THE SCENE AT KALISZ ON THE 2ND AUGUST, 1914
Had I not been under military escort I could not possibly have got along
any of the roads in the neighbourhood of Ostrovo--all were crowded by
Prussian infantry. I did not see any other branches of the service, but
I understood that the engineers were mining the railway-line, and about
half an hour after we started my friends declared that it would be
hopeless to try to reach Kalisz from the German side. They said they
must leave me, as it was imperative that they should rejoin their
regiments before the hour of parade. A road was pointed out to me as one
that led straight to the frontier, and that frontier I was recommended
to endeavour to cross. The horse was taken away, and, after shaking
hands with the officers and receiving their wishes of good-luck, I
proceeded across the fields on foot.
Pickets of cavalry and infantry were moving about the country, but I
avoided them, and after a two-hours' walk reached the low bank which I
knew marked the frontier-line. It was then after three o'clock, and
daylight was beginning to break. As far as I could see, nobody was
about. Some cows were in the field, and they followed me a short
distance--a worry at the time, as I feared they would attract attention
to my movements.
I jumped over the boundary, and walked in the direction of Kalisz, the
dome and spire and taller buildings of which were now visible some miles
to the northward. The country is very flat here--typical Polish ground,
without trees or bushes or hedges, the fields being generally separated
by ditches. It is a wild and lonely district, and very thinly peopled.
And I do not think there were any Russian troops in the town. If there
were, it must have been a very slender detachment, which fell back at
once; for if any firing had occurred, I must have seen and heard it. Not
a sound of this description reached my ears, but when I reached Kalisz
at 5.30 a.m. it was full of German soldiers, infantry and Uhlans--the
first definite information I had that war was actually declared between
the two countries, and the first intimation I received of how this war
was likely to be conducted, for many of the Germans were mad drunk, and
many more acting like wild beasts.
I passed through crowds of soldiers without being interfered with--a
wonderful circumstance. None of the shops were opened at that early
hour, but the Germans had smashed into some of them, and were helping
themselves to eatables and other things. I saw one unter-officer
cramming watches, rings, and other jewellery into his pockets. He was
quickly joined by other wretches, who cleared the shop in a very few
minutes.
Hardly knowing what to do, but realizing the danger of lurking about
without an apparent object in view, I continued to walk through the
streets in search of the railway-station, or a place where I could rest.
A provost and a party of military policemen were closing the
public-houses by nailing up the doors, and I saw a man only partly
dressed, the proprietor of one of these houses, I supposed, murdered. He
made an excited protest, and a soldier drove his bayonet into the poor
man's chest. He uttered a terrible scream, and was instantly transfixed
by a dozen bayonets. A woman, attracted by the fearful cry, came rushing
out of the house screaming and crying. She had nothing on except a
chemise, and the soldiers treated her with brutal indecency. I was
impelled to interfere for her protection. At that moment an officer came
up, and restored some order amongst the men, striking and pricking
several of them with his sword. He said something to me which I did not
understand, and, receiving no reply, struck me with his fist, and then
arrogantly waved his hand for me to be gone. I had no alternative. I
suppressed my wrath and moved away, but the horrible sight of the
bleeding man and the weeping woman haunted me until I became used to
such sights--and worse.
As I walked through the streets I heard the screams of women and
children on all sides, mingled with the coarse laughter and shouts of
men, which told plainly enough what was taking place, though I could not
understand a word of what was said. I was struck by drunken or excited
soldiers more than once, and kicked, but to retaliate or use the weapon
with which I was armed would, I could perceive, result in my instant
destruction; so I smothered my wrath for the time.
Many women rushed into the streets dressed in their night-clothes only,
some of them stained with blood, as evidence of the ill-usage they had
suffered; and I passed the dead bodies of two men lying in the road, one
of which was that of a youth. These, there can be no doubt, were the
first acts of war on the part of Germany against Russia--the slaughter
of unarmed and defenceless people.
In one of the principal streets I found two hotels or large
public-houses open. They were both full of German officers, some of whom
were drunk. At an upper window one man was being held out by his legs,
while a comrade playfully spanked him, and a wild orgy was going on in
the room behind. Bottles and glasses were thrown into the street, and a
party of German prostitutes vied in bestiality with the men. I saw the
hellish scene. Had I read an account of it, I should at once have
stamped the writer in my heart as a liar. I am not going to dwell on the
filthy horrors of that day. I do little more than hint at what took
place, and only remark that at this hour no act of war, no fair fight or
military operation, had taken place on any of Germany's borders. She
showed the bestiality of the cowardly hyena before a fang had been bared
against her. This was the information I afterwards obtained from Russian
sources. On the morning Kalisz was sacked, not a shot had been fired by
the Russian soldiers.
My needs compelled me to take risks. All the belongings I had with me
were contained in a small bag which I carried in my hand. I had some
German money in my pocket, and a number of English sovereigns. The
remainder of my luggage I had been compelled to leave behind at Ostrovo.
Entering the quietest of the two hotels, I found the proprietor and
several of his servants or members of his family trembling in the
basement. I was stopped at the door by a sentry, but he was a quiet sort
of youth, accepted a few marks, and while he was putting them in his
pouch permitted me to slip into the house.
I have already intimated that I am no linguist. I could not muster a
dozen words of German, and not one of Russian; so, holding the
proprietor to insure his attention (the poor man was almost in a state
of collapse), I made motions that I wished to eat and drink. No doubt
they took me for a German. One of the maids literally rushed to the
cellar, and returned with two large bottles of champagne of the size
which our great-grandfathers, I believe, called "magnums," containing
about two quarts apiece.
But champagne was not what I wanted, so I looked round till I found a
huge teapot. The face of the maid was expressionless, but she was not
lacking in intelligence. The Russians are great tea-drinkers, and I soon
had a good breakfast before me, with plenty of the refreshing beverage.
A Russian breakfast differs much from an English early morning meal, but
on this occasion I contrived to obtain bacon and eggs, which, in spite
of all doctors and economists say to the contrary, is one of the best
foods in existence for travelling or fighting on.
Before I had well finished this meal one of the riotous officers came
downstairs. He made a sudden stop when he saw me, and blinked and winked
like an owl in sunlight, for he had had plenty of liquor. He asked some
question, and as I could not very well sit like a speechless booby, I
replied in my own language.
"Good-morning," rather dryly, I am afraid.
"An English pig!" he exclaimed.
"An Englishman," I corrected.
[At least 50 per cent. of German officers speak English quite fluently,
and an even greater number French, learned in the native countries of
these languages.]
"Bah-a-a-a!" he exclaimed, prolonging the interjection grotesquely. "Do
you know that we have wrecked London, blown your wonderful Tower and
Tower Bridge and your St. Paul's to dust, killed your King, and our
Zeppelins are now wrecking Manchester and Liverpool and your other fine
manufacturing towns?"
"Nonsense!" I said.
"It is true, I assure you," he replied.
The news sent a terrible thrill through my nerves, for I did not yet
know what liars Germans could be, and I did not think a Prussian officer
could stoop to be so mendacious a scoundrel as this fellow proved to be.
"Then there is war between England and Germany?" I asked, wondering at
its sudden outbreak. "When was it declared?"
"It is not declared. We have taken time by the forelock, as you British
say--as we mean to take it with all who dare to oppose us. You are a
stinking Englishman, and I'll have you shot!" he concluded furiously.
Going to the foot of the stairs, he began to call to his companions,
reviling the English, and declaring that there was a spy below. As his
drunken comrades did not hear him or immediately respond, he ascended
the stairs, and I took the opportunity to put down some money for my
breakfast, catch up my bag, and escape from the house.
At the top of the street the road broadened out into a kind of square or
open space, and as I reached this spot a large number of soldiers
brought eight prisoners into the centre of it. Three of them were
dressed in what I took to be the uniforms of Russian officers, three
others were gendarmes or policemen. The other two wore the dress of
civilians. All were very pale and serious-looking, but all were firm
except one of the civilians, who I could see was trembling, while his
knees were shaking so that he could scarcely stand. A German officer of
rank--I believe a Major-General--stood in front of them and interrogated
one of the Russian officers, who looked at him sternly and did not
reply. The German also read something from a paper he held in his hand,
while six men were ranged before each one of the prisoners. I saw what
was about to take place, but before I was prepared for it the German
stood aside and waved his hand. Instantly the firing-parties raised
their rifles and shot down the eight prisoners. They were not all killed
outright. One man rolled about in dreadful agony, two others tried to
rise after falling, and a fourth attempted to run away. A sickening
fusillade ensued; at least a hundred shots were fired before all the
victims lay stark and quiet. Nor were they the only victims. The officer
in charge of the firing-party took no precautions, uttered no warnings,
and several of the spectators were struck by the bullets, while there
was a wild stampede of civilians from the square.
Let it be noted that these ferocious murders took place before a shot
had been fired, so far as I know, between the armed forces of the two
nations.
I never heard who the slain men were, or why they were put to death; but
from what I afterwards read in English newspapers I suppose that the
Mayor of Kalisz was one of them.