I shall now give more details of the German attack, which came so near to success. On October 9 the invaders were at Grojec, and from that point they pushed forward with terrific energy and marvellous speed. On Sunday, October 11, they were only eight miles to the south of Warsaw city. Their approach was quite unexpected. No scouting was done at all in that direction and when refugees in carts began to pour into the city with news that the Prussians were within eight miles of the capital, General Sheidemann, the Russi: commander, could hardly believe his ears. In fact the news gave him a shock from which he hardly recovered yet, though he has now been relieved of his command. His offence was, of course, his failure to ascertain the existence of Von Morgen's army until it was on the outskirts of Warsaw; and a worse offence in a military commander it would be difficult to imagine. In mitigation of this offence it must be added, however, that General Sheidemann had to contend not only with inefficiency in his scouts, but also, it is reported, with treachery in some of his ordinates. General Von Krause, a Russian General in command of a Siberian farce stationed considerably to the south of Warsaw, is said to have behaved so suspiciously on this occasion that, during the progress of the battle, he was oourtmartialled and shot.
Warsaw's Peril.
For four-and-forty dreadful hours, three Siberian corps held back three German corps provided with superior artillery. On Sunday the 11th things had reached their worst, and the streets became blocked with beaten soldie: s, some of them wounded, all of them muddy and tired. There were also refugees of all classes, conditions and ages. There were farmers and their families in country carts. There were old bedridden women carried in blankets, Overhead, aeroplanes kept dropping bombs in the streets and on the houses. Th.
Police, the civil governor an civil officials who remained, ree ceived orders to leave on the afternoon of Monday the 12th. Those orders were given on Sunday, and on that day all arrangements were made to evacuate the city. The bridges were mined in order that they might be blown up next day 'The: \exddis fron the: city was: se Sypat that it wag, impossible. to get seat in any railway train, and the roads east of the Vistula werd'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.