Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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' H :r: • }" A % - V ’ - r V lUfiHT FIVE DAYS FELLS OF BREAK OF WAR BATTLE (HIDED SHOT FMM HOUSES iLUES FAIL TO HAKE KREAK / TRRODKH GERMAN LINES BRITISH »X>REION OFFICE TELl/A OF NEGOTIATIONS. ‘ BATTLE IN FRANCE BECOMES PIERCE ARTILIiERY DUEL. ACCOUNT OF TOE OAHLE Asserts That Russia and Austria Were Almost Made up When Ger man Sword Appeared in Scale. RESULT IS DOUBTFUL i London and Parts Dispatches De- . scribe' Mature of Conflict—Ger mans Make Onslaughts Against Allied Lines—Battle Assaults Vary From Day to Day. For five days the British and French armies have been trying to dislodge the Germans from the strong line of defence which they have constructed on the battle front stretching from the Oise to the Meuse rivers. There have been attacks and counter attacks, but in the words of the official communication “there has been no change in the situation.” The allies 61aim to have made slight progress at some points against the German right wing north of the River Aisne and to have re pulsed counter attacks there and be tween Craonne and Rheims, while they say in the centre and on the right the Germans are acting purely on the defensive, having “dug them selves into entrenchments.” The German official reports are al- ost identical with those of the al lies. They say no decision has been •eached, but that the allies’ power of l «sistance is weakening; that a French attempt to break through right has failed; that in the centre the Germans are gaining ground slowly and that allies from Verdun have been repulsed. It would seem from all this that the commanding generals have not yet found the weak points in their opponents' dispositfons and that each is withholding his determined blow for. as Lord Kitchener said in the House of Lords, “the right moment.’’ The Germans having reached se lected positions, which they have strongly fortified, would appear to have the advantage, according to military critics, but for the fact that they must defend the whoft of their front to make good their retirement, should an attack by them fall or a smashing blow from the allies break their line, while the Anglo-French forces are declared to be free to mass at any point, Gen. Jotfre may select as most suitable for attack. The London Telegraph’s Paris cor respondent in a dispatch receive! Fri day says: . “A comprehensible account of the five days' battle on the Aisne River, which he described as the fiercest In the western theater since the begin ning of the war. was given by French oflicer who arrived in Paris Friday. “On the morning of the 14th (Mon day) the officer said the Germans called a halt, but by afternoon the battle had become general. All next day the battle was of a ding-dong nature, the Germans evidently await ing reinforcements. Dtiring the night, however,, they delivered a furioiN at tack on the extreme left, but -the British and French troops gallantly met the onslaught, repulsing the Ger mans no fewer than ten times with itfrful losses. “The Germans still came on, how- er, seeking to pierc4 the French line. There had been nothing like it sine ethe beginning of the campaign The enemy hurled dense masses of troops at us Jn a supreme endeavor to check our forward progress, but when dawn enme we still held the position and even had gained ground slightly. “The artillery duel was continued throughout the next day. The morn ing of the 17th again saw desperate fighting. This time we threw the Germans back some ten kilometers capturing 600 men and a lot of mitrailleuses.” A dispatch from Paris, dated “On the Battle Front, Friday afternoon five-thirty o'clock," says: The gigan tic battle, or more properly, battles continues day and night along the entire front from Noyon to the fron tier. The fighting does not consist of one Sustained and combined fiiove- ment, but in reality of several com bats proceeding incessantly at the strongest points of the Germans’ de fending line along the River Aisne. During the night of September 15 16, the Germans attempted a for midable movement in the western sphere, but were met by the French British with courage that was marv&ttQus against overcoming odds ^The Germ>n^ returned to the attack no fearer than ten times with remark •able tenaetty^and intrepidity, but were unable to break through the firm line presented Br-UieltUlss’ in Jan try. ^ferhe fight just before daybreak was most violent of all. The Ger mans appeared to throw in the The British foreign office Wednes day night issued in the form of a White paper the report of Sir Mau- rier D. Dutzen, late British ambassa dor at Vienna, on the rupture of dip lomatic relations with Austria, in which the ambassador declares that Austria and Russia had about reach ed an agreement of the Austro-Ser- vian dispute when their conserva tions “were cut short by the trans fer of the dispute to the more dan gerous ground of a direct conflict be tween Germany and Russia.” The ambassador says that al though two days previously he had refused to consent to the continu ance of the conversations at St. Pet ersburg, Count von Berchtold, Aus tro-Hungarian minister of foreign af fairs, on July 30, although Russia had been partially mobilized, agreed in a friendly manner that the con versations should be continued. ‘From now onw’ard,” says the am bassador, “the tension between Ger- pxany_and—Russia was much greater than between Austria and Russia, as between the latter an arrangement seemed a’most in sight, and August I was informed by Count Scliebe- ko, the Russian ambassador that Count Szapary (Austria nambassador at St. Petersburg) at laM bait con ceded the main point of issue ov an nouncing to M. Sazonoff, the Rus-dan foreign minister, that Austria would consent to submit to mediation the points in th$ note to Servia whicli seemed incompatible with the main tenance of Servian independence^ “M. Sazonoff had accepted this proposal on condition that Austria would refrain from actual Invasion of Servia. Austria, in fact, had fully yielded, and that she herself at this point hac^_£ood hopes of a peaceful issue is shown by .the communica tion made to you on the Tat of Au gust by Count Mensdorff (Austrian ambassador at London) that Austria had neither ’changed the door’ on compromise nor cut off the conver sation. “Count Schebeko to the end was working hard for peace. He was em ploying the most conciliatory lan guage to conver Von Berchtold, and he Informed me the latter, as well as Count Forgach, had responded in the same spirit. Certainly it was too much for Russia to expect that Aus tria would hold back her armUs But this matter probably could have been settled by negotiations, and Count Schebeko repeatedly told me that he was prepared for the accept ance of any reasonable compromise. Unfortunately these conversations at St. Petersburg and Vienna were cut short by the transfer of the dir.pute to the more dangerous ground of direct conflict between Germany and Russia. “Germany intervened July 31 by her double ultimatum to St. Peters burg and Paris. These ultimatums were of a kind to which only one re ply was possible, and Germany de clared. war on Russia August 1 and on France August 3. "A few days’ delay in nil' proba bility might have saved Europe from one of the great calamities in his tory.” * ' CARRANZA HEARD FROM GERMAN GENERAL STAFF TELIA OF FIGHT LN LOUVAIN. PORT AT VERA ORUZ HAS NOT ■t, - <<l .„ J v -* BEEN ORDERED CLOSED. AN OFFICIAL REPORT Official Reports of AH Combatants Admit That There Has Been ao Change in French Battle—Friday Night Sees Lull in Fighting While Tired Soldiers Snatch Sleep. German Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs Submits for Information of L on announced Saturday night the No Federal Soldiers Have Been Shot for Pence and Harmony Prevail Throughout Constitutionalist Zone. Rafael Zubaran, of the Mexican Constitutionalist agency at Washing- BLOODY HOOTING IjOSH ON ONE WING CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN ISO,OOO. relatively calm along the front, but Friday the fighting became more fu rious than ever. During the dark ness operations are rendered difficult owing to the reluctance of the oppos ing commanders to use searchlights which might expose their positions After this stage of the fight was concluded the Germans appeared to retire about seven miles. During the combat the adverasies in many in stances came to hand to hand clashes and the bayonet was extensively used The carnage was terrifying, but the troops Of both armies appear to have been hardened to such scenes and fought with great coolness. The allies’ aviators apparently dis covered the placements of big Ger man guns, notwithstanding the clev erness with which they are hidden beneath an earthern covering strewn with the branches of trees. The al lies’ artillery opened a concentrated fire on a certain portion of the line and the heavy German artillery sfhortly afterward lapsed into silence at that spot, although it is not known whether they were rendered impotent or merely were effecting a change of position. It is impossible to learn from any one portion of the line what is occur ring at other places, but an Incllna tion to recede slightly seemed evt dent on the German side, although they offered the m,( ststance. The allies at the same time doggedly pursued the small aitfvan ■Uku they gained One of the fiercest btittles of all times, which has been raging across northern France for a week past with first a slight advantage on one sidd - and then on the other, remains unde cided. The two great armies which have been fighting for a month, with few, if any intermissions, have dug themselves into entrenchments on rivers and mountain ranges on a front reaching from the Oise to the Meuse and thence southeastward along the Franco-German frontier. The Germans have had most of their artillery at work, but the French are bringing up more and bigger guns. This kind of fighting with both sides in strong positions may go on for days yet, but sooner or later one side must find the con tinual fall of shells and the discon certing infantry attacks too much for them, and, "leaving a strong rear guard, will draw back for a breath ing spell. The battle resembled in many par ticulars that of the Sha-Ho in 1904. where the Japanese and Russians, with much more time to do it, estab lished positions which each thought impregnable. Artillery and infantry attacks finally compelled the Rus sians to withdraw with losses that at that time were without precedent For seven days the British and French armies have been trying to dislodge the Germans Nrom the strong line of defenses which they have constructed on the battle front stretching from the Oise to the Meuse Rivers. There have been attacks and counter-attacks but in the words of the official communication “there has been no change in the situation.” The Allies claim to have made slight progress at some points against the German right wing north of the River Aisne and to have repulsed counter-attacks there and between Craonne and Rheims, while they say in the center and on the right the Germans are acting purely on the de fensive. having dug themselves into entrenchments. The German official reports are al most identical with those of the Al lies. They say no decision has been reached but that the Allies' power, of resistance is weakening; that a French attempt to break their right has failed; that in the center the Ger mans are gaining ground slowly and that sallies from Verdun have been repulsed. Artillery duels such as never be fore have been seen are being carried on with the hope of compelling the exacuation of the strongly held posi tions. with occasional successes to the opposing sides, while the infan try, in the face of a galling fire, have charged right up to the guns, only to make their opponents give way slightly or to be repulsed with great losses. Overpowering fatigue and priva tions resulting from five days of un relenting struggle brought ^bout a temporary lull Friday night in the combat, of the powerful armies that are face to face along the rivers Oise, Aisne and Woevre. The roar of cannon, machine guns and rifles died down early Friday night and the presence of two armies composed probably* altogether of 1.000,000 or more men within touch of an uneven line and ready to spring to a-fatal grip, scarcely could be con ceived, so intense was the stillness, broken only by an occasional vagrant report. . . • „ . The soldiers of the allies and the Germans alike were snatching a little rest huddled up in tjie strong en trenchments. In some places the trenches were half filled with water as equinoctial storms continue, j The French and British, like the Germans, have entrenched and set tled down for the stern fight which threatens to be even longer and more sanguinary than the battle of the Marne. Progress is being made at same points by the allies, but very slowly, and the developments are not important except that It is officially confirmed that the Germans have reached reinforcements from Lor raine. There were a few isolated encoun ters, but both sides appear to have abandoned the rash movements across the open which marked the ges of the war. ’ (’Vbviousjy the deadly machine guns have taught a lesson. American People the Report of the J receipt of the following message .from Gen. Carranza, flret chief of the Army in Belgium Describing Co hsHttrttonallBt forces, on condi- struction of Louvain. Jtions in Mexico: ■ i _ “The alarming reports that you Adolf von Bruening, formerly sec-1 have brought to my attention as clr- retary to the German embassy at culating in 4he United States as Washington, who now is at Genoa, I Mexican news, have no foundation. Italy, has sent to New York the fol-|The report thjit a number of police- lowing communication from Dr. A. F. I men were shot in Mexico City is un- M. Zimmerman, German under secre-ltrue. What actually occurred was a tary of foreign affairs, with the in- street brawl between policemen and formation that the German govern-1 carousing Constitutionalist troops, ment requested that it be given pub- The affair was handled with no dlffi- licity: culty. 'Y “Berlin, August 30. 1914. “Not a single Federal officer has Official communication of the been shot. . / . German general staff: I r “The decree revoking the order “The city of Loewen (Louvain) I promulgated by the governor of the had surrendered and was given over Federal District and Its miltary com- to us by the Belgian authorities. On mandant in regard to the occupation Monday. August 27, some of our of private property and the form&li- troops were shipped there and inter-j ties requisite for arrest does not course with the inhabitants was de-1 mean that we intend to wrest from veloped quite friendly. the people their personal and proper- “On Tuesday afternoon. August 25, ty rights. The action was taken our troops, hearing about an immi-|a tepiporarjf measure, nent Belgian sorties from Antwerp, I “It is not true that the port of left in that direction, the command-1 Vera Cruz has been closed, ing general ahead in p motor car. “Peace and harmony prevail leaving behind only a colonel witli throughout the zone controlled by soidiefs to protect the railroad. As I the Constitutionalists, which covers the rest of the commanding general's I pradically the entire republic, staff with the horses was going to| "Exaggerated reports relative to ATTACK IS FEROCHIIS Germans and Allies Vie With Each Other in the .Strength of Hielr At* tacks, the Other Along the Battle Front—Regiment Jineeta in Pray- The gigantic battle or, more prop erly, battles, continue day and night along the entire front from Noyon to the frontier. The fighting does not consist of sustained and combined movement but in reality of mevergl combats proceeding Incessantly at the strongest points of the Germans de fending line along the River Aisne. Each encounter, however, Inffu- ences the execution of the general idea of the commander-in-chief of the Allied armies. Attacks and coun terattacks follow one another in rap id succession every hour of the twenty-four. During the night of September 15- 16 the Germans attempted a formid able movement in the Western sphere but were met by the French and British with courage that was marvelous against overwhelming odds. The Germans returned to the attack no fewer than ten times with remarkable tenacity and Intrepidity but were unable to break through the firm line presented by the Allies’ in fantry. The fight Just before daybreak was the most violent of all. The Ger- follow and collected on the market Zapatista activities are unfounded, place, suddenly rifle fire opened from “The Constitutionalists are work-1 mans appeared to throw in the all the surrounding houses, nil the ing amicably together to establish charge all that remained of their en- horses being killed and five officers permanent peace and a stable gov- ergy but were rolled back with enor- wounded, one of them seriously. ernment. All reports as to -division mous losses. Bsfore retiring behind “Simultaneous fire opened at about 4n our ranks are false. their big guns they sacrificed many ten different places in town, also on “Gen. Villa is working In perfect of their number, displaying resolu- some of our troops just arrived and harmony and genuine subordination, tlon which approached desperation, waiting on the square in front of the By reason of his laudable and patri- A vigorous coUater-attack from the station and on incoming military otic attitude and in view of his high Allies snaued, during which a small trains. Two priests, caught handing merit I have Just promoted him to extent of grouad was gained, out ammunition to the people, were the rank of division general. After this stage of the fight waa shot in front of the station. "A large Constltulonalist force concluded the Germans appeared to “Street fight lasted till Wednes- was d < 8 P*tched to the Isthmus of retire about seven miles. During the day. the 26th.' in the afternoon Tehauntep * < ‘- 1 have recalled 8,000 combat the adveraariea la many in- (twenty-four hours), when stronger ° r tl,p * e troops because conditions stances came to hand-to-haad clashes forces, arrived in the meantime, sue- now ar ® P« a c«f«>- « »•><» the bayonet waa extensively us- ceeded in getting the upper hand. “ Th ® •tabiltty of the new govern- ed. The carnage was terrifying but Town and northern suburb were| m ® nt u fuUy Ku*ranteed by the sup- the troops of both armies appear to port of an army of 120,000 men. ani- have been hardened to such scenes mated with a spirit of patriotism.” and fought with great coolasss. burning at different places, and by] this time have probably burned down altogether. “On the part of the Belgian gov ernment a general rising of the popu-| lation against the enemy had been organized for a long time: depots of arms were found, where to each gun was attached the name of the citizen to be armed. “A spontaneous rising of the peo ple has been recognized, at the re quest of the smaller states at The] Hague conference, as being within the law of nations, as far as weapons] NOT QUITE DEAD. Jotat Division. During the last tsw days tha fight ing has been confined almost entirely to tha heavy artillery. Except on the left, where the British were celled German Bear U Not Yet Bendy for | upon to repulse n night attack, in which they were valiantly supported by the French on their right and left. Military critics of Paris and Lon-I th ® H»*»*try has done but little fight- don. although appreciating fully the * 11 * durio* 38 hour*. Bat their German reverse along the line from has been called upon ee- Paris to Verdun and applauding the I ver ®IJ r lo another teet of endurance, splendid feat of arms of the French I * or t * 1 ® have filled the trenchee and British troops, caution the pub- an d foot soldiers, doomed to ln- llc against a too rapid assumption actlon - whU ® th ® » rtiu ® rtrt * t®® 1 «»®l r criliTd 1 ^ a bY he ,! aW8 ? that the invadera aVe ^g a dhF have hem, forced to stand but luch ri In* * are YY mT, orderly retreat. The critics point out wai » t d ®® p ln th ® «>»<» wat * r but 8 “oh rising * as only admitted in | that a army guch ag thg 0<|r | 0 n the Alliee left, the death to*l order to fight the attacking enemy. that a great army, such as the Ger mans have pushed into France, 8till| w ^* c ^ has reached 160,000, one-third “In the case of Loewen, the town I pooMMa considerable power of re- of w *>om are Allies, according to un- had already surrendered, the town I gating pursuers and that it may as' being occupied by our troops. Never- 8Ume a counter offensive, theless, the population attacked on Discussing rumors of a German all sides and with murderous fire by shortage of ammunition, authorita- the occupying forces and newly arriv-1 tj ve circles acknowledge that the ing troops lack ma y havfc occurred in some por- “Therefore, there can be no ques- tions of the fighting line, but decline tion of nfdans of defence allowed by|to believe that a fighting machine official estimates, is still rolling up. The two armies numbering millions of men, strongly entrenched, have teen engaged in localized attacks and counter-attacks in an effort to feel out the weak spots of the opposing lines where a gigantic wedge might be hurled through at the supreme the law of nations, neither of a war-1 such as the German army with a n| rnonien V like guetapens (ambush t, but onl> open country at its back while ad- of a treacherous dttenipt of the civil yancing, could be allowed to run population, the more to be condemn-1 short as a whole. ed as it apparently was planned long beforehand with simultaneous attack [ from Antwerp, as arms were not car-J ried openly, as women and young girls took part in the fight and blind ed our wounffed, sticking their eyes | out. “The barbarous attitude of the! TAKES SHORT REST. The British apparently have learn ed something from the Japanese at tacks on Port Arthur. They make a rush forward and when the fire be comes too heavy for them to make a further advance they again dig trenches for themselves and remain Wihoti Works Whi'e on Rest Tri.i to [there until another opportunity of fers for them to gain a few more At a point wltece the bulk of TEe British troops form^k..Mrt of the atlies' Vine the fighting tfha^furious and some of the most famous (la Front dispatch continues. eluding the Coords and the High lander*, suffered-severely. They per formed the task set for them un- I flinchtngly, advancing and occupying some of the advanced German posi tions. bit at terribl# cost. ir-wtmw seeurfwtaTn Ihis'ThaT the commanding generals have not yet found the weab_ points in thsir opponents’ dispositions and that each charge all that remained of thsir energy, .but were rolled back with enormous losses. Before retiring be hind their . big guns they sacrificed many of their number, displaying res- Ugh, Scottish and Irish regiments,'in> 4® withholding his determined blow olutton which approached despern- ~ tion. A vigorous counter attack from the alliee ensued, during which small extent -of ground was gained Thursday night, the Parisian ^Bat-1 “the right mpment The Germans having reached se lected position*? which they have strpngly fortified would appear to have the ndvanUge. accardiugrto mil itary critics, hot for the fact that New HiimpshLe. President Wi;. t got 'Vo,.ii to yards. The German cavalry have been (showing considerable daring and have been trying to cut the communi cations’ of the allies between the | Oise and the coast. One of the incidents of last week Belgian population in all parts occu- *ork within a ’ew minutes af'.er hii pied by our troops not only has justi- arrival at Cornish. N. H., Sa: fday. fled our severest measures, but fore-1 (.ii-spUe the fact that he wax suppos ed them on us for the sake of self- t* 1 to be on d >aeetion. He rsid re preservation. The intensity of the ports from Washington tell! ig of op- resistance of the population is shown position to the war tax measure and [ when the fierce fighting was awful In by the fact that in Loewen twenty- the statement by A. Rustem Bey, 14® sacrifice, has been widely recount- four hours were necessary to break | Turkish ambassador, explaining hla | ed . A British infantry regiment, ddwn their attack. We ourselves re- previous statementtf about the Amer- u P° n receivtng ah order to advance gret deeply that during these fights I lean press., Mr. Wilson, during the and. take a German position, knelt the town of Loewen has been de-jday, showed himself thoroughly nt 4or a moment in prayer, stroyed to a great extent. Needless home among the New England peo- Then the men, knowing that their to say, these are*not intentional onjpl®- At Battleboro, Vt., he mingled charge was to be terrible in cost, our 'part, but can npt be avoided in j freely with a crowd, talking to many sprang te their feet with fixed bayo- this infamous franc-tireur war being | P®rsons: led against ns. * “Whoever knows the good natured I - Four Killed in Auto Wreck, character of our troops can not seri-| Pour persons were killed near] ously pretend that they are inclined o^n Clty< N y <( Wednesday when to needless or frivolous destruction. Khe auto in which they were riding “The entire responsibility for these | crashed into a locomotive engine, events rests with the Belgian gov ernment. who, with criminal, frivol ity, have given to the Belgian people Must Not Enter Canada. nations and incited their resistance, and who, in spite of our repeated Aeroplanlsts in the north! of the United States have been Warn- nets clambered out of the shelter bf the trench. In short and rapid rushes they advanced in wide open- order, alternately lying down and then making another dash of 15 yards. . From, the German position came the thick hall of the machine guns. The attacking soldiers hur rahed and sang as they pressed for ward- Many fell with cries of deter- Uch (LI induee them to a peaceful attitude" Finally those who remained of the ‘‘d by their government not to go reK i man t reached and took the Oer- IlIO CaadadA. —I man position after a desperate hand- “Ruy-o-lisle" Progresses. Jone among many acts of conmge and Reports from many places through- discipline on the part of the French, they must defend the whale of their J out th ® 8outh t® 11 of the buying of British and Germans alike at vnriou* front to make good their retirement coUon at c ® n ^ * 0 f,/ * w off ..the | points along the line, should an attack by them fail or a I smashing blow from the Allies break [ Jhetr Hne. while the Anglo-French I Xo forces are declared to ha free to aaaaa | A - Berlin wiroleos denies the et any point General Jeffre may oo-1 port that a moratorium has been or- j tori as most snitobIFfor attach. I dared or considered la OSclal Aestro-H