Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 43, Number 115, 26 March 1918 — Page 1

THE RICHMOND) PA1XABI

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FRENCH FEEL CONFIDENT OF HURLING RACK HUN ADVANCE Host of Million Germans Slacken Terrific Attacks Made with Heavy Loss of . Life. . FIRST RUSH IS OVER FRENCH FRONT IN FRANCE, Monday, March 25. (By The Associated Press.) Entire confidence reigns that the Germans last trump in the world battle will be over-trumped when the proper moment comes. The allied military authorities were fully cognizant that the enemy's supreme effort would cause a retreat until measures could be taken to check the irruption Into the allied positions. As always, the attackers possessed the advantage of knowing exactly where they would launch tiieir ont laught, while the defenders were compelled to await development of the battle before meeting the onrush with counter measures. Offensive Slackens. There is every, sign in today's situation that the terrific attack, in which apparently somewhere in the neighbor hood of one million Germans of all arms are engaged, is being slackened. The resistance of the allies seems firmer and the arrival on the scene of French reserves, sent up to the southern flauk, brought welcome support to the British, who sustained the first powerful rush. The German divisions, which began what evidently was intended to be an Irresistible forward movement were so cut up that they were replaced by fresh formations. It in these divisions which have been checked at the positions on which it was foreseen bv the allies' general that a stand would be made. Territory Devastated. The e round over which the fighting has taken place possesses small tactical Rlue but it permitted the allies to retire in perfect order. It had been devastated by the Germans before they retreated last year and the inhabitants had not had time or means to build it up again. While retiring across what was almost desert land, the British Inflicted enormous losses on the enemy, who threw away thousands of lives in an effort to overcome the resistance he encountered. When the retiring British reached the Somme and the canal, they turned about pnd gave battle, meeting repeated and long-sustained endeavors of both infantry and cavalry. The initial rush of the enemy seems to have been stopped. -Military opinion generally is that this first phase of the great battle, In which even more . troops were employed than in the battle of the Marne, gives no indication what the result will be. Nevertheless, developments are awainted by the allies without anxiety. American Patrol Boat Founders on East Coast PLYMOUTH. Mass. March 26. While proceeding to this port during a heavy fog early today a government patrol boat struck a 'edge off the Gurnet Lighthouse and went to the bottom after all hands had been taken off by coast guard crews from south shore stations. There were twenty i men in the crew and all were landcd safely. The boat began to leak immediately after striking and four shots were fired at 4:45 o'clock with four others fifi-f;i minutes later. The signals caused great alarm along the shore and crews from Brant rock and Burnet put out at once. The landing of the men was reported by the commander of the latter station ho notified naval authorities at Boston that the vessel which was 133 feet long, had sunk at S:50 o'clock. Tanks Assist Germans on St. Qaentin Front BERLIN. Monday. March 23 Via London German tanks, reinforced by raptured British tanks, says a semiofficial statement today on Sunday's fighting in the west "took a leading part in breaking the brave enemy rehitpnoe." Tank? attached to the German divisions fighting below St. Quentin s'rod the test brilliantly, the statement says, and their mobility was universally praised. All the tanks which took part in the fighting are said to have returned undamaged. It was mainly due to the intervention, the statement continues, that the tenacious resistance of the British, especially the machine gun nests, was broken quickly. Troops manning a concrete redoubt near Orvillers are reported to have been overpowered immediately by the tauks. THE WEATHER For Indiafia by the United States Weather Bureau Cloudy, probably snow or rain in north and rain in south portion tonight and Wednesday. Todays Temperature. ' Yesterday. 36 Noon

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Washington is Alarmed at Fate of 2 Regiments of A merican Engineers WASHINGTON, March 26. Two regiments of American railroad engineers are attached to the British armies in the path of the German onslaught on the western front and three companies, as yet unheard from, were employed near the Crozat Canal where German official statements mentioned engagements with American troops. This Information, cabled the war department last night by General Pershing, while definitely disposing of r3ports that Americans had been sent into battle, caused no little anxiety regarding the fate of the engineers, wLo have not reported. Engineers Fought Before. Officials recalled that engineer detachments, caught in the German counter-attacks on the Cambrai salient some months ago, took an active part in the fighting and suffered several casualties. Based on official statements from London, Paris and Berlin allied and American army officers here today, advanced the opinion that the German offensive appeared to be slowing up under the British system of defense. They regarded the battle as having entered its second stage with the Germans facing increased resistance, but j the outcome of this stage, they believed might not be discernable for several days. Major General March, chief of staff, summed up the view of the American military observers, when he declared that the war department saw no cause for alarm. INVADERS WAIT FOR MORE MEN (By Associated Press) BRITISH ARMY HEADQUARTERS IN FRANCE, March 26. There is reason to believe important events will be recorded within the next few hours which may lead to a betterment of the position of the armies which are stemming the German onslaught. The enemy is fighting desperately hard against time. On the first day bis reserves were reduced to 52 divisions. At the end of the second day some 40 divisions from, the reserves had been put' in. A heavy German attack yesterday about Ervillers was completely smashed by the Eritish artillery fire. Fight Along Whole Front The fighting continued with more or less intensity along the whole front. Heavy fighting occurred about Grecillers, and a desparate conflict was waged in the vicinity of Nesle, which the Germans now hold. The enemy also attacked strongly In the direction of Noyon, but met with strenuous resistance which appeared to stem the advance. A further massing of German tfoops was reported at Peronne and north of Bapaume, both of which the enemy now holds. Bapaume was turned into an infefno by squadrons of British aviators. Their bombs tore to pieces what was left of the place. The work of "the British air men since the beginning of the battle has been one of the brightest pages in the history of the war. Bitter battles in the air have been fought by scores of aviators, and the service has proved fully its ability to smother a German airman at a crucial time. Stepmother of Riley, Former Resident Here, Dead at Indianapolis Mrs. Martha Lukens, stepmother of James Whitcomb Riley, the Hoosier poet, is dead at the home of her sister. Mrs. II. L. Collins, in Indianapolis. Mrs. Riley formerly lived in Greenfield and after the death of her husband. Captain Reuben Riley, lived in Richmond before going to Irvington. The funeral will be held at Greenfield Wednesday afternoon. The poet was very fond of his step mother and often praised her cooking He provided an annuity for her after the death of hia father. j four Slain bv Mexicans I r uur '"'"Jy in Clash With Bandits MARFA, Tex.. March 2G Glenn Nevill. IS years old. was shot seven times and two Mexican men and one Mexican woman were killed in a raid by Mexican bandits on the Nevill South ranch, 43 miles south of Van Horn. rex., at iz:ju ociock this morning. Reports to district military headquarters here early today told of the casualty. Fighting between United States soldiers and Mexican raiders is reported.

'Organize America9 is Plea of Editorial Addressed to Wilson

Under the caption "To the President," the Chicago Tribune editorially todav says: The lesson of the German drive is organization. No one can impeach the valor of the British soldier. There was no German propaganda at work back of the British lines. The preponderance of numbers thrown upon the Brit ish front does not alone account for German success. The key of victory is organization. This is a war of organized might, a war of machinery, a war of preparation. No nation can wield its full strength save by the most far reaching and thorough preparation. It Is worse than futile to rely now upon the elevation of our principles, our purity of motives, our designs for the federation of, nations, our appeals for universal peace founded upon law and transcendental justice. Germany relies upon force. Her will to conquer and to rule will surely prevail unless we oppose force with force. The answer to her cannon is our can

SEN. LODGE DENOUNCES DELAYS IN WAR WORK Senate Debates Subjects Connected with War and Hear Arguments on Compulsory Service. x

SAYS CRISIS IS GRAVE WASHINGTON, March 26. Stirred by the menace of the great German offensive, the senate spent today s de bate almost entirely on subjects con nected with the war and heard Senator Lodge of Massachusetts deliver a de nunciation of the delays which have prevented greater force from the Pnited States being placed beside those of the allies in the critical hour. An impassioned plea for speeding up productions especially of coal was made by Senator Thomas of Colorado. "The situation at this time," said he, "is graver perhaps than at any time in our history. We need ever resource to tell them we are coming five million strong with our treasure, our coal, our ships and our food." Advocates Military Service. Compulsory military training was advocated by Senator Lodge of Massachusetts, who urged adoption of the amendment to the draft law introduced by Senator New of Indiana providing i for the training- of boys between the ages of 18 and 21 years. Senator Lodge characterized the sit uation now confronting this country as terrible, and urged that the American people be told the truth. Discuss Wood's Report. Recommendations that America's fighting forces be increased to four or five million and that half of them ba concentrated In France as soon as pos sible, were before the senate military committee today in the form of a confidential statement, submitted by Major General Leonard Wood. Fresh from a visit to the western battle front, the general appeard before the committee yesterday and for three hours frankly discussed the situation in Europe and at home. Believes Offensive Futile. The general declared, his auditors said, that allied military opinion was unanimous that the German offensive would fail despite the fact that the Germans on the western front are numerically superior to the allies, both on the ground and in the air. The allied armies, he said, are in a better position than their adversaries. The committeemen admitted that General Wood said the French are disappointed in the size of the American army thus far sent to Europe. Senator Chamberlain, of 'Oregon, chairman of the committee said General Wood favored tiie maintenance of a force of 2,500,000 in France at the earliest possible moment and a similar force in training in the United States. Another committee member asserted the former chief of staff, advocated an army of four million, half of which should be put in France as soon as possible. New Hits Program. Senator New, speaking in the senate today declared that instead of 12.000 combat airplanes being delivered in France by July 1, as provided in the original airplane program, the number will amount to only 37. "I agree that this is not the time to discourage the American people, said Senator New, discussing the airplane ' situation "but this is no time to mis lead the American people in view of the great task that is ahead of us." Senator New called attention to a statement accredited to Secretary j urtjvcj on rru. -i. uuuuiis mm as sav- i in? v. ..,,...;,. : i nif, iim .imn iMii .inyiaut':i were being sent to Europe ahead of schedule, ar.d five mnnlh piaising the progress being made on the Liberty , ...... . . x . . ,, I r.ubmit that statement is wholly misleading and perilously so," said he. "The people are entitled to know the truth. If we can't tell them the truth lot's don't feed them on statements of that kind, if we are to win this war." SWEDISH STEAMER INGEBORG RELEASED BY GERMANS STOCKHOLM, March 26. It is reported that the Germans have released the Swedish steamer Princess Ingeborg. non, to her organization and forethought is our organization and forethought. They are the only answer. In the name of America's safety, in the name of America's honor, in the name of America's cause, Mr. President, organize the full strength of this great nation. More than two years we drifted toward the abyss without lifting a finger to prepare. For a year we have been at war, yet we are behind in almost every major of our preparation. We are behind with our ordnance. We are behind with our food supply. Wre are behind with our air craft. We are behind with our ships. Our allies have been calling for months and we are not ready. The chief cause is not hidden. It should not be hidden from you. This is a war of supreme organization, a war of supreme industrial and military organization. We are not supremely organized. There is arduous effort, but it is frustrated by malorganization, Continued On Page Ten.J ;

PARIS, MARK OF FOE'S CONCEALED MONSTER GUN. OFTEN A TROPHY IN MIGHTY CONFLICTS

The history of Paris, which is now ( being bombarded by a German gun seventy-six miles away ana wmcn i one. of the objectives of the present German offensive, has been a stormy one. almost since its beginning. Stormed in 493 by the Franks, it be-j came a few years afterward, in 06, the residence of the Merovingian king, Clovis. During the Carlovingian period, the city was practically adandoned and Aix-la-Chapelle became the capital. In 861 Paris was ravaged by the Norsemen and a siege of thirteen months, which followed, failed. In 1420, after the treaty of Troyes, the English held Paris for a time, finally relinquishing it. In 1594 Henry Continued On Page Eight. Mystery Gun" Employs New Explosive Gases, Cannon Experts Believe GENEVA, Monday, March 25. The long range guns bombarding Paris, ac-i cording to u Vienna dispatch received j here are of Austrian manufacture, hav-j ing been built at th'i Skoda factory, j The gun itself is not new, but its novelty comes from a new type of shell and the explosive gases useo. in me gun. There are said to be only two or three of these guns. LONDON. March 26. In the "mystery gun," the name generally given to the weapon with which the Germans are bombarding Paris ffcm a distance! estimated at 75 miles, it is frankly conceded by experts, the enemy has snrung one or tne greatest surprises of the war. General Sir Drsmond OCallaghan formerly president of the army ord nance committee, says of the German ! eun: - ,,,,, i,ODn ' 1 ilv pivjt-viiica iuubi h . .... .f,,! nnoiknt j have any knowledge ol'' From Fans nas come inn eugscsuuu thaf 1h. extraordinary range of the : o A in nroipctile beine Dro-! vided with a second enargej un-u eplcdes when the first stage of the flight is completed, giving it a fresh impetus. This theory is scouted by General O'Callaghan. wiCHTvriTDV March 26. The German mystery gun was first identified as probably being an Austrian Skoda, in Associated Press dispatches from Washington last baturday. Ordnance exDerts of the allied mis-' sions, on reading of the long range! bombardment of Paris, declared that. if the shells actually were oemg thrown bv a Clin, it undoubtedly was the Skoda, as that was the only gun; i : "U 1 r.nnl. lrnntney Knew oi, BV Thev riirt nor Von range development They d d not con - sider. however, the possibility of the Slr!-bnTevHanenwas " of distance by a nesv gas. Girl LndS tier Lite by Jumping Into Cistern CENTERV1LLE, Ind.. March 26.-1 Mildred Bowers, 22 years old, was ; drowned in a cistern at her home, I north of here, Tuesday morning. It j is believed that despondency over ill j health prompted the act. She was the . daughter of Mr. and j Mrs. Edward Bowers. She bad been j in ill health for over a year, and suf- j fered a nervous breakdown, due to j overstudy in school. j Tuesday morning she rose early and was walking in the yard. Her mother J missed her. Upon finding the body In j the cistern, Dr. Edward W. Fouts j of Richmond, was notified, and he, j with Ed. Miller, fire chief, and Ser-! geant Roy Wenger, rushed the pulmotor to the home. She was a graduate of Centerville high school, Angola college and Richmond Business college.

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The shaded part of the map shows the territory gained by the Germans in their big drive and it is seen to be a recovery of much of the land

lost when they retired a year ago. their line to a depth of from four . -. T i CP D fluKl 4111 11 f i I -

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Answer to 1 WASHINGTON, D. C, March 26. The third Liberty loan, to open April 6. will be for $3,000,000,000 and all , ... t ... , , bearing 3Vi cent interest and of the second . be converteJ . bonds, but those of the third loan will not be convertible into any future issue. This annnimrpTTiftnt was made by j Secretary McAdoo with the comment that "the great events now happening in France must fire the soul or every American with a new determination to , a and a ,he m v. resources of America that are ! d To put nd to the execrable j atrociUes Qf Grman militarism." In connection wiih the loan the secretary plans to establish a sinking j fand with "hich to purcha5!:' GERMANS FALL SHORT OF THEIR OBJECTIVES LONDON, March 26 Copies of the German plan of offensive taken from prisoners, according to the British headquarters correspondent, show that the enemy's objectives were as follows: First day average penetration along the whole front of attack, eight kilometers; second day, twelve kilometers, and on the third day, beyond which the scheme does not appear to be carried, twenty kilometers. The success attained thus far falls much short of these objectives, the dispatch states.

bouth of Arras to nine miles. they have extended , ..X. . f r Kaisers Offensive bonds of the third lean thrown upon the market in order to aid in keeping the price up to par. The maturity of the bonds is yet to be determined, but it was officially stated that they would be long term, probably between twenty and thirty years. Halts Increases in Interest. Other features which will be settled as soon as congress passes the necessary authorizing legislation are the length of the campaign and the terms of payments on the bonds. Most financial observers were surprised at the comparatively small size of the loan and at the interest rate, both of which they had expected to Continued On Page Seven.

British Destroyer Cuts German Warship in Half Off Dunkirk

LONDON. March 26. In the engagement between allied and enemy destroyer squadrons off Dunkirk last Thursday, the British destroyer Botha cut a German warship in half and took a leading part in the fight, although the w-as crippled by a shot. Last Thursday morning the British destroyers Botha and Morris and the French dc-stroyers Capitanie Mahl, Magon and Bouelier were patrolling the eastern waters of the English channel when they heard enemy ships bombarding the coast of Dunkirk. They fired star shells which had the effect of silencing the bombardment and scattering the enemy. The destroyers started in pursuit

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HUNS HELD BRITISH BORDER BY ON OF SOBBE Germans Fighting Against Time Allies Expect Betterment of Position Within Next Few Hours. MAY STRIKE BACK SOPH (By Associated Press) Although still giving ground at certain points before the desparate German drive, the British and French armies engaged In the great battle in Northern France are preserving their united front intact and apparently are waiting the opportune moment for the delivery of a counter blow to dispel the German dream of wwld domination. Big events are impending in the immediate futu-e, at any rate, and the advices from the front indicate that these are expected to develop favorably to the allies within the next few hours. All accounts agree that Germany is paying heavily for every foot of ground that she has wrested from the allied armies. Her casualties are shown by the British official statement to have mounted 60 high that every part of the western front has had to be drawn upon to provide the badly reeded reinforcements for the battle area. 800,000 Men in Service. Field Marshal Haig's reports reveal that more than 70 divisions of between 800,000 and 900.000 men have already been engaged in the battle on the German side, and that the wide spread call for fresh troops makes it plain that the fighting forces are being rapidly used up in the terrific and costly onslaught. Forty divisions of German reserves are reported to have been thrown into the lines as early as the second day of the battle. The rearward movement In the face of the Teutonic attack has now brought the allied armies wel Howard the edge of their former battle lines in the Somme area and in the devastated region to the southeast New British Line. Field Marshal Haig reports the new British line drawn somewhat to the east of Albert and Roye. Paris indicates the French fighting front as extending southward from Chaulness past Noyon, which has been evacuated by th.3 French, and then running eastward along the southern bank of the river Oise. The German troops have been reported as rapidly retiring from their breathless plunges into the Entente lines and they evidently were forced to take a breathing spell last night opposite the British front, as the London noonday statement reports the fighting to have died down. This morning, however, fresh forces probably had been brought up and the attack was resumed south of the Somme in the Roye and Chaulness areas. Ready for Counter Blow. It is in this sector and in the Noyon region that the German wedge is being driven in hardest, and it is here or on the line to the west should the Germans further expose their left wing, that the weight of the expected counter blow may fall. The Frefch on their line are holding the line of the Oise strongly. Their artillery is cutting huge swaths in the German columns and the French infantry is making frequent counter attacks inflicting heavy losses upon the Germans and retarding their advance. British resistance to the mighty German blow apparently is stiffening. The Germans, despite the new masses of reserves which are being hurled into the battle line continuously are slowing up on some parts of the attacking front before the defense of Field Marshall Haig. Slow in North and Center. On the extreme north and in the center, the German progress has been appreciably slower, while around Bapaums, on the old battle field of the Somme, and east and north of Noyon, the enemy has made gains, but only at the cost of a fearful toll exacted by machine guns and artillery. The fighting on these sectors continues of the most severe character. Southeast of Arras, the British line has yielded only about three miles at the greatest depth since Saturday. Immediately west of Somme, south of Peronne, the Germans suffered heavily in forcing a crossing of the river, and seemingly have not been able to adContlnued On Page Twelve. of the Germans in a northwesterly direction and discovered eventually that the enemy ships were making for their base. A grim ight ensued, according to the 6tories of eye-witnesses. German Ship Sunk, None of the German torpedoes found a mark, but the Morris emerging from an enemy smoke screen made by a German destroyer of a large type, torpedoed her at a range of 500 yards. , There was an explosion in the enemy vessel and she sank Immediately. . Meanwhile, the Botha had . been crippled and she began to lose her Continued On Page Seven.