THE HEEL OF THE HUN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3056, 18 April 1917, Page 8

THE HEEL OF THE HUN

TERRORISM IN WARSAW "In Poland": there is- a-regime of? misery which no civilised people would dare to impose upon . its. worst criminals." Thus stated a Pole who arrived in Holland from Warsaw in tha course of. a description of the life in that city under German military'domination, published in the; Amster.dan( "Telegraaf." "The Germans," ha says, "have installed themselves in the great Polish city, as if 'they.,were at; home. For some time past there has been a resumption of business in, the city, (especially in certain Jewish, quarters, v notably Nalewki, j • Gesia, and Bielanska streets. The principal business houses vln the centre of' tha city, 1 in the suburb of Cracow audi Mai-szalkowska Street, are kept by; Germans. All industry in the country is dead. The factories are closed, and the machinery, of the greater part; of the'm has" been taken down and sent) to Germany. .The German authorities have removed the bells from tha Orthodox churches, and also from certain Boman Catholic churches. A deputation of the priests one day waited on the Government, begginj!' it to" spare the ancient bells, which" were precious souvenirs to which/ the population was greatly attached. ;> Tlie deputation was received by a high official of the Government,- who .prishi*ed it entire satisfaction. The 1 deputation was greatly surprised to receive soma time afterwards a parcel containing tha photograph of'the bells, which'had disappeared; and a letter from 'the official, in which lie said tnat this'was/'at'the moment all that he could do for the church.

.-.'Attempts have been made to seduce us by fallacious promises to enrol in the German armies and factories. Tory, few have been taken in by these efforts, : and those who accepted the German offers have only regretted it.:' At Warsaw about 1400 volunteers •responded to the German appeal. That was 'nil. ~ I learn from a good source that tha German Government cortemplatesseiiding the Piusso-Polish prisoners back to Poland on the condition tljat'they will enlist in the Polish Legion!,''The'Germans are also employing, propaganda ist agents, for the Legion. . Thej ara Poles from Poseh, with: a strong German accent.' The population laugh's in their faces. The Polska' Partja Socialistyczna (Socialist party of the country),'; which was lately invited by <$ha German Socialists to a congress, was averse to an actual meeting with the Social Democrats of the Central Pow- . ers and from any-attempt at rapproche-. nient, holding that first and foremost the three Polands must be reunited. _ The suspicion of the Labour Party is justified by the mass deportations of workers from Poland, hundreds'of thousand's .oh whom are condemned to hard labour without trial. At 'Pragaj tho largest suburb of-"Warsaw, the Polish labourers have refused to work for the German military authorities and have been punished severely.)'' The Germans are accustomed to placard lying bills in all .parts of the towns announcing imaginary successes in a pompous '. style. A group of students-wero passing before a bill when they stopped ''ami made fun of it.' .They were all arrested. All the material for industry, the copper, the factory, machinery, the • <rynamos,' the motor parte, the cotton, and the wool have been confiscated by the invader. In a certain number of large factories and warehouses only the four walls remain. The Kommari'dantur requisitions everything, even .to clothing and the shop carpets. Provisions are ! becoming constantly scarcer, and the poorest part of the population at AVolahas begun to kill dogs for food. "More crashing and agonising than this increasing famine, however; is the moral oppression, the menace .of which is over the country. TheVCourts of Blood' perform their work without cessation. Firing partieo are .always' at work In the' neighbourhood of Pilawa absolutely' innocent people Jave been shot. Search is made continually in private houses to discover a trace ot connection with 'the .enemies -meaning .the Allies: A month's imprisonment has been inflicted.on a man who pretended to stop.his ears during the Using of the German fifers. - and a Similar, sentence for not saluting their flag Lamentable and heartrending scenes' which leave behind them in the innermost being a hatred which nothing can uproot are to he seen, everywhere." ;,...' i . ■■."..-.■-'