I : war features' mTSi ivn$n?rr rTinTI ifiltltfMliMt
Tbb MTu'li Plctsre-Page M, See. t. ?VV VJ y .
THE WEATHER
Portias asd vieiaity Sudsy fair, i
gesUe northwesterly li(k -
Oregea Waaslsgtoa SiaAay fair .
ul mir exeest acar coast. Gratis -westerly
wist.
VOL. XVI. NO. 18.
CITY EDITION
PORTLAND. OREGON, SUND AY MORNING. JULY 2V 1818.
PRICE FIVE CENTS
GERMANIUM
FRANCO-AMERICAN COUNTER ATTACK ,
B LACK line shows the battle front in Belgium and France as it was when the allied counter
offensive was begun Thursday between the Aisne and the Maine, which since has extended
re
highway was a major objective and the shaded section indicates the advance made by the allies
between those points. To the eastward the enemy is retiring beyond the Marne. "
Powers Beaten
flii;nRiWFsJfwv.
nrnnrnrnn
Mm
'MM
" bm UIIM I h U II
IILI UIIILIII
iilli uiiiul. ngu
FORCMlORET
115
Civilian Population Unable to
Withstand Ravages of War
Much Longer, Is Claim.
- Mafne Front Proving Far More
Serious Than German Offen
sive It Stopped on Thursday.
i
After Hours of Terrific Fighting
Along 15-Mile Front the Huns
More Rapid; Disaster Impends.
Washington, July 20. Astounding
proof that the nations of the central
powers are rapidly crumbling and that
their civilian population cannot with
stand the ravages of war more than
two years longer, was disclosed today
by Dr. Raymond Pearl, statistician of
the food administration.
Through comparison of data leathered
by agents of the allied governments and
the United. States, statistician have
American and French Smash on established the following conclusions:
The net decrease In birth rates in 1917
was 48 per cent in Germany and 64 per
cent in Hungary.
The net decrease in England and
France .was 24 per cent.
Germany's loss in population was 40.-
000 per 1,000,000. Hungary's, 70,000 per
1,000,000, and England's, 10,000 per
1,000,000. ,
The marriage rate in England showed
a marked Increase but the rate In the
central powers declined sharply.
G;., j D. DfiAnmAA great decrease in me mortality rate
IVe Way and Hetreat becomes m England coupled with the increased
marriage rate will result in a net in
crease in population in the British isles
as a result of the war.
War greatly Increases the death rate
among all persons of 70 years or over.
due -to worry and nervous excitement.
The marriage rate of any country is
the surest indication of the morale of
the nation.
Deaths among the soldiers of all na
tions, with the possible exception of
Germany, are hot greater than if the
men were in civil life, due to the in
creased health conditions.
6DES OVER 1
Mil FIELD
OF BATTLE
Shells Scream Overhead as Trip
Is Made Behind the Advancing
Americans; German Dead Seen
in Thick Piles on All Sides.
W
By Lowell Mcllett
flTH the French Armies in
the Field, July 20. (U. P.)
The Germans sovth of the
.. Marne have been completely de
feated ' and are relocating across
the river before the Franco-American
drive. : -
The allies began their advance
between Fossoy and Queilly to
day. The enemy's dogged 'resist
- ance was unable to withstand the
pressure of this 15 mile assault
and the Germans retreated slow
ly northward,, contesting every
foot i
. After hours of ssnrutnarr flghtinr.
the Boche retirement becsme more rapid
snd israe elements began to recross the
river. The allies are still pressing for
ward and there Is, every indication that
the Oerman defeat may become t ri-
1 Developments reveal that the allied
Ex-czar Nicholas
Reported Executed
London. July 20. Nicholas Romanoff,
former czar of All the Russians, Is again
reported dead, this time on the authority
of the Bolshevist government at Mos
cow, in a wireless message which says
the ex-emperor was executed four days
ago by order of the regional soviet
council of the JJral. A. counter, revolu
tionary plot to snatch the former czar
front Soviet control and proclaim him
emperor again is given as the reason ,
I !' A? frMtuMit lhav bMB annftiwntlv a ii-
counter attack 1 s mors- Importanf than J hentie reports In Hhe past of the death'
the Oerman offensive - effort which it 1 of Nicholas by suicide or. murder, that
stopped. It measured solely by the num- I the news from Moscow, despite Its
her ox prisoners ana regaraiess oi me
far reaching .consequences in other re
spects. ...v
; (The Oerman war ' office last night
Claimed more than 20,000 prisoners.).
up TO loaay as many nappy uerman
prisoners had trudged to the rear as
their worried "kamerads on the other
side Of the lines had been able to take
in five days', fighting.
Battle Largely -:1a Opea
v. w. - - r-rei Lliil Jt
continues largely In the eopen. The F ".'rC
tt. w .k. .Jir,i. I 80 others Injured whrfsn a Detroit-bound
prove their maneuvering ability, are
striking swiftly snd surely. The French
source, is accepted here with caution,
though the story seems circumstantial
enough to give It the impression of
authenticity. v ,
15 Persons Killed
In Trolley Crash
Chelsea, Mich., July 20. (TJ. P.)
p;
iles of Captured Machine Guns
Represent Loot of Battle; Sol
dier Advance Merrily Into the
Fight; Men Jam the Roads.
limited papsenger car on the Detroit &
Chicago Electric railway, .and a west
generals are using legions with a mobtl-1 DOU"a Ires;'r,u" i
Ity akin to that of their own light tanks, ",l ." " "
whose feau in the past three days have fd re Detroit soldiers en route
battle. They have been used almost like
cavalry, scuttling over the ground and
up hillsides like Fords, disregarding wire
barriers, sweeping the Oerman defense
off its feet and pursuing the demoralised
Boches. ' The dash , and courage of the
tank crewa have won this testimony
from the highest quarters
"The heroism of the crews Is above
all praise."
Forest Flays Its Part la Battle
When .the whole story of the battle
Is told, it probably will be revealed that
VUlars-Cotterets forest played a part
like Blrnam wood, famous in English
history. ' V
The vast French forest did not rise up
and drive on the Oerman lines., nor did
thf French' ana Americans carry
branches to befuddle the enemy, but the
effect was' the same when the allied
hordes swept out from the forest's per
fect, natural camouflage with a rush
that carried them across the Oerman
lines. 5 ,
I visited the forest yesterday evening
and saw more Germans than the Amer
icans and French combined, but , they
were all ' prisoners. They , were march
In g cheerfully away from the fight,
chiefly boys about IS, apparently this
year' class.
, Ksemy 'Vtt ti Bivisioss
According to information received at
French headquarters, the enemy used
about 6S divisions (about CS7.000 troops)
In his latest 4 offensive. Of these, seven
or eight: ' divisions ; (87.500 to . 100,000
. troops), were south of the Marne. These
latter troops lacked supplies and were
forced to retreat north of the river.
Since Wednesday the fire of the French
batteries" which .had the range of the
enemy bridges across the river, made
the Oerman passage . of the river, ex-
, tremely.' difficult- and, hazardous.
brought here.
Ann Arbor;
Others were taken to
News Index
SECTION OXE 28 PAGES
SB
Suffrage Reform Bill
Is Accepted,. Report
' Amsterdam, July to. .A Budapest dis
patch says the. Hungarian suffrage re
form bill has been accepted by a large
majority. , t :
. ' Fighting
Yankees
in Picture
A page .of actual' tattle photo
fraphs thowinc -American sol-:
diers in action in France wil be
a feature of The Sunday Journal'
Next Sunday;
Oarmam ntrt Aero Marne
A I Had Drive Stun giwmy
Field of ttle Reviewed
Pate of Parle Again Decided es Marne
Br Prank H. Intend
t. Hener Driven Northward (Continued)
S. General Marsh Review I Oheerins
Oregon' Shipbuilding Reooed Re
viewed 4. Slmond' Review of Marne Battle
(Continued)
S. MeAdeo Vltlt Significant
Oruler San Diego Sunk by Mine
Revenue Bill In the Making
O. A. O. Soldier. Build Barrack
T. Oregon Forest free From Bltttar Rot
S. editorial
S). Brtef Information
Town Topic
10. Now 6hU for Reed College
Olvlo League Contlder . School Problem
V. M. O. A. Broaden War Work
Salvage Sale Swell Red Oreo Puns
Belgian Leu to Sell Flower
Red Ore Need Women Worker '
Dr. Wirt Dtceuttet Hun Brutalltv
Dr. Martin Tell Need for Doctor -D
resile Order Agalnet Flour Hoarding
It Next
Banker Plan Selling Oamoalgn
Connie Meyer Lett Dlvmg Title '
Yankee Soldier Aristocrat ef Prance
Fire Rata Pendleton Landmark
Chautauqua Prat Secretary , Baker
Women Handle City Mail
Publlo Library I Aid to Shlpworken
.Oar for Shlpworker Sought
5W. ef O. Training Camp ts gnded -Strahorn
Would Open New gmplre
Clark County Baca W. S. S. Cam
paign Stat Tennl Start Monday
Intercity Boilng Quarrel Start
Recruit Director for War Servlo
MerriU Well at Seattle Cym
Tennl for Beginner
Oornfoet Play SU Helena Today
Publlo Oolf Oourse Invito Plarort
Orlfflth Turn Pitcher Loco
Will Play - Football In Best
Sport in State r Transition
Real Bstate and Building
Want Ad
Markets and Finance
Marine
11.
11.
18.
14.
15.
1S.
17.
-IB.
1.
to.
ti.
By Fred S. Ferguson
United Press Staff Oomepondent
WITH the Americans Along the
Soissons-Paris - Road Near
Missy-Aux-Bois, July 19. (U. P.).
(Night.) A vast plateau covered
with waving wheat, marked by
new dusty roads, helmets, guns,
battered equipment, heaps of dead
Germans and scattered American
dead, -with rifle butts standing
above the wheat where bayonets
had been thrust In the ground to
t mark where others of our heroes
lieauch is the battleground over
which : the Americans advanced
southwest of Soissons.
' I crossed the battlefield this afternoon
from a slight rise on the plateau near
Mlssy-aux-Bois six miles southwest of
Soissons) and witnessed the renewed
American attack. " American shells,
screaming - overhead, ribboned, the5 sky!
Two . airplanes battled Just above. - I
could see the rolling barrage movinJBtr
toward another rise, upon which the
Americans were advancing..
I y as They Advaae" , ,
A German shells broke In. MIssr-asa-Bola
and along the road which was Jammed
with wagons, horses and men. They
were ooviousiy intended for the road.
but always landed In the wheat field
adjoining. The crash, flash and smoke
was hardly noticed by the men and
horses as they bent to the grim business
oi maxing war.
Meantime, ahead of us the Americans
were advancing. I could see the second
wave, or moppers-on I was unable to
distinguish which starting. They walked
along as easily - ms though - merely an
swering a can to arms. .1
Through my glasses I could see they
carried" full 'packs, ready to dig them
selves into -their new positions.
Screeching Shells Pats Overhead
Just behind them was a big tank, but
apparently it was not In action.
The zero hour was 6:30. The barrage
startea on the minute. The men simul
taneously left the holes they had dug
in the midst of the wheat, marching
steaaiiy toward the Boches.
The shells forming the barrage broke
in a steady, straight line ahead, the
smoke cloud slowly advancing. " A line
of trees along the Soissons-Paris road
Interfered with my view of the first
wave, but I knew the boys were making
new history.
By 6 o'clock the Boche artillery was I
becoming more active, while in a slight I
depression Just behind me a long line
of American field guns were pounding
away with an ear-splitting roar, send
ing over the barrage.
Further In the rear our heavies were
hurling shells that tore by with horri
ble screeches, bound for the Oerman
rear areas.
Wares Carried oa With Advaaee
Back at headquarters I. knew that re
ports were -coming in every, moment, as
the signal corps stretched the - wires
close behind the advancing Infantry.
As the barrage reached the crest of a
rise,' the heavies took up the argument
more . Intensely.
- To reach the point from which I wlt-
06TEN
NICUPOR'
e
pgr -s-y 31
r II 1 S fa.
U. 1 S . K
ADIXMUDE Ti
li n BRUSSELS if)
w. i m
BELGIUM J-
r r a n c V
EACK ACROSS 1ARNE
Fate of Paris Is Again
Decided iii ManieVey
a.
as-se.
27.
ts.
(Concluded on Pace Two, Column One)
TL S. Casualties in
War Reach 12,495
SECTION TWO 20 PAGES
1. Portland I NMtaal Center
i 2. In. the Realm of Music
- In Vaudevlil .
S. Photoplay New
Part and Resort
,4-S. ' The Wert In Soolatr
v . New of the Beach
7. Women's Clus Affair
Fraternal Hew .
S. Letter From Oreaon Soldier
... s. ' 1 gduoatlenal ':
;10. - Fashion Chat By Anne RlUenheute
.-The 'Book Oar nor
' 11. Belgian Rollof Oommlsshxv By Brand
- VVhftlaok
" The Barensfather Cartoon
It. An Army In the Maklno By William
A. Ou Puy ;
It, Amorloa't. First MHIIon , Aoros .
Frank H. Slmond .: -. '
1 4-1 . Automobiles, Oood Road. Trues. and
- Tractor
t tO. The War la Pictorial Review - '.
SECTION, THREE 4 PAGES
Washington. July 20. (U. P.) Ameri
can casualties In the great war have
now amounted to ,12,495 and General
March today warned members of the
senate military committee that for .the
next 30 days the lists covering the
present west front . fighting will affect
many more American homes., . -
Of the total to' date, 10,635 have been
reported in the army and 1860 In the
marine corps. ! During the last week
585 casualties were added. A reca
pitulation of the army casualties showed
1758 killed in action. 856 died of
wounds. 1878 died of diseases, 664 died
of accidents and others causes, 6745
wounded and 668 missing. Including
nrtooners.
The marine corps list is made up of I
665 'deaths. Ills wounded in action,
four In the hands of the enemy and 79
missing., v - ' " '
Voluntary System ;
. Good, Says Hoover
i Tondon. July 20-The voluntary sys
tem of rationing In the United States is
working extremely well.'" said Herbert C
Hoover here today. "It ts so satisfac
tory. In fact, that It is very Improbable i
that rationing by cards will have to-be
By Trak H. Slmoads '---v
Author of -The World War." "Tney
Shall Not P. Copyrlsht, lit 8., The ;
New Tork Tripaao Association, The NW
Tork Tribune.
New York, July 20. The Germans
have lost their second battle of the
Marne. - Once more it would seem
that the fate of Paris and of West
ern civilisation has been -decided in
, the valley of the river which gave
its name to the most ' momentous
struggle of the present world war.
After four days of desperate
but in the snaln fruitless offensive
Ludendorff has temporarily at least
lost the initiative, and It is Foch
who is pursuing -the 'offensive and
harvesting a toll of guns and pris
ioners surpassing, the German
achievement In the first days of the
attack.
First Marse Battle Becalled
Under circumstances strangely re
calling the first battle of the Marne,
the decisive phase of this second
battle of the Marne lias been fought
46 months and 10 days after the
earlier struggle, and on ground with
in cannon range of the fields that
saw the fighting of that other
time. Then It wlll.be recalled that
while the Gerrrfan masses were push
ing south of the Marne on a wide
circle from Meaux to Vltry le Fran-
cols, Joffre threw the army of Mau
noury eastward out of Paris upon
. the right flank of the Germans, com-
polled Kluck to abandon his advance)
south of the Marne and recall his
masses to save his imperilled flank
on the Ourcq river.
On Thursday of last week, when
the masses of Ludendorff had
forced the passage of the Marne
between Dormans and Chateau
Thierry and were slowly eating
their , way into the Rhelms salient
' as four years earlier' Bu1owb army
was pressing - southward about La '
Fere-Champenolse in the first days
of September, 1914, r Foch , suddenly
threw a Franco-American fbrca up
on the right flank of all the Ger- -,
man forces actively engaged In the
battle between the . Soissons and
Rheims, and promptly repeated the
earlier achievement of Maunoury at
the Oureci riverv
' ; Civil War Offers Parallel
A good Amertcart parallel for the
Foch stroke is to be found In the
manner In which Lee threw Jack
son upon Hooker's right flank after
the commander of the army of the
Potomac had successfully passed
the Rapidan and was at Chancel-
lorsvllle preparinr for an attack ;
upon the divided Confederate army.
Both In the case of Maunoury and
of Jackson, the-sudden thrust failed
to destroy the army -attacked, but
In both cases it compelled retire--ment
of an army which seemed on
the point of making material If. not
decisive gains, and in the case of
the Marne compelled a general re-,
tlrement of all the German armies
T between -Verdun i and Paris thus
putting the French capital out of
jeopardy for nearly out years.-
Betumlng - now to the history of
the development of rthis. the fifth 1
great German effort and the fourth!
in the series directed ; at Parts. It
Is necessary-to trace . briefly - the -progress
of events." The German at- -tack
opened on Monday, July 15, on
a'wide front along the Marne be-
' tween Chateau-Thierry and west--
ward ;to the fringe of 'the Forest i
d'Argorme at; Masslges. - Th front -
y Immediately engaged - in ' an extent ?
- of some 65 miles, an even greater '
front than that on which the Ger
mans made their first and most
Successful attack In Plcardy on
March 21 of the present -year.
Germaai Aimed for Shelsis '
In Its Initial stages the' German,
attack - seemed to have the larger
purpose oti breaking down all the
French front between the Argonne
and the Marne, forcing the French
behind the Marne and the -Oorcq
rivers and abolishing the Kheims
salient
. Unmistakably la its larger aspects
German strategy was seeking to re
produce a full measure of the condi
tions which existed at the moment
when the first battle of the Marne
began. The Germans sought to es
tablish their flank all the way from
the Masslges westward to the Marne,
at Chateau-Thierry, behind natural
obstacles and so protect it that It
would be safe from any French men
ace when at last Ludendorff was
ready to make his final thrust upon
Paris.
Larger Psrsotet Tolled
But the larger purposes Of the Ger
man strategy were foiled in the
very first days of the battle. Between .
Bfhelms and the Argonne the French
armies, under the command of Gen
eral Gournaud, a brilliant colonial
officer, who had achieved distinction
at Galllpoll, successfully stopped a
tremendous German attack on their
battle position. For the first time
since, the Von Hutier tactics had
been employed in the western front,
they failed Immediately and decisive
ly. . The French line was not pierced ;
It was not bent. Gounaud's troops
retired voluntarily, a certain distance,
to ' their prepared positions, and
against those positions the German
storm broke and failed.
At the end of the second day the
German attack between Rhelms and
the Argonne was at a standstill. It
had achieved no greater gains than
the occupation- of the Meronvlllier
heights, relinquished by the French
In the first hours of the battle, and
a few positions on ths eastern side
of the Rhelms salient. Important only
if . the. progress on the west side
should menace, the salient Itself.
. Asaerleasvl BeettabUth Lisas .
Westward, of Rhelms and between
that city and Chateau-Thierry, on
the Marne, the) Oermans did better.
Attacking the American forces hold
ing the south bank of the Marne be
tween a point near Chateau-Thierry
and Janlgonnet the Germans tempe
' . rarily forced the passage of - the
: river and drove our troops back
ward, but by a brilliant counter of-'
4 jsi ' ,
Franco-Americans Are Battering Enemy,
From Two Sides, Rolling Up German
Armies Between Aisne and Marne; Foe
Is Beaten in Repeated Counter Attacks .
Chateau-Thierry-Soissons Highway Has
Been Pierced; Advances Continue With'
Thousands of Prisoners Reported; Big
Guns Command Wide Area on Front
. assBsassaaa 4
PARIS, July 21. (U. P.) 12:05 A. M. Tho
German retreat across the Marne has been
i ..... ct: ..HM.nMJ al
uuuiriicicU) uic wax unite atuiuiuiwcu.
e nil . . V S
morning. 1 ne enure soutn DariK nas Deen ciearea
of the enemy.
Further advances have been made between the
Aisne and the Marne.
More than 20.000 prisoners have been taken on
the whole front and over 400 guns have been
captured.
Idaho-Montana Fires
Rage Uncontrolled
Missoula, Mont. July 29. . N. &
Electrical storms . and continued . hot
weather have brought, the forest fire
sttoatlBH " trt etmrMonlanav - r and
northern' Idaho to -a. dimast with hun
dreds fires, targe and amal raging
ajmost ' uncontrolled" Berkms fire are
burning; 1- the . Clearwater. ' Bel way,
Coeur d Alone. Kooteaai, Kanlksu and
Pen . d'Oreille forests, covering many
thousand . acrea.
Shortage of fir flshtera. which de
veloped Thursday and Friday and men
aced the success of efforts to subdue
the flames, was relieved somewhat to
day by the Importation of several hun
dred men from Butte and Great Fella
Seventeen new fires were reported
this jnornlng In the Kaaiksu forest from
lightning, with It new biases from the
same source In the Kootenai forest. In
the Pen d'Oreille - forest lightning
started eight new fires. The thunder
storms, practically devoid of rain, are
the result of hot weather, and are now
the forest-officials' worst foe.
Ten Americans Take
Ambulance From Hun
Paris, July 20. Ten Americans, led
by Richard C 8chreeve of Rochester,
N. Y today rescued two ambulances
and 40 American wounded which had
been captured by the Germans.
Making a dash at the truck in which
the Germans were guarding the wounded
prisoners, the Americans beat off the
Boches and; brought their comrades and
the recaptured ambulances back to the
allied lines.
(Cooelodod ea Pass Few. Cotaata Oae)
87tfr Anniversary of
-Belgium Observed
- Washington. July 2Q U. P. Con
fidence in a, re-enfranchlsed Belgium,
free from German oppression, was ex
pressed by President Wilson today In a
message of sympathy to King Albert on
the eighty-seventh anniversary of the
war-strickea little country. ... ' -
Although Belgium ; ts forbidden by
German conquerors to celebrate its inde
pendence day. other allies are observing
It with re-assurances of sympathy and
continued support in . the fight for free
- ALL DEAD OR PRISONERS
By Lowell Mellett
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES, July 20.
(U. P.) All the Germans who are now south of
the Marne are either prisoners or dead.
r.wiTH'lTHE''A
AISNE MARNE FRONT, July 20. "The Ger
mansareburnin'owns behind their lines in the. s
Chateau-Thierry region. '
,
By Frank T. Taylor - -
(United Fress Staff Correspondent) " ;
With the Americans in the Champagne, July 20. (U. P.)
The long-expected retirement of the Germans from the Soissons-"
Kherms pocket may be under way.
American airmen, harassine the Boches back of the front lines.
report congested movements of men, artillery and supplies over the
German roads, easterly from positions north of Chateau-Thierry
and backward along the rest ot the front.
The withdrawal of the Germans south of the Marne is beinj?
hampered by American and French artillery barrages, which are
trained in successive walls of fire from the enemy positions to the
river and beyond. The river front is becoming a holocaust for the
Boche troops. Many German detachments have hurled themselves
at the allied bayonets rather than face the terrible barrages in their
rear, bmall croups ot the Oermans have broken throucrh into the .
woods, but these are being rapidly hunted down and exterminated, :
ihe net result of the German push southward had been only
enormous losses along the entire front. Whole German divisions
have been broken up. ' !
The allies are still attacking everywhere as this is cabled.'
from Soissons to northwest of Chateau-Thierry, between Chateau-
r-re " w- . . - .
i merry ana Kheims, and east ot Kheims.
Deserters Betrayed
Plans, Says'Zeitung
Amsterdam. July JO. (U. P.) "Ger
man deserters betrayed our - military
plans and the alms of our recent offen
sives were not attained." a Berlin dis
patch to the Cologne Volks-Zeltung de
clares. - .
The dispatch, adds that the offensive
was aimed at Parts.
New Wage Scale to
Be Rendered July 25
Seattle. July SO. The decision of Etf
rector General KcAdoo of the railroad
administration on proposed new wage
scales for the mechanical crafts will
be rendered July 25, Mr. McAdoo an
nounced here today. He said that the
decision had been delayed because of
his absence from Washington.
Czernin Still Has
Peace Suggestions
; Amsterdam, July 10. (U. P.) Count
CsernUt, addressing the upper bouse of
the Austrian reJchsrat, suggested that
the foreign ministers of Austria-Hungary
and Germany, and Premier XJoyd
George forward their peace conditions
to some neutral.'
bLeary Jury Fails
- T6;Agr ee; Dismissed
New Tork, July JO kU. P.V The Jury
In tho trial of John J. Oeary, charged
with conspiring to assist his brother.
Jeremiah, to : escape ... while - awaiting
trial on a conspiracy charge, wag dis
charged today, whae
BIG VICTORY WITHIN GRASP
By John De Gandt,
(United Press Staff Correspondent.)
- Paris, July 20.(U. P.) (6 P. M.) One of the greatest battle
of all time is being fought along practically the whole Soissons-.
Rheims salient, with prospects for allied success growing hourly. "
t TS- M ..1 T- 1 . .
wnne ine rrencn ano Americans-are Daunng gnmiy between
Soissons and Chateau-Thierry, pressing forward foot by foot, de
spite the increasing masses of the enemy, Franco-American forces
are striking south of the Marne from Fossoy to Queilly. and are
compelling the oermans to retreat northward across the river. At "
the same time French and Italian troops are thrusting between
the Marne and Rheims and already have re-taken two villages.
iast oi Kneims ainea troops nave practically restored their ong
inal lines. " .'
Slaughter of Enemy Is Frightful ..
The situation south of the Marne is rapidly assuming the pro
portion of a German disaster, according to the latest reports. The
retreat across the river can 'be accomplished pnly under the most
disastrous conditions, as was proven by the enemy retirement fol- ,.
lowing the Americans' success on a much smaller front earlier in V
the week. At that time thousands of Boches were. caught in a
trap, and captured, pr slain,"-while great' numbers were drowned.
There is .every indication that this coup may be repeated on a .
larger .scale." " - - . ,
The battle between the Aisne and the Marne is one of gigantic
slaughter, .The terrible, losses suffered by the enemy are empha- '
sized. by the reckkssness with which the high command is tossing
in Us .reserves-rthe reserves that were to take Paris and cod -the
war, . BaUlcfront dispatches state that more than 100,000 rein
forcements have thus .far. been hurled into the line as fodder for ,
allied cannon. , ; . , .
; ' Big Victory Within Grasp
And in the face of all these thousands and tens of thousands,
the -French. and Americans are driving on. They are reported
climbing to the outskirts of the suburbs, of Soissons, less than two
kilometers ;( mile and a quarter) from the city itself. Neuilly
St. Front has fallen and the important railway and highway center,
of OuIchy-le-Chateau is endangered, with its almost absolute con
trol of the network of communication lines that feed the Chateau-
lntroduced- . ' - ,
dom.
an agreement.
( Concluded oa rase Two, Colusa Oae)
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