1917-10-06
The Misery Of The
Lithuanian Refugees

When last summer, the roar OF
cannon was heard on the peaceful
plains of Lithuania, whole nation
forced to abandon it's native soil,
driven away by the retreating Russian
armies, which transformed the whole
country into desert.
The exodus from Lithuania was
much more poignant than that from
Belgium. The Lettish nation, quite
different in language. religion and
customs from those of the Russians
went forth to the interior of Russia,
to seek home in a country which,
politically, was foreign and closed to
it.
Their carts or long trains deposit
ed them, after an interminable jour-
ney, on the platform of distant sta
tions, or in strange faubourg's, where,
surrounded by people whom they could
not understand, they stood frightened
and lost in the midst of an unknown
civilization.
The immense wave of refugees,
forced to leave Lithuania, has mum
dated the whole of Russia, as far as
the Ural Mountains and the small
towns of Siberia. They are to be
counted by millions. Their misery is
without limit. Horrible drama after
drama is being enacted, without words
being able to express the horror or
the existence of these poor people who
have been dragged from their native
soil and "whose lives seem to have no
other object, henceforth, than that of
adding sorrow after sorrow to the
pain which already bears them down"
A group of these refugees are be-
fore US. A child is coughing horribly
in a cart, but the father is occupied
above all with his horse, the
indispensable companion, the Provi-
dence of these unfortunate people.
"He can't go any further, sir, he's
lame," said the man, with anguish in
his voice, whilst pointing to the ami
mails bleeding hoof. Come now, what
is to become of u.s."
There were three in thee cart:
father, mother and child.
1--WE were four, but one Of our
little ones died, a fortnight on Thurs
day"
the peasant woman with sob in her
voice.
"Our strength is going" added the
man. "We've been on the road like
this for seven weeks. Won't they
take US on the railway? The little one
is ill and the horse can no longer
stand. Seven weeks!"
"Where can we stop" continued
the mans companion. "Will it take
long, sir, to reach our destination 2"
There is an OLD man with the head
of patriarch.
"Ts the Government of Smolensk
still far off ?" he asks.
When told that he has as much
ground to cover as he has covered al
ready, smile appears on his lips and
his eyes brighten. "My son." he ex-
plains, lives IN The Government yoa
Smolensk."
And after deep breath he sets .off
again in the mud, rejuvenated. He is
happy now, happier than the others
He has an object in view, which makes
him impatient and carries him ahead
of the caravan. "To the Government
of Smolensk." This administrative
subdivision, as large as three French
Departments, appears to him to be
within arms reach, behind the cur
tain of mist on the horizon. He
knows that, on presenting to the first
conner the little square paper which
he presses to his breast and on which,
in a large clumsy handwriting, are in
dicated the names OF the District and
the village where his son is living,
he will find a roof under which to die
in the midst of his own people. His
aged limbs bear him like wings to-
ward that promised land which the
others know not-nomads as they are.
wandering along the roads, like bands
of Lzigans, without knowing whittier
Fate is leading them.
The "Russkoie. Slovo" reports the
impressions of an officer attached to
a sanitary formation. They form a
poignant picture.
E, Zone day the ambulance was near
to heavy battery. The guns, skill
fully masked, were hidden in pine
wood, some two hundred feet from
the roadway.
"The refugees had established their
encampment nearby. In the presence
of the sufferings of these peaceful de-
fenceless folk, ruined by the war,
crushed by poverty, all the terrors
of the retreat dwindled into insight
ficance.
"Lithuanians, Jews, Poles, all were
equally pitiable. They wandered about
aimlessly; deprived of everything,
they crouched near us; counting sole
ly on the charity of the soldiers, who
divided the remains of their rations
with them.
"There was crowd in front of a
building, over which flew the Red
Cross flag; these were refugees i'm
ploring help.
ga little girl of four was there with
broken arms. She fell from the cart
under dray,' explained the mother.
"Some were demanding bread; 9TH
ers were begging to be taken to the
nearest railway station in order to
give them the chance of leaving for
Russia
"a little girl of fifteen, who had
become the head of the family, relat-
ed her lamentable story. Father was
modified. We remained at home
but when the Germans drew near
to Brest-L itovosk, we were forced to