Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-07-02
]. F. Habrich'S Parents
Arrive from Croatia
PRIVATIONS AND HARDSHlPS OF
WAR TIME ALMOST
UNBELIEVABLE

My parents, Joseph and MarlaJa Han
rich came from Jugo-Slavia, near
Fiume, where the Italian poet, DAN
nun2o, held great power during the
World War. They tell pitiful experience
es OF themselves and all of the rsi-
dents during that time, many of them,
that We in America can scarcely be-
lieve to have been possible. The home
of our family was on the Island of
Veglia, comprising about one hundred
square miles and with population of
about $4,000 people. During the war
this Island was entirely cut off from
the mainland and no steamships or
boats were travelling between the Is
land and the mainland ports.
Myself and younger brother, Peter,
were the only sons of my parents In
that country it costs a great deal of
money to properly educate children
and as my parents were unable to
send him to college, it fell to me after
coming to the United States to supply
the means for him to secure an educa
ton. He graduated from the academy
which is similar to our Universities,
in July, 1915 and was called into mill
tary service two weeks later and was
killed in September of that year. 1t
seems that the Austrian government
for some reason placed all of their
best educated men in the army as
fast as possible, where the majority
were killed and as result, there is
a great scarcity of teachers who are
brothers death was a great shock to
my father and mother and made worse
by the fact of not being able to COM
municate with me for five years.
All men between the ages of eigh-
teen and fifty years were called to war
even the feeble-minded were taken in
to the army and used as kitchen help.
The children, old folks and women
were the only ones left at home.
When the food supply first gave out
they would for a time exchange with
each other, but later when everything
was gone, every woman and child
carried a knife and would cut and
eat green plants to satisfy their hun
ger For several years no mail or food
was received on the island. Some
times the people would go with boats
to the main shore when the guards
were not watching and go thirty and
forty miles inland trying to find corn
and other kinds of food. When they
succeeded they could only carry three
or four pounds at time. The govern
ment was very desperate and took
nearly everything away from the PEG
pie First the young men, then all the
money and finally, the cooking uten
We're made of copper, brass and other
meeNls and these wers taken and used
| for making guns and bullets. Even
clothing was taken My father tells
me that olNee he was obliged to dig
a large hole ~ the basement of Their
house and put I. cir clothes in a large
wine barrel and cINered it with eartf
to save it. In some INSTANCES, the
wool was taken from thu Med mattress
Everything was taken. from the
churches, there are two CHI Sehes il
the village they came from anl<the!
say neither of them has bell left va
can be used The Italian soldiers wer,
guarding the country and terrorizet
the people terribly They would g
to the houses and eat whatever the,
could find and if they found liquo
frequently became cruel and insolent
My mother says that one of her wors
experiences when the soldiers threw
bomb near the house which was
three story stone one and everyon
expected the building would be demo
ished. However, it was only slightl
damaged.
There was not a single soldier VIII
returned in perfect health, some wer
shell shocked or paralyzed, but al
had been hurt more or less, many O
them in sucn a bad condition tina