El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-15
old PRINCE AND
Z NIECES KILLED
Russian Soldiers Brutally
Murder Aged Man and
Beautiful Girls.

London, Eng jan IA graphic
story Of the murder by drunken Rus
sian soldiers Of prince Sangushko.
Polish noble. and Of his two daugh-
tiers. the countesses Rzyszczcwski, is
related by the Petrograd correspond
ent of Lloyd's News.
Before the war the tragedy lately
enacted at Slavuta would have sent
a thrill of horror throughout Europe"
says the correspondent. LAS it IS,
the bare fact that the venerable
prince Sangushko, 80 years old. had
been murdered. has been announced,
but the CHASTITY details Of the crime
have only just been revealed.
The castle of Slavuta, built when
the district of southwestern Russia,
where it stands, belonged to the king
of Poland, lies on the outskirts of
little manufacturing town Of the
same name. Owing to the unsettled
state of the country. which is infested
by deserters from the army, the mill
tary authorities had sent a guard OF
dragons to the castle, which con-
tains priceless historical treasures
accumulated by the Sangushko fam
lily in the course Of the centuries.
Soldier Starts Up War.
zone of these dragons caught
soldier from a neighboring village
cutting down a tree in the forest sur
rounding the castle and tackled him.
The thief was slightly wounded, but
not severely enough TO prevent his
running to the neighboring village,
where his regiment was stationed,
shrieking that the guard at the cas-
tie was trying to murder him. The
soldiers comrades at once seized their
r-ff1nu -rrr-rnwdnd Fnn nEr1n nj
prince Sangushko. They began to
fire, and the dragons on guard re-
turned their fire. All the time the
officers and the members of the regi-
mental committee were appealing to
the insurgeut soldiers TO obey orders
and to cease firing.
Suddenly they gave way, only
stipulating that a deputation from
the regimental committee should
search the castle. as they were con-
WINGED that the old prince had stored
machine guns for use in the cause OF
the counter revolution. OF course.
there were no machine guns, and all
that was found was a few sporting
guns and revolvers.
Just as suddenly as the crowd OF
soldiers. standing in the court yard
Of the castle, had yielded to the ap-
peal Of their officers. came a new
uproar, and. in an instant, they had
overpowered the guard. and rushed
into the castle. Neither threats nor
appeals had the slightest effect on
them They destroyed. in a fit OF
maniacal fury. everything that they
could lay hands on Pictures. furni-
ture. statues. draperies were de-
stroyed blindly. ruthlessly. The ven
cradle Polish magnate and his. two
nieceS. the young and beautiful coun-
tesses Rzyszczcwski, fled to one OF
the atties. hoping that, If their home
was to be ruined, at least their lives
might be saved From early in the
when the marauders began
their attack. until five o'clock in the
the sacking of the castle
went on Then the soldiers retired
TO the court yard
Old Prince BrutaIly Murdered.
What about the PRIMER cried
/" And the lovely countessesr added
another.
Back into the castle rushed a band
Of soldiers, and began to search for
the owner. At last he was found
and dragged into the courtyard among
waiting for their victim. They de-
cided TO take him to the village
where they were stationed. and
the old man along. for he
was too old to walk at the pace they
desired. On the way they finally lost
prince drop half senseless on the
ground and then a score Of men
thrust their bayonets into his body.
SO died prince Sangushko. His muir
derers, like savage beasts tore his
body in pieces.
COuntesses Caught and Murdered.
The fate Of his nieces. the two
Rzyszczcwski, was more
terrible than that OF the prince. They
had managed to escape by a back
way and had got to the market place
Of the town. There they were recog-
nized, and soldiers at once seized
them These two youthful countesses
whose exquisite loneliness had made
them the center Of all eyes in the
salons OF the palaces OF Warsaw and
whose goodness and sweetness had
made, them beloved by the people of
Slavuta, were defended for a time by
the Catholic priest of Slavuta. who
had known them from childhood and
prepared them for first Communion.
But the soldiers refused to be de-
prived Of their victims and showered
blows with the butt ends of their
rifles on the courageous priest, who
fell and was beaten to death. 1t is
perhaps well that the sufferings OF
the two countesses ended in death.
The day ended with the soldiers
running amuk in the town. murder I