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One Dollar and a Half a Year. BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1918. Established 1891.
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?________ " 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
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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