Glubokie 1915
From http://www.jewishgen.org/Litvak/HTML/OnlineJournals/1915fline.htm
ON THE FRONT LINE IN LITHUANIA, 1915:
STORIES OF JEWISH EYEWITNESSES
by Anatolii Chayesh
Translated by Gordon McDaniel
The Town of Glubokoe, District of Disna
From a personal letter dated September 19, 1915.
"Dear ..."
Starting September 7th and 8th, Cossacks rode in and started to
commit excesses, rob stores and then houses. They visited all the
residents, and did not distinguish themselves with good behavior. They
called B. Kraut to the Cossack captain, who held him several hours and
constantly threatened to hang him.
The Cossacks dishonored many women in town; they attacked the
synagogue in the name of Kraut, and gathered there many girls. Some of
the Cossacks with sabers stood openly around the synagogue, some were
inside, and one could hear the screams and cries of those poor
unfortunate girls. No one was allowed to go inside to help the
unfortunate victims.
When they let Kraut go, he was met on the road by Cossacks who
took his gold watch and his money and beat him so badly he barely got
home alive, did not say a word and spent 24 hours half-dead. When he
calmed down a bit the next day, he told everything that had happened
to him, all his experiences.
Where Doctor Gets has his apartment, the Cossacks entered. There
were girls there who were threatened with the same horror. The doctor
asked the Cossacks to go with him and he would show them even better
girls. Meanwhile, the girls hid. When the Cossacks understood that
Doctor Gets had fooled them, they hit him several times on the head
with a stone. His wounds are now visible.
Glubokoe was in such a situation for two days. On the third day,
officers and police came. Only then did things start to quiet down.
Now it's peaceful in Glubokoe."