Daily British Whig (1850), 19 Jun 1915, p. 16

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Cossacks Dash Into Battle | Like a Veritable Whirlwind _ Correspondent Was Thrilled at Sight of Magnificent Body of Horsemen Charging the Austrians--Not a Waver in Ranks as Machine Guns Opened Fire Mr. D. Thomas Curtin describes be- low how he watched by the side of a Cossack chief the failure of the huge Austrian advance from Czern- ovitz against the small Russian forces which had just withdrawn from that corner of Austria near the Ruman: fan border. Mr. Curtin states that the 'Russians loft behind not so much as a wounded man or a rifle. The artillery, with caissons of am- munition, rattled over the road, while Cossacks dashed beside to lash the horses up the hill towards Sada- gora. The infantry was coming up, choking the road as far as one could see. The first battalion stepped smartly to the fray. A fleld priest clad in rich robes of satin and velvet rode in majesty on his coal-black steed. And then, »'riding along beside those big men was a mite of a boy who could hardly be 13, and who wore a complete uniform. Lengthening his stride to keep pace with the men, and with head erect and eyes that never swerved, he swung along in measur ed tread, the ambodiment of martial pride. Rough stretéhers and a bat tered Red Cross wagon bore testi Wohy of the grim work about to be gin. In a fleld directly opposite a bat. talion was still waiting for orders. It had been there since early morning, 'and had evidently marched during the night, for the men lay stretched out fast asleep. The call to assem- ble brought them to their feet, and the companies formed before one could realize that the men had been awakened, They moved across the field and hit the highway in column of fours, an old veteran with a medal of 1004 blowing lustily into a mouth- organ while the dull brown column went into battle to the strains of some soldier song. At last I succeeded in reaching the top of the highway hill, from where 1 could watch the shrapnel bursting in the valleys. The Austrians who had crossed, numbering 3,000 men, 1 was. told, were battered back across the pontoon bridge, to which a body of Russian Infantry advanced along the open road, "This division could have been wiped out while advanc- ing," an officer told me later, "if the Austrian artillery had only devoted its attention to it instead of trying to find ours." Preparing for Stand A clatter of hoofs coming up the kill caused me to turn to see a troop of Caossac their lance-tips glint. ing in the dassling sun, a red-legged Hussar at thelr head. "Stay right here," he exclaimed, "if you wish to Vast Store Frederic Harrison, the veteran writer and philosopher, believes that _ in Constantinople treasures of the past will be brought to light whose very existence ir at present unknown. The treasures which he and others believe to be stored away in the Turkish capital were seized by the Turks when they captured the city from the 'under Constantine XL cn May 38, 1453. At that time Congtan was the very centre of tha cultivation of the world. It is true that to a certain extent tall | ©Xplored is the i: £5 shi SEE pri Hi i : see the big excitement. We are go ing to set up a machine-gun by this building; the Austrians know that our main force has gone back to Sad- agora. It {s of vital necessity that we prevent them from croseing."" We took up our position near the partly-completed building, which looked like a blockhouse, The Cos: sacks gathered fondly about their new pet, captured from the Aus- trians, and belted it for action. "We will not fire until they cross," said the chef. "If the enemy throw a bridge and attack in force he can wedge us in from two sides, If we can forestall this by bluffing until our reserve infantry come up from Novosielica we can save the day. Now you will see what my Cossacks can do!" A whirlwind of cavalry was launch- ed from the base of the"hill across the plain towards the river. A rattle of Austrian rifies from the opposite bank, but not a horse swerved, not a rider fell. When near the bank the avalanche broke up into flying frag- ments, which whirled in every direc- tion in wild confusion. Erect in their saddles, to which .they stuck as it glued, the Cossacks blazed away like the American Indian of pioneer days. Magnificent Soldiers On the mound by the machine gun stood the Cossack chief, gazing down in' admiration upon his men. "Are they not magnificent--admirable? Bee how motionless they sit there watch- ing to pick off any enemy who may appear. My men form a picked regi- ment, choseh from everywhere. They are the greatest Cossacks of the world!" 1 was thrilled by the scenes of this wild Eastern warfare of the old type. Not a motorcar or a motorcycle; every offi e a horse. TH en RE behind the hills when a great body of cavalry was Seen approaching along the highway from Novoslelica. Even in the dis- tance they did not appear quite like any Cossacks I had ever seen. Every papakha was jet black, and every flowing robe was of carmine, faintly streaked with white. The handles of their deadly yataghans were all of ivory and bone, while that of their leader was inlaid with precious stones. Not the faintest flicker of change in the broad Mangolian features of these proud fighting men as they passed by on their superb black chargers; not a 'lip seemed to move as they chanted some soft, weird melody of a faroff Eastern land. They were the Tartar Cossacks whose coming had been so long expected. "The Austrians have lost their op- portunity," the chief cried joyfully, as ! s of Treasure : Hidden in Constantinople he sat down to eat that night. of the London Times, was given mere glimpse at some of the h vaults under the Mosque of St. covered with the dust of centuries, He was not permitted by the Turks to make a close examination, but he was convinced that he was in the presence of wonderful treasures. In 1907 Prof. Helberg, of Copen- hagen, come across a' manuscript written by Archimedes In A.D. 900. He was permitted to copy this hy the Turks, but they would not let him take away the manuseript. Among the buildings in Constantinople that Frederic Harrison wants believes that it will be found to Greek, | water lies at a reasonable depth--in 'teet. Suitable driiking water is of vital { importance to an army, and this is | only one 'of a multitude of problems | that must be studied carefully by those who conduct a succesaful .am- paign. The water of a camp is a matter of great importance. Only | running water is used. Ly | In the German army the upstream | water is ased for drinking purposes | and the downstream water for water-| ing horses and for bathing. Suitable "signs notify the men which water Is] safe to drink and which may be uscd | only for bathing. In shallow er nar- row streams basins are dug, or small] dams built so as to form a reservoir, of ample dimensions. Stepping-stones are provided to] keep the water clean, as well as board | protection to prevent the banks from | crumbling. Basins are dug for water- ing horses; troughs are provided only in cise of necessity and are then propped on posts and fille¢ by means of pumps. Pipes may be driven if | ARMY CAMP WATER other words, not more than twenty Depending upon their size, these pipes will deliver from four to twenty-two gallons ~ of water per minute. It water lies very ear the surface, 8 hole is dug and a cask, the bottom of which has been knocked out, Is placed in the hole to form a basin. It the water lies at a greater depth the basin may be formed of box sec- tions driven in one on top of the other. . GALLANT FRENCH BOY One Lad of Eleven Years Wanted to Avenge His Cousins Wound How keen the boys of France are to join in the war is shown by the letfers which they send to the mili- tary authorities begging for permis- sion to go to the front. The latest would-be warrior is Andre Plervot, who hae attained the age of 11. He wrote to General Plagnol, command: ing the. 31st District, informing him that ever since the war began he has wanted to enlist. Realining that his age precluded him from offering' him- self as a volunteer, he begged to be accepted as a soldier's boy in the {8erved. The lad added that he had | The general was requested to send thoroughly Imperial Seraglio. He |" regiment in which his father had & cousin, Lucien Menzel, who was a leutenant and had been wounded by the Germans. He wanted to avenge his cousin, "My mind is fully made up," he concluded. "Since the be ginning 'of the war | have learned to shoot, and I promise you that my shots will not fail" his reply addressed to Andre Pierrot, care of Mme. Pierrot (the. boy's dmother) at Thivet. Genera! ol replied that the boy's letter had. greatly touched him. "You are only eleven years of age. You are Quite small; nevertheless your heart is in the right place. Continue to assist your grandmother. Your pre sent sentiments are a guarattee that {later on you will be a valiant soldier 'and a good citizen. I press your little hand affectionately." ---------- Preserving Soldiers' Graves ' When after the battle of the Marne the fields und forests were filled with dead heroes. thousands of willing hands, young or old, dug graves on which 'girls and women planted little wooden crosses with the name of the fallen soldier in ink or pencil. As thers was danger that agricultural iaber should destroy these graves and the weather efface the inscriptions, the municipal and village authorities everywhere have issued instructions that all these craves are to be left intact and suitable measures taken to preserve the inscriptions. School chil Members of a Highland regiment ip the neighborhood of Ypres bathing their tired feet in a "Jack Johnson" hole filled w.th rain water AAA ~~ a A Patriotic Convicts Work On War Supplies Glad to be of Service in Supplying What Articles They Caa-- Idleness in Prison Now Non-eistent Patriotism in prison sounds a para- dox, but. that it is to be found there. in no small degree, is testified from many quarters and is recorded of- ficially in many reports which have been received at the British Home Office, Far away from the *ush and bustle of life, with little or no knowledge of what is happening in the ou e world, the criminal, paying the pen- alty for his crime, might be thought to be the one person in the world not affected by the horrors and excite ment of war or by the call to the nation to face the crisis with a spirit of heroism. He has his bodily wants attended to, his regular routine to perform, and anybody who isacquaint- ed with prison life knows that in the vast majority of cases the chief com- plaint of ihe authorities is of the deliberate idleness of prigopers. But since the war started all that has been changed The prisoners are keenly interested in the war and are allowed to hear once a week, usually from the chaplain after morning ser- vice on Sunday, some account of what is being done by the navy and army, in which many of them have relations fighting for their country. The work in British prisons is al- most entirely confined to the manu- facture of articles. for Government Departments. The labor conditions, and the opposition "which would in- evitably arise, make it impossible to engage upon work which d@ompetes with: the occupation of the working classes outside. Since the war began' the work of the prisoners has been devoted very largely to the manufac ture of articles required for the navy and the army, and there the patriot: ism of the convicts has found an out- let. ldleness has almost completely disappeared. The men and women in the prisons have worked harder than they have ever done before and they have done so with the greatest good will. The output during the normal hours of labor has increased enormously, and the convicts in some of the prisons have even volunteered to work overtime. They have been engaged upon all kinds of easy work, making coalsacks for the navy, kit bags for the army, and various other articled "of the kind, and they have done it willingly and well. ~~ Fhe pathos of it has appealed to Government officials, who are not really so hard-hearted as many people. are inclined to believe. Mr. G. Mor: gan, the British Controller of the Post Office. Stores Department, has stated that "the work of providing a sufficiency of, suitable recéptacles this year for the parcels and malls for our gallant soldiers in the Ex: peditionary Force has led to the pur chase 'of a large nymber of special bags, many thousands of which had to be produced at stort notice. It is here that the value of organized prison labor is illustrated. But for the fact that the Heme Office had an abundant reserve of prisoners to make these bags, their supply at ths time they were required would have presented a very ugly problem, and there 1s surely pathos in the fact that the unfortunate fellows for whom this employment had to be found worked with undisguised enthusiasm when informed of the destined object of 'their labor." x2 The daily average number of per sons in the prisons is about 35,000, and it is hoped that the improvement which has been shown with regard to'work will help them when they. are discharged. ' INSULT AFTER INJURY Belgians Were Told Their Country Was at Peace--Funds Taken From Paris comes the story of how General von Bissing, who was made military dictator of Belgium by the Kaiser, deprived the - Belgian 'Ri Cross of its funds, which he ordered should no longer be used to nasist wounded Belgian soldiers: back to health. The governor did not set out on a dark night armed with a jimmy and flashlight and the other para phernalia of the ordingry cracksman to burst open the safe of the socigly, but adopted a less risky and more efficient way. The Belgian Red Cross Society was founded in 1892 and its by-la that in time of war it must dey all its funds to assist wounded Bel glan soldiers and must in every way co-operate with tha Belgian military authorities. Its charter would be forfeited if the funds were used for any other purpose. Governor von Bissing sent a letter to the administrative committee of the Red Cross Society in which he announced that as was oc cupiéd by German L. was In i a state of peace, and ¢ the society, according to its a must not use its funds on wounded Belgian soldiers, but must Use th as he saw' fit. Imm ely wards he ordered the sogiety to t over its money ed | der of Leopold. This is the highest til i i THE ITALIAN MONARCH NO PLEASURE SEEKER FINDING THE RANGE || rr ------ A remarkable story of a French | artillery officer whose bravery aad | resource saved the force unger his command comes from porthern | France. He was in charge of a bat! tery of the famous 16's. The enemy | and subjected bardment. that the French position became un: tenable. The French y trary, had been' unable to £nj the range of th» cnemy"s fans, 24d the them to rever bom- | to a more sheltercd position. moment one of the Geriaan shells fell in {ront, of the latteiy. not explode, "and (he lieutenant a | chorge, ordering his men not to move, ; under a hail of fire con cxamined the chell. It was set lo <xplcdg at 5,60) metres. Returning te his battery ho! arder-d the men to fire &: a rang: of | 6,000 metres, and in a short time the enemy's guns were reduced to silence GIRL'S HEROIC WORK Titled Young Wo. an Drives Right to Firing Line to get Wounded Men "Her work In tending the Beiglan of the whole Belgian army," sald an Englisly officer of Lady D.rothie Feild ing, the pretty youn; daughter of the Earl of Denbigh, to whose unselfish bravery \heroes themselves pay trid othie is attached {oan ambulance party in Belgium, whose of driving molor<cars in- journeys have to be made sfong narrow roads rendered veritable death-traps by gating cavi- ties torn in the suriace by shells. On occasions pieces of metal discharged by projectilesibursting overhead have smashed the woodwork of Lady Doro: thies 'car, and once whilst she was driving in pitch-darkness her vehicle crashed into a hole as big as a foom, and forty soldiers were required to lft it out. The Belgian . soldiers worship the young English aristocrat, who for their sakes has set a.lde the comforts of a ducal home to face the dangers of the baiilefleld, and King Albert exressad the gratitude nf his coulL'rymen by decorating Lady Dorothie with the Or military decoration in Belgium, Lady Dorothie's "five o'clock teas" among the ruins of Pervyse have be- come famous, and the Belgian officers greatly appreciate this little touch of clvilization amidst the ravages of war. e holds her receptions within range of\the enemys' artillery nearly every dal, for her ladyship possesses aston- ishing nerves, and her coolness seldom deserts her. As is well known, the Germans have little respect for the sign of the Red Cross, and when mak- ing their way to and from the trenches the. motor ambulances are subected to heavy shell fire, whilst at times Taubes endeavor to annihilate the ve: hicles and {neir occupasts with bomb. Yet for months Lady Dorothie has withstsod this terrible nerve strain. though dail she movep amidst tie and frequcntly ably has the fighting blood of her ath. or in her veins. Lieut.Colonel the Earl of Denbigh is a seasoned soldier, who served in the Egyptian campaign and fr Indla, and is commanding the Honorable Artillery Company. Spraying Liquid Fire The liquid fire used by the Huns has 'been chiefly employed to repel the attacks on their trenches. really burning petrol or oil, contain. ; frag oh g ~~ 8 if i P : & : i i . i i ft ty it g2¢ of i | | i | i £ : : found the range of the Freach guns! The fire was fo gecurate | House of Savoy = was crder was g.ven to withdraw the 8. ns | At that! where in the world. It did | wounded has wcn for her th2 affecijon | Victor Emmanuel Has Always ~Takes » Serious View of His Responnibility as Ruler--Very Popular With His People. The action of King Victor Em. manuel of Italy in deciding to share his soldlers':Fardships when his coun- try plunged into the war was received with the wildest enthusiasm and the never more The King is a | gallunt horseman and this is a source of gratification to the allan, for their cavalry is cot surpzssed any- In person King Emmanuel {8 thoroughly Italian. His shorty, powerful figure, swoeping moustachios and cast of | popular than to-day. cn the con: { Victor calmly walked out in {rput of the line | countenance are of a general type often observed throughout Italy: He {is fairer. however, than most of his peonle, however, and blue-eyed. "Certainl, King Victor Emmanuel is the right man in the right place-- the King Italy needs in this supreme | moment," said the poet Gabriele | 4' Annunzio after an {interview with { the monarch. "It woud be impos: | sible to Imagire a better informed | mun," he continued. "On hearing him | tpeak one might almost receive the impressien at one moment that he was in Paris conversing with a states. man thoroughly conversant with the | subject from the French viewpoint; at others, in Deriin, talking with a Minister of the German Emperor, or in' London, in Vienna or Petrograd. Tte Balkans and- Eastern Mediter ranean are so familiar to him that he might have lived tnere all his life, HI8 lucidity of mind is astounding, and only surpassed by "us unpreten. tious manser, which puts one com pletely at ease.™ <- When the Kirg was a child he suf. fered so badiy from rickets that he could not wa!k rvpstairs and had to be cartied. I' rely has a sicklier bert placed him vnder a stern milk tary tutor, Colonel Osfo, who put the little prince through a most rigorous course. He slept always in a cold room and took a cold bath at day. Preak. Then came a frugal break. fast. Lessons followed, with special cmphasis on those he disliked most. Before the morning was over the prince was in the sadilo, No matter how bad the weather, he rode daily, Often he returned to the palace soak. ed to the skin from a violent rain. storm. He disliked music, no pre. dilection which he retains. When he was ten yeas old he remarked to his plano teacher, BSignora Cerasoll: "Don't you think that twenty trum. pets are more effective than that plano of yours?" In his »rilitary. studies he made rapid progress. He submitted to all Colonel Osio's harshasss without a murmur. He often Telates as one of the pleasantest memories of his life, his impressions when King Humbert first entrusted to him the command of a company of foot, at the annual review of the Roman garrison. "The excitement interfered so greatly with my power of sight," he once sald, "that the only people I recogiized in the cheering crowd were my dent! and my professor of mathematics." Then a few years later he received the command of the army corps at Naples. Frivolous and light headed Neapolitan cocicty looked forward to 8 worldly-minded prince and rejoice. "|ed; but it soon discovered its mis. take. The Prince, scorning pleasurs, devoted himself exclusively to his profession nd left his barrdcks aly to go straight back to the Capodi- monte Palace, where he spent his gpare time in perf himself in the study of military' tactics. Then on July 29, 1900, his father was asas- sinated at Monza I- the anarchist 'Bresci. The son stepped into the gap immediately. inis- ter The King and Queen lead a very simple and informal life for the most 2 £ 4 | crown prince buca geen. King Hum. \

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