The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-19
POLISH CAPT|VES
READY FOR DEATH
Ready for Any Fate Rather
Than Have Freedom Of
Motherland Battered.
APPEAL TO COUNTRYMEN
Officers and Soldiers Under
Austrian Courtmartial De
clare Their Course De-
liberately Chosen.

! Washington. Aug 1S-Chooslng
! death IN preference 10 life at the eX-
] pense of weakened Polish independ-
ence, ia Polish soldiers and officers
/ who participated In the armed revolt
| against Austria an February. and who
are now beng court- HdrtlaIed at Mar
marosz- S4.get. nuuss-fy, have ISSUED
an appeal 10 all Po4es. They fear lest
Polish freedom be bartered In the
Austrian parliament for their lives.
1t Is. therefore, they write, I'm
our name and that OF our soldiers
that We plead aTdently with the Polish
nation, N hIch has surrounded us with
such mora! comfort. TO take fun cog
nlZance OF our works and desist from
exercising amy influence III our case
Austr.a- Ii they make any attempt
to secure concessions for us. it wall
be contrary to our wishes. for We
know that such concessions can be
had only by pledges. compromises
and commitments which will make TO
the detrlment of the Polish nation and
the lessenIng of the strength of the
battle for Polish freedom and indie
pendence.
Planning Mobilization.
The group, e4gaty eight officers and
twenty-slx privates, are part of the
Polish Carpys, HAN iron brigade which
followed the leadership OF General
Halter from Bukowina TO Bessarabia,
most of whfoh was iaser consolidated
with The Czesho=SioNia army Gem
erai Halter is now in Paris planning
the mobilization of all Polish troops
in Russia to serve with the allied
armies there.
The appeal Of the imprisoned Poles
has been receiver at the headquarters
~ has
A memorial to the Polish Parliament
tary club in Vienna says, In part
For four years, against dlsappoint-
ments and discouragements and amid
treacherous friendships we stood un-
faiterlngly. hoping 10 achieve the
freedom Of our motherland, and to
that end We were willing TO make any
and all sacrifices. Again and again
our hearts were tried by the moves
Of those who claimed TO he our
friends. but We have persisted
The t1nai Blow.
The Brest Litovsk peace pact,
which aimed to separate from our
motheriand territory won through
ages, of Hartyrdom and held by ties
OF blood tthe government of Cholm.
in Poland, which Austria agreed TO
give to the Ckraine). was. however. a
vital thrust and final blow to the
remainder of our already tried SOL
dierly faith and hope
1t was this pact which convinced
us that II was Impossible longer for
us In continue within the Austrian
army, and, strictly IN accordance with
the requirements of a soldiers honor
we decided to continue the battle for
our netherlands freedom. but under
"a different arrangement OF our
strength.
our decision was the result of deep
reconciliation. No one depended
upon pardon, nor did anyone in
tend to plead for forbearance or for
gtveness in the event OF defeat AS
Polish nationaiists, our move was a
deliberate demonstration in protest
against an outrage We elected to
become formal partners in the general
Polish manifestation. AS men expert
enced In warfare and its usages, we
selected portion OF the national bat
tie line which belonged to u.s.