The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, October 30, 1918, Image 1
SCMTEB WATCHMAN, EgttW
Consolidated Aug:. 2,1
?Ii -mil
BRITISH ?ND HUNS ENGAGED <?
JPIEKCEST FIGHTING OF "WAR.
Penetrate German Lines in the
^alesaetennes Region and Press
Eastward Slowly Bat Surely.
? With the Allied Armies in France
-and Bsigiura. 4:30 A. M., Oct. 25.
^F^g^?ng which compares in flerce
;;-;^^i*te;.a2mc^t" any in. the war con
i.^fe'ei? iJironghout the nigh, north,
and south of "?a.leneiennes. Belated
? reports indicate that the British en
tered German defenses, gaining con
siderable ground, and are pressing
eastward slowly, but surely.
SJneeWfednesclay morning the Brit
4sjF.: T4uiwi Army has taken six thou
?aaa^sjp?risoneTS, the First and Fourth
Armies' have each taken twelve
hnsdrod; also, more than a hundred
.guns were captured Wednesday and
TJiursday. -
BRITISH CAPTURE MORE TOWNS.
Successful Operations Reported From
Front Below Valenciennes?Conn
tei-attack Repulsed.
Lpadpn, Oct. 25.:?The British navel
* > captured Maineg.. southwest of Val-|
= e*iciennes valley, it is announced
They also captured Vendegies-Sur
Eeaillon on the front below Valen-|
-^clennes. A German counterattack!
""was repulsed early this morning.
SERBIANS WIN YTCTORY.
rinflict Staggering Defeat on Enemy,|
Who Retreat In Disorder.
London, Oct. 25.?The Serbians
have defeated the armies of the ene
my in the valley of the Great Moreva|
river, the enemy retreating in disor
der, says the official Serbian . an
nouncement today.
fS?\ AMERICAN NAVAL GUN]
HELPING THE .FRENCH ON
OISE.
Sixteen Inch Naval Guns Used to De
stroy German Positions far Back ol
the Battle Front,
fb Witn American Army in Franc?
Thursday, Oct. 24.?American sixteen
inch guns, manned by American Blu<
Jackets, cooperating with the French j
Pegau firing on German railroad cen
ters back of the Serre-Oise fron!
Wednesday. \
AMERICANS BEATING HUNS.
.In Bard and Pers.stent Fighting
Along: the Mease ^Pershtajr'9 Mer
ive'-the Better of It. < ;
Americano, North of Verdun |
So, 1 p. m.?:Heavy Germai
-rfeoontfer attacks east of the Meuse
; were thrown back early today 03
'-Americans holding Bellen wood anc
the lines on either side. In the re
gion of^ Grand Pre west of the Meusf
the Americans' straightened lines and
captured several important ridges.
The American lines have extended be
tween ?' Rappes. wood and BantheviK?
Wo?<L ...
FKaaaiN g for victory ktng
at^kertsays.
fpf Soldiers Can Not. However.
; '? ; ??? Me ve So Fast as Hearts^
. Paris, Wednesday, Oct. "23.?The
s^eess^achieved by the. allies in the
recent.' fighting has been very great
aiid; will be pushed home to a com
plete victory,,- King Albert of Belgium
declared to a correspondent of a Par
jfe newspaper. '
?'But," he added. *'we must not for
i^ ihat our soldiers can
n'ot 'move. as quickly as our hearts.
Certainly never for an hour do I
cease to think of the day when T shall
be able to enterBrussels'-.and again
; hoist the Belgian Sag there. But we
are still 4t> to 50 miles away Crom it
and' there is * the Scheldt River to be
crossed.
'?The victories of our soldiers prove
t?ilay how right we were not to
?despair. .They-'are the, reward of a
"faith which never weakened. You'
hr.ve mingled with them, and you
know they also kept their courage, un
broken."
"King Albert also spoke of the'giant;
Cerman gun which bombarded Dun "
kirk from Leugenboom and which
3yas captured Intact- j ' The king hais
in. bis possession splinters of the last
shell fired at Dunkirk.
CHANGE YOUR C&OCKS.
DayUght Saving Law Expires Tonight
?Clocks to Be Stepped One Hour
at 2 A. M.
Washington, Oct. 2fc?At 2 o'ciock
tomorrow morning the United States
wiiVrv^?mpIete its test of "daylight,
^viSas1." Cloicks throughout thee
country will be stopped one hour. At"
the same time all trains will stop by^
oxrder of Director Generai 3f<.
and remain- motionless" fih
and then proceed oi
Bfidsh hi
CONTACT
?feed April, iSSO.
**Be fast au
.881. St
Bi6 QENERAL QOITS.
GERMAX ARMY LOSES AH) OF:
LUDENDORFF.
Resignation of First Quartermaster
General Accepted by Emperor? j
Man Who Originated Hun March!
Offensive?In Reality Chief of Staff. |
Often Described as Country's "MJK-j
tary Brain."
Copenhagen, Oct. 27.?General Lu-j
dendorff, first quartermaster general J
of the German army, has resigned,;
says a telegram from Berlin. In ac-!
cepting his resignation the emperor
has decreed that the lower Rheinsch j
infantry regiment No. 39, of which j
General Ludendorff long had been i
commander, shall bear his name.
In the resignation of. Gen. Luden
jdorff, Germany loses what often has
j been described as her "military brain.'r
Unknown before the war, Gen.!
Erich Lude.idorff sprang into promi- j
nence in the fall of 1914 as chief ofj
staff to Field Marshal von Hinden-!
ourg then a general, in the operations j
against the Russians. When von Hin- j
denburg was given the chief com- j
mand in August, 1916, Ludendorff |
was appointed first quartermaster j
general, but his position in reality has
been chief of ?staff and collaborator
with von Hindenburg.
Soon after his appointment as first
quartermaster general, Ludendorff be
gan to be * looked upon as the real
"boss" of Germany and was recog
nized as the representative of the
Pan-Germans at great headquarters.
It was Ludendorff who brought about
the retirement of Chancellor von
Bethmann-Holweg, and he was reput
ed to have been responsible for the
appointment of the chancellorship ot
Michaelis and Von Hertling, both of
whom were described as stop gaps.
General Ludendorff was reported tc
have been the originator of the plan
of the German offensive of 1918. The;
plan called for offensive operations on
the Western front which would split
the British and French armies and
compel the allies to beg for peace be
fore the strength of the American
army could be available to any great
extent. It'was planned that if the
offensive failed, then Germany would
resort to a diplomatic campaign in or
der to obtain peace.
Since the death of the German of
fensive and the successful offensive ot
Marshal Foch, reports from Germany
have been to the effect that Luden
dorff and von Hindenburg were lcs
ng their popularity in Germaify.
As first; quartermaster general, Lu
dendorff was responsible* for the offi
cial statements issued from German
general headquarters. He is the man
who has explained to the German
people how. the German troops during
the last three months have carried
out "strategic withdrawals." .
TARDIEU RETURNS TO AMERICA.
French. High Commissioner Again in
Country. 1 !
_L_
An Atlantic Port, Oct; 27.?Andre
Tardieu, French high commissioner
to the United States, who was also
recently appointed secretary for
France and America war. affairs by
Premier Clemenceau. arrived here or.
a French line, suffering from a slight
attack of -influenza. The bureau * of
French information announced that!
because of his illness, M. Tardieu J
would spend a few days here before;
proceeding to Washington.
M. Tardieu's visit it was said, ofii- j
ciariy "answered the same purpose as
the visit-^of Col. E M. House to
France," for "just as President Wilson
thought necessary under the present
circumstances to have-Colonel House,
visit France,- s^ Prime Minister Clem
encau r judged that the presence in
America, of .-a member., of his govern
ment could- only serve the necessities
cf the situation."
. It was stated that M. Tardieu
would remain- in the United 'States
j only a short, time.
[ Andre Tardieu, French high cotn
I missioner -to the United States and J
head of the French ? department of
Franco-American war" cooperation,
returned to the United States on "a
French Jiner today to resume his du
ties. . M. Tardieu has been in France
since May last .
Among -the arrivals was Henri R4-:
baud, the French conductor, engaged,
to replace Dr. Karl Muck, the InternSil
ed German, as leader of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra. \'
PARIS PRESS ^M3iENTS.
Declares German Army. Lacks Means,
to Continue Flghttnfr.
Paris, Oc%26.?The fall of V"
iennes is iniminent:
ieacy occurred,
fed Fear Bot?Dec ?13 the ends Thou Ate
rMTEK, 3. C.v WEDNES
TURKS OFFER SUBMISSION i
PLEA FOR PEACE PRESENTED TO
FRENCH AND BRITISH MIN- i
ISTERS TO SWITZER
LAND.
- ?? :?
The Pence Terms Asked Virtiiallyj
Amount to Complete Surrender on
The Part of The Turks.
London, Oct. 26.?The Turkish j
minister to Switzerland has handed!
to the British and French ministers!
to that country an offer of peace!
virtually amounting to surrender, ac-[
cording to a Berne dispatch to Thej
Daily Mail.
T?RKS G?T OFF.
GENERAL ALLEN BY'S FORCES
CAPTURE ALEPPO, IMPORT
ANT CITY IN SYRIA.
Advance Northward Would Open Road I
ti Send Help to Czecho-SIOvak
Forces?Turks in Mesopotamia in
Precarious Condition. ?. .
Louden, Oct. 27.?The city of Alep
po was occupied by British' cavalry
and armored cars Saturday morning,
savs a British official statement issued
today on operations in Syria and Pal
estine. The statement read?: ' '.
?' '?:>5 *
"Our advanced cavalry and armored
cars occupied Aleppo cn the mbrnmg
of October 26, after overcoming^slight
opposition."
The fall of Aleppo to the British is
the :-crowning event of the victorious]
campaign of General Allenby im which
he captured* Jerusalem and Damascus
on his way northward through Pales-f
tine and Syria.' Aleppo is 185 miles
no:rth of Damascus and 70 miles east
of the Mediterranean.
At Aleppo the railway line froir
Constantinople branches, one line go
ing southward to Palestine apcl the
other east and south to Bagdad. With
Aleppo in the hands of the British the
Turkish forces facing the British
army in Mesopotamia are in a more,
or less precarious position." The. rail
road from Aleppo has been their]
main source.of supply and the cutting
of the line at Aleppo renders it use
less to the Turk's. An advance north
ward from Aleppo would cut off the
Turkish forces in,Armenia and north-i
ern Mesopotamia and wouhL jp>euv
road over which to send help to <. the j
Czheco-Slovak and other anti-Bolshe^
viki forces in Russia
Aleppo has a population of about!
125,000.
VICTORY IN MESOPOTAMIA.
British from Bagdad Driving Forward
to Join Forces With Allenby at
Aleppo.
London, Oct. 28, 12.15?The British:
forces advancing in Mesopotamia' have
cut the road from Sherghet to Mosul
one of the principal lines of commu
nication of the Turks.
WAITIM6 ALLIES' PLEASURE.
IH3BEIGN MINISTER. SOLF RE
PLIES TO WILSON'S LATEST
COMMUNICATION.
Ansiver to President Sets Out
'Peace Negotiations Are Being
ducted by Constitutional Power
Whose Bands Rests Ai
Make Deciding Conclusions.
Copenhagen, Oct. 27.?Geram
answer to President Wilson's
communication says:
"The German government ha
en cognizance, of the answer
president of the United States.
"The president is aware of l]
reaching changes which have]
carried out and are being carri<
in the German constitutioi
iure, and that peace
being: conducted
ment, in whose ^
?'t at be thy Country'*, i'toj uod't *
DAY, OCTOBER 30, 19
IK ABJECT SUBMISSION. !
-
AUSTRIA WILL MAKE PEACE OX
WILSON'S TERMS WITHOUT
REGARD TO GERMANY.
The Ramshackle Dual Monarchy
Which is Falling to Pieces Eager to
End War Before There is a Comp
lete Collapse.
Amsterdam, Oct. 28.?Austria in her
reply to President Wilson accepts all
the views expressed by the president
in his note of October 19th. Austria
says she' is willing and ready, with
out awaiting the result of other nego
tiations, to negotiate peace, with an
immediate armistice on all Austro
Hungarian fronts.
HARDEST OF FIGHTING.
AMERICANS DRIVING FORWARD
AGAINST GERMANS'
STRONGEST FORCE.
They Have Concentrated All Their'
Best Troops m Meuse Region in Ef
fort to Hold Open Lines of Com
munication With Metz.
With the American Army North
west of Verdun. Oct. 27 (By the As
sociated Press).?Natural positions
for defense held by the Germans
north of the American line are prob
ably as strong as any along the entire
battle front from Switzerland to the
sea. These positions, which the
Americans are now facing, are espec
ially strong owing to the thickly
wooded districts and series of hills
? and ridges. a Taking advantage of
these natural* military positions the
Germans have thrown in strong forces
of men and brought up immense
quantities of artillery of various cali
ber determined to hold what has been
called the eastern pivot of their de?
fense line in France at any cost.
From Grand-Pre pass, where there
has been fierce fighting for nearly two
weeks the Americans face the Bois de
Burgogne and Boise de Eas, which
really are a continuation of the Ar
gonne forest. Back of these great
woods is the Forest de Boult, all bf
which forms a.splendid protection for
troop concentration and concealing
ammunition and heavy artillery. Here
the Americans are preparing for the
battle of Argonne all over again. ^
German prisoners report that the
Bois de Bourgogne is literally' filled
with, machine guns, many of them in
hills.and ridges within the forest and
even installed in trees: - Further east
'he Germans have taken advantage of
the more wooded tracts of the Bois
de Baric?urt ismd the Bois de Tailly tc
the south of which is. the Freya 'Stel
lung, which; has' been reached by the
Americans west, of Ancreville. East
of the Meuse the Americans have
more wooded districts in view of the
obseryers, the principalr one of which
is the Forest de Wrevre, along the
southern edge of which passes, the
Jttf the south of the
atre ^three. : series of
directly" facing the
I Freya Stellun
Freya Stellun1
smaller lines
Americans
olra
ie of which ; were pen
ted i^Bihursday's fighting.
.Ji
ll
oin
THE SM
>EY WITHOUT EF
REQUIRES NO ;
ad Track's."
THE TB?i
18.
BiG BATTLES PBEDiOTED
MAJOR OFFENSIVE MAY FOLLOW I
ITALL1N ^lOVE*
Although Rome Seems Careful to Re-1
frain From Describing Attack as
Drive Such Developments Would
Not Prove Surprising.
Washington, Oct. 25.?Tre sudden
ilare of activity on the Italian front
after months of almost complete quiet,
attracted quick attention today
among military officials here. It was
noted, however, that first official re
ports from Rome carefully refrain
ed from describing the actions as a
drive.
The fact that nearly 3,000 prisoners
; were taken yesterday shows the sur
prise nature of the attacks, and it
may also indicate waning morale in
the Austrian .army. Officers here
would not be esurprised if the Aus
trian forces, in view of the conditions
i at home, shewed weakness under
heavy assault.
The place selected" for the attack
indicates tha* the present operations
j may be preliminary steps to a ma
jor offensive. If the high ground be
tween the Erenta and Piave Rivers
is carried in sufficient force, observers
here 'believe it might be possible for
the Italian army, supported by French
and British units and the artilleiy anc
possibly by American troops, to reach
the valley of the upper Piave and out
flank the whole Austrian position on
the lower stretches of the river, run
ning from the Montegrappa plateau
to the sea. Immediate withdrawal of
the Austrian forces in this line would
! appear to be the certain result of an>
striking Italian success on the lines
r.ow under assault.
The Piave forms a great loop
flowing down toward the plateau from
the northwest, then swinging sharp! j
southeast to reach the sea. West o1
the Montegrappa heights which de
fleet the river's course, the Brente
flows down from the northwest anc
bends sharply south about the easterr
face of the rugged plateau. It is ir
the territory between the two river;
that the new attack has been launch
ed.
Aside from its military significance
the operation in Italy is being watch
ed closely by officials here as a tes
of the spirit of the Austrian army; Re
ports of disorders: and disaffection ii
the dual monarchy have beeh<persist
cnt for months and it is regarded a
quite- within the range of possibflit;
that the war weariness at home wil
show itself decisively at the front. Ii
that, case ih'ej^early capitulation o
Germany's "chief ?tfeutnight be expect
On the western - front the situation
around Valenciennes seemed to offi
cers here to bei approaching a critics
stage. The British continiredito- f
their way ahead and
Raismes forest cleared, th
riers to the north partial
and Mormal forest on.
\ vested it appeared
to M?ns and Maube
two forests soon wo
The French, it w
making" more- r
clearing the eriem:
Serre salient. . Po
pl?'ced German' r
tor -have been wit
British ihenace. .
Viewed from a
appeared possi
that these two
compelling sucl
enemy reserves
long line from't
that the time
S SOUTHRON, EaUNUbt? * aae,
Vol. XLVIL Wo. 22. I
FLOODS IN TIE PIEDMONT.
MUCH PROPERTY WRECKED
GREENVILLE SECTION.
LN
Manufacturing Plants Along Reed;
River Also ^Suffer From Record
Twenty-lour Hour Rainfall.
'_;
Greenville, Oct. 2u- -Damage con
servatively estimated at upwards of
$100,000 was^, caused to business and.
residential property in this city alongf
the valley of the .Reedy River*this -af
ternoon when the river, ?vollen , to a
record breaking volume by unprec*-L
dented rains in the upper section of\
the county, dashted In-a mad torrentj
through the e^'.'' vsw.eeping bridges, ]
railroad trestles, and other structt
I before it.
The Piedmont & Northern Railway!
is perhaps one of the heaviest sufCer.-f
ers. One section of 1,000 feet of road^
way was washed down or undermh
by the waters, the yard offices just
the edge of the city were washed!
away, and officials say it will probablfl
be two days before any more train*]
can be operated. The Greenville
Western Railway, which operated be|
tween Greenville and Travelers
was completely put out of comi
sion and the station in this city,
is near the edge' of the riverr
completely surrounded by water, ^
that two officials who were caught
one of the offices of the second floor
had to climb out by means of -a ladder
pen to a box car in the yards. A nuin
ber of bridges along the course -of
the river were washed away complete
ly and others were flooded.
Heavy damage was suffered by a
number of industrial plants situated
on three sides the rivers near Main
Street, buildings of the. American
chine Manufacturing Company,
Acme Loom, Reed and
Works, "Nuckassee Mam
Company and ot&eRl -"were
flooded ano^maehinlry bac
ed. A trestle which was ps
ing of the Charleston &
clina Railway and which ci
river just under the Main Street;
crete bridge was entirely des
and two box cars, one of them
with junk, were turned over,in
stream and washed down.
Large numbers" of small he
the. upper* - section: of tfie riyij
known as the "Meadowt'>
by the rising \ waters
cases* it : b;ecame nec<
wagons' into the area
out of-the" houses so
ter rise, j?irohgs; of
on the J&frn street bi
hour tonight .
I of water,
that the
vious rej
Th<