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' " ~ ^ L ' > >, ' J \ oftt ' vv ? Jg Hamburg ifmtlb ^ One Dollar and a Half a Year. BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1918. Established 1891. \ t ?________ " i ; 6BEAT AMERICAN DRIVE TAKE 150 SQUARE MILES AND 15,000 PRISONERS. % St. Mihiel Salient, in German Hands Four Ye^rs, Falls to Americans. 200 Big Guns Captured. < September 13.?The - American First army has carried out the initial task assigned to it?the leveling of the famous St. Mihiel salient in Lorraine. . In a little more than twenty-four * A- trr/wilr KaOTI nours noi omy uas cue num. uuuu accomplished but Gen. Pershing's men had all the important towns, villages and strategic positions in the sector "within their hands and were standing on the banks of the Moselle river at Pagny, looking . across the stream into German terri^ ? ?ory. And the southern outer fortifications of Metz, the great German stronghold in Lorraine, were only ^ four miles distant. Large numbers of Germans have been taken prisoner?more than 12,000 had been counted and others were still on their way back to the prison cages?and many guns and machine guns and great quantities o? ammunition and other war stores were in American hands. From Hattonville, on the north, across the salient eastward to Pagny, the Americans have closed the mouth of the big sack that extended southward to St. Mihiel, trapping within it by their fast advance all the enemy forces who failed to take refuge in flight when the great bombardment of Thursday morning heralded the approach of the offensive. In addition, along the eastern side 'Of the heights north of Hattonvilie the Americans have debouched from the ?ill region and are astride the railroad running from Commercy to Verdun. Likewise the ThiaucourtMetz and Nancy-Metz railroads are in American hands. In American Hands, Beginning in the northwest and 1 crossing the salient eastward, Fresnes-Les Fparges, Hattonvilie, Preny and Pagnyand all the ground lying between them are in American hands. The towns of Virgnenlles, Thiaucourt, Pont-A-Mousson and St. ^fihiel are far in the rear of the present line. Montsee, the dominating height in the center of the salient, and from which much trouble had been expected, fell without fighting. Among the numerous prisoners taken were men from Austro-Hungarian armies. \ Into Germany Next. Although the operation of the Am ericans has been described as haying "limited objective," it cannot but have a most important bearing on the future of the war. From the straightened line growing out of the obliteration of the St. Mihiel salient, the Americans now are in a splendid position to act with their brothers in arms on sectors "eastward when the time is ripe for a drive into Germany direct. Also . they now are aligned on territory from which it is possible to get behind both the Meuse and the Moselle rivers and thus make null the reported plans of the Germans to stabilize their front along K the Meuse should they be unable to hold the Allies in the west in check. Bombing Metz. Already Allied airmen are heavily bombing the Moselle region around r Metz and the outlying fortifications, having dropped many tons of bombs on the strategic railways leading^from the great fortress and it seemingly is not without reason to expect that with apparent supremacy in the air Metz and the surrounding country henceforth is to be sadly harrassed by the Allied flying squadrons. Meanwhile the maneuverings on * the west front around Cambrai and , St. Quentin should not be lost sight / of by reasqn of the present American offensive. Here the British and French daily are enlarging their gains in the process of outflanking and capturing these two important towns which are all but within their grasp.' Farther to the north in Flanders, the British are keeping up their encroach+ + Vi? r\ f T.O Roccoo Q Tl H ILL C11 13 111 ICJIVJU \J L uu u?> Armentieres, both of which places are imperiled. Beyond Objectives. ? With the American Army in Lorraine, Sept. 13, 1 p. m.?Gen. Pershing's troops continued their steady advance against the St. Mihiel salient throughout the night. They reached and even passed the objectives set for them. Prisoners continue to pour in. The Americans pushed ahead all along the front except at one point. They were met with less resistance V / < k , ~ Comp. 2 ? ? G ? a w c Bamberg 32 7 Hunter's Chapel 1 3 Midway 2 Edisto 1 Clear Pond 5 U. S. Service 1 Denmark 20 5 Hightower's Mill Lees - 19 Ehrhardt - .... 11 7 Kearse 15 Olar 46 2 Govan T 25 1 Colston 5 2 ? - 1o; 00 iotais .... .... .... .... ..iou uw DID WORK IN 27 HOURS. .J Reduced St. Mihiel, Adding 150 Square Miles Territory. Washington, Sept. 15-.?It required just twenty-seven hours for the American troops and their supporting French divisions to reduce the St. Mihiel salient. This was disclosed by Gen. Pershing's communique for yesterday, received tonight at the war department. Gen. Pershing said that besides liberating 150 square miles of territory and taking 15,000 ^prisoners the Americans captured more than 100 guns of all calliber and "hundreds of machine guns and trench mortars." A partial examination of the battlefield, the American commander said/ shows that great quantities of ammunition, telegraph and railroad materials, rolling stock, clothing and equipment was abandoned by the enemy. "fhis was in addition to the * ? ? v-?Kw fha Cormans large stores uuiucu uj ? during their hasty retreat. Text of Statement. The statement follows: "Headquarters American Expeditionary forces, Saturday, Sept. 24: "Section A: In the St. Mihiel sector our advanced units have main-1 tained touch with the enemy's forces and have repressed a counter attack attempted by them in the region of Jaulny. "We are now able to estimate the success obtained during the two previous days. The dash and vigor of our troops and of the valiant French divisions, which fought shoulder to shoulder with them, is'shown by the fact that the forces attacking on both faces of the salient effected a junction and secured the result desired within twenty-seven hours. Vast Stores Taken. "Besides liberating more than 150 square miles of territory and taking 15,000 prisoners, we have captured a mass of material. Over 100 guns of all calibers and hundreds of machine guns and trench mortars have been taken. In spite of the fact that the enemy during his retreat burned large stores a partial examination of the battlefield shows that great quantities of ammunition, telegraph material, railroad material, rolling stock, clothing and equipment have been abandoned. Further evidence of the haste with which the enemy retired is found in the uninjured bridges which he left behind. "French pursuit, bombing and reconnoisance units and British and Italian bombing units, divided with our own air service the control of the air and contributed materially to the success of the operation." than they had expected. The Germans made only one counter attack in an attempt to stem the onrushing tide of Americans. The Germans, however, began their protective barrage too early. They gave the Americans warning of what was coming and Gen. Pershing's men were completely prepared for the counter attack when it started. Americans Fire Deadly. Prisoners unanimously testified to the accuracy and deadliness of the American preparatory fire. Observers had so completely located the principal German works in advance that the enemy troops could only take to their dugouts and await x 1? ^ 4- V? hAmhorHmont | Hit? ^IIU U L L iiC uuiuuatuuivuw. There was a high wind during Thursday, but the balloons were able to remain up for observation. One American balloon broke away and drifted eastward. One of the German balloons was aloft near St. Mihiel, but it remained up only about five minutes. The smoke screen the American gunners placed about Montsee appears to have been successful in prej venting the enemy observation from Second Primary Gen. Senate. Atty. Gen. W a; > ? * 1 ? ? -s . a m Si ? j: a 5 a ?; ? s ? - a c 1 s ? ? <a > I 72 &i 0* CO ^ 5 57 53 116 57 114 6 4 3 38 8 33 Z 15 9 11 3 17 8 6 1 14 4 11 44 13 13 4 3 1 8 3 6 8 52 32 103 56 78 4 17 3 18 1 3 11 12 17 6 4 23 17 93 22 88 4 3 4 18 11 11 2 35 47 56 51 52 1 25 20 42 36 25 2 7 7 27 8 26 _ L . 3 255 -209 568 279 498 BIG SALE OF HOGS. . % i Duroc Hogs at Cartersville Average; I $160.00 Each. I Cartersville, Sept. 14.?About 1,~ 000 people representing Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina, attended a big hog sale here yesterday on Duroc Hog Farms, owned by George G. Palmer. Forty-five registered Duroc hogs were sold at public auction and averaged $160 each. Sandwiches and hot coffee were served at 11 o'clock under the | oak trees of the Palmer home, after - - - - - -1 which the saie iook yiaue. < uui. Evans and Mr. Pennery, of the Duroc Association, were present. The auctioneer was Col. Walton, of Chicago. Mr. Palmer donated one of his finest sows to the Red Cross, of Florence county. It brought $500. ^ i ? ^ 90,000 HUNS IN SALIENT. Escaped at the Rate of One Thousand Every Hour. American Headquarters in France, Sept. 14.?When the St. Mihiel operation began there were from 90,000 to 100,000 Germans inside the salient. They escaped at the rate of 1,000 hourly, but the pincers closed and trapped a hitherto unknown nunber. The 13,000, already taken prisoners does not include the bulk of those believed to be trapped in tb* ialient. Shot By Playmate. Bennettsville, Sept. 14.?A distressing accident occurred in Ben- J nettsville late Thursday afternoon when little Coke Breeden accidentally shot little Joe" Reynolds with a shotgun resulting in a short time in the death of the latter. The two boys, each with a shotgun, had been out in the pasture an? swamp adjoining the home place of Mr. Breeden and in some way the gun was accidentally discharged, the load taking effect in the side of the lad. The accident has cast a gloom over the entire community. The two boys had been close friends and this was not the first time that they had been out together shooting at squirrels and rabbits in the pasture. ^ 01 ? The market basket is an old and valued member of the community, but it 'has only recently taken its place in high society. that commanding point. Prom Two Angles. While the heavy attacks were being made on the north and south lines of St. Mihiel sector, a force around the point of the angle was inaugurating a series of raids, rushing far into the sides of the German body. The strength of the Germans is not known, but it is certain there are at least seven divisions in the salient. It has been learned that the enemy had collected a quantity of stores in the sector and will doubtless attempt to remove them. j The front under attack was about] forty-five miles in length. The French were in the line at allotted points, but the distribution of the forces was such that wherever the Germans turned they faced American troops. Just how much the Germans were surprised by the offensive in a sector so long inactive is uncertain. It seems/not improbable, however, that they had noticed the indications given for many days past that some new plan was being adopted. The mobilization of the big force was accomplished, however, almost wholly in night marches, the men slipping from other sectors into positions in front of the enemy here, oftentimes without even the population of the districts through which they passed being aware of the movement. Election; Oiffici R. R. Com. Com. Ag. Co. Com o 02 O t3 ? o 2 & I 5 ? a o ? s. u z: ?. Co*- 03 5 - u - OS eS .a O < tf o K <: o 98 72 109 61 51 11 37 4 33 6 24 1 9 11 12 7 61 13 2 14 1 11 10 3 13 3 1 6 3 8 15 87 46 74 58 98 3 19 2 7 14 17 11 12 15 8 18 77 31 80 30 63 4 13 9 18 4 2 2 55 47. 65 37 24 ^ 1 35 25 38 21 3 5 24 10 26 8 15 1 4:96 277 517 256 340 43 TRANSPORT TORPEDOED. 5 All of the 3,800 SJoldiers Aboard Resized.?Off British Coasfe > Washington, Sept. 11.?News of the torpedoing of the British liner Persic, with 2,800 American troops (hb board* in the war zone September 6 was given to the American people today, first through the British admiralty and then later through the navy department. All the soldiers were rescued by accompanying destroyers; the steamer itself was beached and the submarine is believed to have been accounted for. Officials here review the result of the attack more as an Allied success than as a disaster. The fact that the steamer was torpedoed when she was endeavoring to overtake the convoyed fleet of transports after overcoming engine trouble which had forced her to lag convinced officers that submawimmamlprs still are fearful of attacking troop ships in convoy. And the immediate and completely successful assistance rendered by the destroyers was taken as an additional evidence that the convoying system in vogue is practically perfect. l,X News Held Back. .First word of the attack on the Persic, it was learned officially, reached the navy department on the night of September 6, in a brief dispatch from Vice Admiral Sims, alalthough navy officials have emphatically denied in the interim that any important news of submarine activities was being withheld. It was understood that the British admiralty expressed the request that they be permitted to announce the news of the attack. Rumors that a troop ship had been sunk, probably with heavy loss of life have been current in Washington since the publication of what evidently was an inspired London dispatch statjlng that Allied naval circles had reason to believe that German submarines soon would concentrate their efforts in an attempt to stop the steady flow of American soldiers overseas. No explanation of the purpose nf thic nrtfnle nnnlrl hp obtained, how ever, from naval officials here. Troops Well Protected. Attacks on troop ships by submarines constantly are expected by officials and it may be that a new and more determined campaign has been decided upon by the Germans because of the reverses suffered by their armies. The greatest possible protectior is afforded troop ships and this increases as the American naval forces in the war zone are added to by new construction in American yards. The. records achieved by the American and Allied navies in the transporting more than 1,600,000 American soldiers overseas with the loss of only 291 of them still is considered miraculous, and it is accepted by naval officers as testifying to the success of the convoy system. Pyches Defeats Still. Barnwell, Sept. 11.?With four ! boxes out of 24 yet to be reported Ellis and Hudson apparently have defeated Folk and Patterson for the house of representatives. In the firsl district James J. Ray is elected county commissioner over N. A. Hiers anc in the second district B. F. Owens has defeated G. B. Ellis, Jr. In the second primary for county supervisor with the vote complete, B. H. Dyches received 1,025 votes to 927 for J. S Still. Following the first primarj two weeks ago the county executiv( committee declared Still the parts nominee, but Dyches appealed to th( State executive committee, which sus tained his appeal and ordered a sec ond primary, with the result thai Dyches is the winner. al. Cot. Wg. Bg. Cot. Wg. Olar 05 03 - I ^ 3 2 O = pa Est 2 72 8 57 111 7 2 39 4 14 5 4 1 14 0 9 4 1 3 5 4 4 5 7 0 9 44 59 9 15 47 9 23 11 3 83 178 82 117 HUN PEACE OFFENSIVE. I Austria Outlines Plan for Exchange of Views With Enemy Powers. Amsterdam, Sept. 15.?In extend! ing an invitation to all the belliger! ent governments to enter into non! binding discussions at some neutral meeting place, the Aastro-Hungarian government states that the object of I the conference would be to secure an I exchange of views which would show "whether those prerequisites exist j which would make the speedy inauj guration of peace negotiations appear | promising." The Austrian proposal which is ! announced in an official communicaj tion telegraphed here from Vienna i suggests that there be no interruption of the war and that the "discussion would go only so far as considered by the participants to offer prospects of success." . The proposal calls for all the belligerents to send delegates for a "confidential and unbindftg discussion on the basic principles for the conclusion of peace in a neutral country and at a near date that would yet have to be agreed upon." Conference Proposed. The proposal says the conference 1 would be one of "delegates whc would be charged to make known tc ' one another the conception of theii governments regarding those principles and to receive analogous communications as well as to request and give frank and candid explanations on all those points which neec to be precisely defined." . The government announces that 2 ' note embodying its suggestions hac been addressed to the various bellig erejit powers and that the Holy See had been .apprised of the proposal ir ! a special note. The governments ol [ the neutral states also had been ac . quainted with the proposal. 1 Quick Answer Given. \ Washington, Sept. 16.?The Unitec > States, as was fully expected, has un . conditionally rejected Germany'; { peace feeler. In doing so the govern . raent has spoken for all the co-bellig erents. Alomst immediately after receiving the Austrian Government's note fron the minister from Sweden, Mr. Eken ^ gren, Secretary Lansing tonight is sued this formal statement: America's Answer. "I am authorized by the Presiden t to state that the following will be tin reply of this government to the Aus . tro-^Hungarian note proposing an un r official conference of belligerents: "The Government of the Unitec States feels that there is only on< reply which it can make to th< suggestion of the Imperial Aus . tro-Hungarian Government. It has repeatedly and with entire candoi r stated the terms upon which th( United States would consider peace and can and will entertain no pro posal for a conference upon a mat ted concerning which it has made it! position and purpose so plain." New Bank for Aiken. * s Aiken, Sept. 15.?Officers and di 5 rectors of the Citizens' Bank, a $25, : 000 organization which will begii - business in Aiken in the next fev 1 days, were selected at an organiza > tion meeting held here. The oijcer - and directors are: President, J. M , Honey, AiKen; nrsi vice yresuicm 5 A. M. Denbow, Bamberg; second vie* . president, W. C. Plunkett, Aiken T Directors, C. Y,\ Plunkett, A. T i Johnson, James Verenes, J. M. Hatch r A. F. Hatch, J. W. Norwood and A i M. Denbow. Fixtures have been ordered an< - the bank will open for business ii t the opera house building. The cash ier is yet to be selected. THE GREAT VAR IN 1918 BRIEF OFFICIAL REVIEW OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. Germany's Drives and the Allies' Counter Attacks from March to August. " N When the military v campaign of 1918 opened, the battle line on the western front was about as it had been established by the retreat to the Hindenburg line a year before (March, 1917). It ran in a souther ly direction from a point on the North Sea near Ostend, across the western corner of Belgium, past Lille and Cambrai to La Fere, on the river 7 Oise, in Picardy. Thence it turned gradually to the east, passed to the north of the battle-scarred cities of * Rheims and Verdun, and crossed the Vosges mountains about midway in their course. The line then dipped ? southward on" the German territory of Alsace, for some' fi,fty miles to the . . Swiss frontier. x German Preparations. The collapse of Russia enabled the Central Powers to gather on the western front enormous forces of men, guns, munitions, airplanes, liquid. fire and poison-gas apparatus. Their purpose was to force a military de. cisfon in 1918, before the United States could get effectively into the , yv fighting. "If the enemy does not , vant peace," the Kaiser had said, "then we must bring peace to the / world by battering in with the iron fist and shining sword the doors of those who will not have peace." Five successive drives of the Germans followed, constituting the great est and most momentous struggle in . the history of the world. One of their collateral effects was to force the Allies to a belated step for attaining L greater unity of military action byappointing General Foch (April 15) . supreme commander-in-chief for the ' ^ whole western front. ^ The Battle of Picardy. , The first drive opened on March 2JL in the region of the river Somme. It v 5 i? called the battle of Picardy. The . base of the drive stretched for 70 ? t miles from near Arras on the north . to La Fere on the south. The sue4. ce&s of the enemy was in part due to the wholesale use of "mustard" gas . shells and in part to new "wave attack" methods worked out by the I German General Hutier. Under this pressure a British army under GenL eral Gough fell back and left dangerL ous gaps in the Allied lines. These were filled partly by French troops, ; but mtch of the credit for arresting t overwhelming disaster belongs to the f makeshift battalions hastily organized by General Carey from cooks and other non-combatant forces, including American engineers. Nevertheless the Germans penetrated in six days a maximum depth of ob miies; # j but Amiens proved untakeable. Tne second German driye began 3 April 9, in Flanders. It penetrated to a depth of 10 miles on a front of 30 miles: but it failed either to reach the Channel ports or to crash the r British army. j Second Batfl? o** the Marne. On May 27 the third drive was . launched, this time in Champagne, auu under the m rsonal direct on of the German Crown Prince. It is called t the second battle of the Marne, or the a Aisne-Marne battle. It was preceded by the most tremendous preparations over made for battle. Between Soissons and Rheims the Germans crashj ed through to the river Marne at a Chateau-Thierry, an advance of about a 30 miles. This brought the menace ' * within 44 miles of Paris. The Ger3 mans announced the capture of 45,r OGO prisoners and over 400 guns. a June 9th the fourth drive begaji I on a 20 mile front west of Soissons. [ It advanced the German line a maximum of 6 miles, but at a tremendous , cost in men killed and wounded. The German attempt to reach the important town of Compiegne failed. It was in this battle on June 6 to 12, northwest of Chateau-Thierry, that the American marines fought so brilliantly. 1 Fifth German Drive Stopped. 7 The fifth and last German offensive was launched on July 15. It covered 5 the whole eastern side of the Soissons-Rheims salient and the line for some j o in lies t?ci?>L ui me iav.tvi a ? roughly about 80 miles from Chateau-Thierry to Prunay. The immediate object was to encircle from east ' and west the high wooded hills which lie south of Rheims, capture that city, ' j and seize the important railroad center of Epernay. East of Rheims the 1 drive was stopped by the French un(Continued on page 5, column 1.) V " *33 .<' . c.:. a._r 1