Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1918 — Page 2

LIKE OLD TIMES AT FALL RIVER

Full rigged and ready for her maiden trip, the Luther Little Is Shown sliding down the ways at Fall River. Her launching was the first of a craft of her type at that port in 40 years. She will carry a cargo of coal to South America and bring back oil. Shipping rates are so high that it is estimated that she will almost pay for herself on the first trip.

FRENCH CAPTURE FOE SPYGLASSES

German Observation Points Are Methodically Taken in Daring Attacks. HEROIC WORK OF BLUE DEVILS First Spyglass Seizure Is Credited to Chasseurs Who, In Sensational Attack, Wipe Out Powerfully Fortified Salient by Surprise. With the French Armies in the Field. ■—French troops are methodically taking away the German spyglasses. One by one, enemy observation points or advantageous positions have been carefully spotted by the French command and effectively eliminated. Though French official communiques Issued have registered merely local actions, these have had for the main objective that of snatching the binoculars from the Teuton eyes. A brief artillery preparation, a shrill whistle In the first-line trench, and the Poilus have bounded “over the top” in actions of signal importance In Alsace, north of the Chemin Des Dames and north of Verdun at Hill 344. Nearly 1,400 prisoners and valuable war material is the “by-prod-uct” of these local, strategical drives. Won by Blue Devils. The first “spyglass” seizure was that of the “Schonholz,” a powerful fortified German salient jutting Into the French lines in Alsace, serving the double purpose of German observation of the French organizations and preventing the French seeing in the direction of Altkirch. On the afternoon of November 7, after a brief but violent artillery preparation, three companies of the French Chasseurs —Blue Devils —attacked the Schonholz, completely, wiping out the salient In a fierce fight lasting into the night. - The enemy desperately counter-at-tacked, but failed, leaving in all 120 prisoners, including six officers, in the hands of the Blue Devils. Complete ’ German losses, high because of their fierce effort to retain a position which they knew to be of extreme value, were estimated at at Iqpst 600 men. The following day a French general pinned military medals on the blue tunics of two adjutants and a corporal for exceptional valor. Though there were no such medals in the district the general sent a fast automobile to find them, wherever possible, and the. little presentation ceremony in an Alsaclan village was a happy aftermath of a victory that took from the Germans priceless observations which had bothered the French for two years. The French command next decided that the Germans were seeing too much north of the Chemin Des Dames. Consequently following a brief artillery deluge, four companies of Poilus passed to the attack against the enemy lines forming a salient between the small River Misotte and the route of the German-held village- of Jouvincourt as far as the village of Ville-au-Bols. Here the enemy held valuable observation post? overlooking Jouvincourt and ground each of the Mlette.

Under low-lying clouds and in a “pea-soup” fog, the former preventing all aerial work and the latter preventing enemy observation., of the ad-* vance, the French Infantrymen, in less than an hour swept over positions on a front of 1,500 yards and penetrated to a depth of over half a mile. They wiped out the salient, took all the observatories. and captured 475 prisoners—a number almost equal to half of the entire attacking force. Six German officers and 45 under officers fell into the net The third and most important French action of November was in a region where constant hellish fighting has been the daily routine —Hill 344, on the right bank of the Meuse, north of Verdun. Here a drumlike artillery roar has never ceased, night and day,

for nearly three months. German attacks and French counter-attacks, almost daily since the latter part of August, have had small place in the communique because of their routine nature. The enemy’s positions permitted him to make constant infantry “nibbles” into the French lines on the northern flank of Hill 344, and to disturb French organization which he could see in the rear. Surprise Attack Successful. French strategy in eliminating the enemy’s advantageous positions in the region of Hill 344 has probably never been employed before in this war. Taking advantage of the conditions peculiar to the region, French guns of many calibers at 6:30 Sunday, morning, November 25, concentrated their deluge of steel on a three and one-half kilometer front opposite Hill 344. The thunder of this artillery preparation, though violent, was unnoticed amid the constant medley of air vibrations which had become a habit to German ears for almost three months. Just four hours after the beginning of the concentration of fire, screened by its own habitual noise, at 10:30 a. m. the French guns lengthened thwr range, and barraged the German rear while the Poilus went over the top. The surprise was complete. The advantageous positions which it had taken the enemy over eight weeks to gain were wiped out in not much more than eight minutes.

WIN HIGH HONOR BY HEROIC DEEDS

Recent Examples of Courage and Self-Sacrifice in British Records. , GAVE HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS < Second Lieutenant, in Face of Liquid Fire Attack, Holds Enemy Off Until Help Comes —Sergeant Who Was Born to Command. London, England.—The London Gazette, with official brevity, recently gave accounts of the heroism and devotion to duty of nine British soldiers, who have been rewarded by the highest honor the British soldier can win—the Victoria cross. The brief stories from their very reticence tell all the more effectively of thrilling bravery and of the exhibition of capacity for leadership on the part of an officer, N. C. O.’s and men. The case of Second Lieut. H. F. Parsons, who belonged to the Gloucester regiment, is one where a junior officer grasped the importance of the post he was holding, and at the cost of his own life, and despite severe burns from liquid fire, saved the situation on his part of the line. The bombers holding the „post were forced back, but Lieutenant Parsons hung on, bombing the advancing enemy, and delayed them long enough to enable a bombing party to be formed and come into action. The party succeeded in driving the enemy out of the line before they reached any of the British trenches. How long Lieutenant Parsons held the position is not stated, but we do know that he was severely burned before the situation developed and that dbrlng the timeJhe held, the enemy he received such severe wounds that he died from them. Fought Until Gun Worked. Another man who displayed the same grasp of the facts of a situation, and gave his life to hold an important post, was a Canadian infantry sergeant, Frederick Hobson. During a strong hostile counter-attack, an enemy shell exploded on a forward post where there was a Lewis gun, and buried the gun, killing all the crew but

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IN>.

one man. Sergeant Hobson climbed from his trench and ran up to the gun. He helped to dig it out and got it into, action against the advancing enemy. The post lay in a communication trench that led to the hostile lines, and the enemy were coming down the trench and across the open. No doubt the burial of the gun had something to do with the fact that it jammed and* stopped There was nothing now to hold the enemy. Sergeant Hobson had been wounded, but he told the gunner to correct the stoppage, and rushed forward. Single handed, he fought the enemy with bayonet and clubbed rifle until at last he was killed with a rifle shot. ” But his bravery had saved the situaatiori. The Lewis gun again came into action and held the enemy until re-en-forcements arrived, when the attack was completely defeated. It sometimes occurs in a difficult situation that one man will stand out as a born leader., He is the man of the party who understands the position and is quick to seize the most meager opportunity that presents itself. It is apparent that Lance Sergt. John Moyney of the Irish guards is such a man. This Irishman, from Rathdowney, in Queens county, won the Victoria cross for most conspicuous bravery and not a little ability as a leader. - He was in command of 15 men forming two advanced posts. With no water and little food, he held the position for 96 hours, though surrounded by the enemy. The morning of the fifth day, a greatly superior force of the enemy advanced to dislodge this party, which was apparently a thorn in their flesh. Sergeant Moyney ordered his men out of their shellholes, and taking the Initiative, attacked the enemy with bombs. He had a Lewis gun with his party and used it with deadly effect from the flank. The enemy got round him, but by a charge he broke through, himself leading the rush. Half-way across the path of his retirement was a stream, and the sergeant took advantage of this to cover the retirement of his men. He was helped by a Lancashire man. Private Thomas Woodcock. Between them they held up the enemy until the whole party had got across the stream, when both retired under a shower of bombs. Private Saves Wounded Man. Private Woodcock helped the sergeant by using his Lewis gun untii the very last moment. The enemy were almost right up at the post before he and his N. C. O. cleared out. The enemy were throwing bombs as quickly as they could, and the “bursts” were all around the stream. Private Woodcock was nearly clear of the stream when he heard the cries of some man left behind. A member of the party was calling for help. In spite of the bombs, Woodcock waded back into the stream and picked up the man who was calling for help. He took him out of the water and carried him, in broad daylight, right across the open ground under heavy machine gun fire; so the entire party got safely away. Private Thomas Woodcock of Wigan, Lancashire, receives the Victoria cross as does his N. C. O. lance sergeant, Moyney. Their adventure is a very fine example of the initiative and courage of the British soldier.

BACK FROM THE FRONT

Nattily dressed in khaki and bringing with her many thrilling stories of experiences on the western front in France, Miss Carolyn Stevens of the famous old ,Hoboken family, - returned to her home on a furlough of three weeks. She ha% driven supply automobiles and ambulances for more than a year and has been under fire of German guns on numerous occasions. She was on the western front when the Germans bombarded Napcy and during the artillery engagement was under fire for many hours. On one occasion while she was attending to some children, who had been overcome by gas from the German lines, her ambulance was bombed by a German aviator. - She was the first woman to drive through the newly established American camp after the arrival of General from whom she received a stirring ovation. The horsepower as used as a unit of measurement on the continent of Europe differs from the British and American horsepower by more than 1 per cent / .

WLADEK ZBYSZKO WINS HEAVYWEIGHT WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP OF WORLD

Wladek Zbyszko holding the gold belt, the token of the heavyweight wrestling championship of the world, which he won by defeating all the contestants in the tournament which just closed in New York. The “Mighty Pole,” as the new champion is known, weighs 232 pounds and stands six feet one-half inch tall. He has been endowed physically with every advantage a wrestler could ask, even to the bullet-shaped head.

SHERROD SMITH NOW SERVING UNCLE SAM

Sherrod Smith, pitcher of the Brooklyn Nationals, has enlisted in the army and is now stationed at- Camp Gordon, Atlanta. Smith is the fourth Brooklyn pitcher to enter the service. Miljus and Cadore were drafted and Pfeffer enlisted in the navy. Brooklyn is now left with only three twirlers, all of them veterans —Coombs, Cheney and Marquard.

DURACK TO VISIT AMERICA

Negotiations Have Been Concluded for Visit of Australian Swimmer to This Country. William Unmack of San Francisco, formerly an official of the Pacific A. »A- U., authorizes the statement that negotiations have been concluded for the visit to this country of Miss Fannie Durack, the famous Australian BW’immer, who holds nearly all the world’s records for women. It is quite surprising news, for only a few weeks ago cables from Sydney, New South Wales, announced the departure of Miss Durack for “somewhere at the front” as a Red Cross nurse. Unmack, however, is positive in his statement. He asserts that the Australian mermaid will land in California about June 12, and that he has already booked her for several meets on the coast. He is now endeavoring to secure dates for her in the middle West and East, so that she may tour the United States and try conclusions with the fair champions of all districts.

WILL ASSIST CAMP SPORTS

Active Campaign Started to Encourage Athletics and to Raise Money for Equipment. The American Athletic union has started an active campaign to encourage athletics at the army and navy training camps and to raise money for equipment. Charles A. Dean of Chicago, new manager of the union, is described as “a live wire carrying 10,000 volts,” and he is demonstrating his right to that title. “The biggest things are the army and navy camps,” he says, “and there is where we are going to begin.”

Cut Out Stalling Tactics.

Milwaukee and Wisconsin boxing bouts will require contestants to cut out stalling tactics in future events, otherwise the purse will be forfeited by the boxer at fault and the money given to charity. ,

JINGLES OF SPORT

“Strangler” Lewis beats other wrestlers with the bead hold. He would have a fat chance beating some ball players with the same hold. Johnny Evers ought to make a good scribe for the umpires to lay off of. St. Paul paper once wired Bill Friel, manager of the club: “File 400-word story today’s game.” Bill wired back: “Can’t cut it. I only know 200 words!” Magnates may cut salaries, but the players will get part of it back eating on the spring training trip, f.

SOLAR PLEXUS SELDOM USED

Few Boxers of Present Day Resort to Punch Made Famous by Late Bob Fitzsimmons. An old-timer enjoying a ringside seat at one of the boxing shows that took place a short time ago was heard to remark: “I wonder how it is that the present-day boxers so rarely make use of the solar plexus punch? I can remember several years ago that this blow was often employed to bring about a decisive victory.” The old-timer was right. Few boxers nowadays strive for victory by scoring a blow to the body. Like every other profession or sport that progresses, the boxing game has also progressed. The boxer of today knows that he can get quicker results by landing a solid punch on his opponent’s jaw. Besides, he doe's not have to fear getting himself into a “jab” with the department of public safety, as it rarely happens that serious .injury results from a wallop on the jaw, while on the other hand a punch to the solar plexus hurts, and hurts deep. The quick, decisive boxer is the fellow who today invariably stops his adversaries with wallops to the jaw, such as Johnny Kilbane and Benny Leonard.

RETURN OF GOLF AND TENNIS

Championships Discontinued In 1917 on Account of War May Be Resumed This Year. / Look out for golf and tennis championships next year. That’s the word which comes from men close In touch with the national associations, and it may be regarded as final. Championships were discontinued for patriotic reasons, but as the season wore on in 1917 it was realized that the matter had been a little too vividly drawn and that the holding of championship matches would not be unpatriotic, even though some of the best contestants in both sports would be unable to compete on account of military duties. The- first definite action may be expected when the Southern Golf association meets within a short time. It is expected that this association will plan for the 1918 season on an antewar basis. If this is done, it is quite likely the other associations will fall into line.

TAKES UP PHYSICAL TRAINING

Japanese Exponent of Jiu Jitsu Wrestling Here to Study American Method of Instruction. H. Okabe, an exponent of the jiu jitsu style of wrestling, will take up a course of physical work under direction of Dr. R. Tait McKenzie, director of physical education at the University of Pennsylvania. Okabe was sent as a representative of the University of Japan to study the American method of physical instruction. It will be part of the preparation of athletes for future world’s athletic competition.

JOHNNY M’TAGGART MADE GOOD QUICKLY

Jumped From Messenger to Great Jockey in Short Order. Famous Little Rider Quit Delivering. Messages to Mount Horse When Older Brother Was Incapacitated—Won His Race. Little Johnny McTaggart, considered by many followers of racing the best jockey since the great Tod Sloan quit riding the gallopers, began his struggle in the big work-a-day world as a messepger boy. Johnny was born on Manhattan Island, and from an humble beginning: as an A. D. T. Mercury he drifted into the racing game, where in four years’ time he has worked his way into the jockey major league. .Johnny* of course, got his inspiration to become a jockey from his brother, Tom*, and although Tommy is a great jock* liis younger brother has passed him in the matter of riding winners. The old saw about good horses making good jockeys may be all right, but according to Johnny McTaggart, the good jockeys can ride poor horses to victory, as he has done so many times.

Riding under the colors of R. T. Wilson, and piloting such horses as the great Campfire, which won nearly $50,000 for his owner last year, McTaggart holds the hopes and fears of those who follow Wilson’s colors every time he mounts a horse. He was seventeen years old when he first started out as a jockey, and he scaled at 99 pounds. Today, with four years added to his age, he can make 103 pounds and still be strongHis first race at Belmont Park, will always stand as one of the most remarkable performances. Johnny was at the track with his brother, Tommy, who was to ride August Belmont’S' Mission. For some reason Tommy could not. ride that day, and Johnny put on the colors to see how he would look in them. Louis Fuestal, trainer for Belmont, Intended to scratch the mare* when he spied Johnny and when Johnny pleaded to be allowed to take his brother’s place Fuestal consented and sent him to the post with the remark that “she has no chance, anyhow’.” One of Whitney’s horses, Prince Eugene, was a 1 to 8 choice in the race* and the Belmont mare was quoted in the 10s. When the horses dashed under the wire there was little Johnny, riding Mission at the front of the bunch, and then and there the A. D. T. lost a mighty good messenger boy and the racing world won a star jockey. The following year Johnny McThggart ranked first among the winnings jockeys of the country, and, although he fell down in 1915 and was second to Frank Robinson in 1916, he piloted Igs mounts to victories which brought the total of his winnings to $156,000.

JIMMY CLABBY CHAMPION FIGHTER IN AUSTRALIA

James Clabby of Hammond, Ind., has just received a letter from his son, Jimmy, in Australia, stating that he now is heavyweight champion of the Antipodes, having recently won a decision over Albert Lloyd in a 20-round contest

SPORTING JINGLES

Ban Johnson is not the most popular guy in the American league.. Ty Cobb made 225 hits this year. • Harry Gerrmann will not be candidate for chairman of the national commission in 1950. Take in a wrestling tourney if you don’t believe 400 pounds of cheese can make an awful fuss. Looks as though the International league will have a playless season in 1918. Since the Frawley lay cashed in, New York fight promoters are observing many eatless days.

Date for Penn-Cornell Game.

After a quarter of century 4he annual Pehn vs. Cornell gridiron game will no longer be staged.on Thanksgiving day in 1918. The colleges have agreed to meet Saturday, November 23, at Franklin field.