HefaliJ
VOLUME 37. SMITH FIELD, N. C., FRIDAY. APRIL 5, 1918.
Number 28.
FIGHTING RESUMED
ON WESTERN SECTOR
GERMANS STRENGHTEN
LINE AND RENEW ATTACKS
The Enemy Launched Heavy At
tacks Thursday South of
the Somme.
GAIN GROUND ON FRENC H.
Make Furious Attack on a Nine
Mile Front North of the
Amiens-Noyon Road.
(News and Observer.)
Paris, April 4. ? German troops
numbering well over a hundred thous
and delivered a terrific attack to
day against the French along & front
of nearly nine miles from Grivcsr.es
to north of the Amiens-Roye road.
They were met with a storm of fire
from the French guns, and although
the assaults were repeated time after
time, they succeedd in gaining only a
small section of ground.
The French retained Grivesnes,
but the Germans occupied the villages
of Mailly, Raineval and Morisel.
The announcement by the war of
fice tonight of this new offensive al
so says that by a powerful counter
attack the French made progress at
this point.
London, April 4. ? South of the river
Somme the Germans launched heavy
attacks early this morning on the
Bitish and French forces, says a
statement sisued this evening by the
British w: r office. On the British front
the enemy made progress in the di
rection of Hamel and the Bois de
Vaire.
On the French front, immediately
on the right of the British, the Ger
mans, according to the statement,
gained ground in the angle between
the rivers Luce and Avre.
May Be Beginning of Enemy's Great
est Effort.6
Washington, April 4. ? Renewal of
the German assaults against the
British and French lines in Picardy
today indicated to military observers
here that the Germans, having gath
ered strength during the lull of the
past few days, might now be ready
to launch their greatest effort. Some
officers think the allied commanders
realize that only the first phase of the
gigantic battle has passed, and that
this probably accounts for the fact
that no extensive counter-movement
has been undertaken as yet.
It is pointed out that the previous
record of the German high command
argues against any possibility that
it would be content with minor strate
gic advantages already gained by
their' costly enterprises. The battle
of Verdun continued for months be
fore the Germans admitted their ob
ject was unattainable.
THE DAYLIGHT SAVING LAW.
Full Text of the Law Which Went
Into Effect Saturday Night.
An Act to save daylight and to pro
vide standard time for the United
States.
Be it inacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the Uni
ted States of America in Congress as
sembled, that, for the purpose of es
tablishing the standard time of the
United States, the territory of con
tinental United States shall be divid
ed into five zones in a manner herein
after provided.
Sec. 1. The standard time of the
first zone shall be based on the mean
astronomical time of the seventy-fifth
degree of longitude west fromGreen
wich ; that of the second zone on the
ninetieth degree that of the third zone
on the one hundred and fifth degree;
that of the fourth zone on the one hun
dred and twentieth degree; and that of
the fifth zone, which shall include only
Alaska, on the one hundred and fif
tieth degree. That limits of each zone
shall be defined by an order of the
Interest Commerce Commission, hav
ing regard for the convenience of com
merce and the existing junction points
and division points of common car
riers engaged in commerce between
the several States ai:d with foreign
nations, and such order may be modi
fied from time to time.
Sec. 2. That within the respective
zones created under the authority
hereof the standard time of the zone
shall govern the movement of all com
mon carriers engaged in commerce
between the several States or between
a State and any of the Territories of
the United States, between a State or
the Territory of Alaska and any of
the insular possessions of the United
States or any foreign country. In all
statues, orders, rules, and regulations
relating to the time of performance
of any net by any officer or depart
ment of United States, whether in
the legislative, executive, or judicial
branches of the Government, or relat
ing to the time within which any
rights shall accrue or determine or
within which any act shall or shall not
be performed by any person subject
to the jurisdiction of the United
States, it shall be understood and in
tended that the time shall be tne
United States standard time of the
zone within which the act is to be
perform ed.
Sec. 3. That at two o'clock ante
meridian of the last Sunday in March
each year the standard time of each
zone shall advance one hour, and at
two o'clock antemerdian of the last
Sunday in October in each year the
standard time of each zone shall, by
the retarding of one hour, be returned
to the mean astronomical time of the
degree of longitude governing said
zone, so that between the last Sunday
in October at two o'clock antemeri
dian in each year the standard time
in each zone shall be one hour in ad
vance of the mean astronomical time
of the degree of longitude governing
each zone, respectively.
MANY NAMES ARE THE SAME.
One Hundred Thousand "Smiths" List
ed in Allotment Files in Bureau of
War-Risk Insurance.
There are more than $100,000
"Smiths" listed in the allotment and
allowance files of the Bureau of War
.Risk Insurance of the Treasury De
partment ? 1,040 John Smiths, .200
John A. Smiths, 1,560 William Smiths
and 200 William H. Smiths. It takes
110 card index trays and a good-sized
squad of filing experts to keep track
of all the enlisted men in the fighting
forces of the country who answer to
the name of "Smith."
There are more than 2,000,000 cards
in the allotment and allowance files of
the Bureau of War-Risk Insurance,
and because of the great repetition of
certain names Secretary McAdoo has
asked all soldiers and sailors to give
their full names, not initials, in appli
cations and in correspondence, and to
write all names in a clear, legible
hand, printing them out rather than
using script.
Full Name and Address Necessary.
There are 262 John J. O'Briens in
the files and is 50 cases the wife's
name is "Mary." There are 15,000
Millers and 15,000 Wilsons on file in
the bureau. There are 1,000 John
Browns, and 1,200 John Johnsons. It
is not enough to say "George Miller,"
for there are 1,040 of these, nor is
it enough to say "George J. Miller,"
for this is not unique. The full name
and the complete post-office address
are both necessary to identify a man.
Soldiers and sailors are therefore
urged to give explicit complete care
ful information concerning their
names, post-office addresses, and rank
and organization at time of applica
tion, in their applications and in let
ters addressed to the bureau.
Aab First Name on List.
The honor of holding first place in
the alphabetical card catalogue sys
tem goes to Clayton Aloysius Aab,
second-class seaman, now somewhere
on the high seas on an American bat
tleship. He is closely pressed, how
ever, by Earl Olaf Aabel. The names
then runs by the hundreds of thous
ands all the letters of the alphabet
and end with Joseph Zyny.
The importance of clear, legible
hand writing is strongly emphasized
by the Bureau of War-Risk Insurance.
Allotment and allowance awards have
sometimes been delayed by baffling
signatures, by imcomplete addresses,
and by failure to notify postal author
ities of removal. In correspondence
with the bureau and on all applica
tions, names and addresses should be
printed, rather than written in script.
? The Official Bulletin.
Too Late for this Issue.
For some reason our Clayton let
ter did not reach us until this morn
ing. This makes it too late for this is
sue. We regret the omission, but when
Uncle Sam's mails fail to bring let
ters to us or time, we cannot help it.
GETTING READY FOR I
ANOTHER BIG BATTLE
EITHER SIDE MAY TAKE
OFFENSIVE AT ANY TOOL
The Feel inn Prevails That An
other Great Hat tie WW Soon
He Raging on Somme.
ENTENTE'S TROOPS EAGER.
After Respite of Several Days
They Want to Get at The
Enemy Again.
The papers for yesterday morning
carried the following Associated Press
War Summary:
Although the fighting activity along
the entire front of the new Somme of
fensive remains slight, there still pre
vails the feeling that soon again bat
tles on a large scale will begin, and
with the allied troops after the respite
of several days strongly arrayed in
battle formation and eager to tost
their strength against that of the
foe.
From the Somme to the Oise river,
along that portion of the battleline
which bulges out toward Amiens, A il
ly and Brettuil, the big guns of the
opposing side have opened in duels of
great proportions, and it apparently is
not unreasonable to assume that eith
er side at any moment may take the
offensive with their infantry in re
sumption of a battle which r.inks
among the greatest the world has ever
seen.
Since the beginning of the present
week there has been no marked
change in the alignment of the oppos
ing sides from Arras southward to
Chauny. The fighting has lacked the
sanguinary claracter of the previous
days, owing in the part, no doubt, to
the extremely bad weather conditions.
Neither the Germans nor the allies
have been idle, however, for daily there
has been going on a reinforcement of
stragetic positions, both in man and
gun power for the coming engage
ment upon which it is conceded so
much depends for the victors.
In the vicinity of Lens artillery
duels of intensity have been revived
on some sectors and in Belgium at va
rious points reciprocal shelling con
tinues. In both these regions, however
the infantry has kept to the trenches,
except for patrols and reconnoitering
purposes. An American sector has
been heavily attacked with gas.
In the Italian theater there still is
no indication of when the expect- d big
battle between the Italians and the
Teutonic allies will burst, but daily
there is increasing activity all along
the front.
Along the various fronts the fire
men of both sides are keeping up their
intensive activity, bombing positions
behind the liner, searching out troop
and transport movements and en
gaging in aerial combats. The French
war office reports more than 13 tons
of projectiles having been dropped
on German railroads and cantonments
at Ham, Chauny and Noyon, also in
the region of Roye in the Arras front.
The Austrio-Hungarian foreign
minister, Count Czerin, in an address
to the Vienna municipal council has
declared that Austria-Hungary did
not intend to go begging for peace,
"but to enforce it by our moral right
and physical strength."
RED CROSS GIRLS HELPED TO
DIRECT MILITARY TRAM l< .
Paris, April 2. ? Girls attached to
one front line unit of the Rod Cross
made a fine record in the recent Ger
man offensive.
At Roye they took over the direc
tion of military traffic. One girl in
gray uniform standing at the four
corners directed columns of {runs,
cavalry, supply wagons, and troops,
thus preventing a terrific jam.
The unit had been located at Grey
court, a few miles back of the lines,
doing reconstruction and relief work,
when the offensive began. They
were the last women to leave several
towns before the Germans entered,
and were on duty in half a dozen
villages, widely separated, when
word came of the German rdvance.
They aided hundreds of refugees to
the railheads, and established a tem
porary kitchen in one town, feeding
250 British soldiers who had not
eaten for hours.
Show your patriotism by contribut
ing to the American Red Cross.
VI llir C \1MTAL OF BANS Kit.
Fine Speech Made by K. \N . Herrinj;
on War Situation. Death of Jesse
W est. Age (j."> Years. Death ?>f a
Five Year Old Child. Personal
Items of Interest to Many.
Benson, N. C., April 4. ? Mr. Seth
Creech who is in Chapel llill arrived
last night and will spend a few days
here with his parent*, Mr. and Mis.
J .Willis Creech.
Miss Kthel Hege, of Winston-Sal
em, left this week after spending se\
eral days here at the home of Dr. and
Mrs. J. F. Martin.
* ii'~f Henry and Mrs. Henry spent
Monday at Buies Creek with re'a'.ivts
|Ui d friends.
Mr. O. C. Hill went to SumVr 1 San
tiny and returned Monday.
( apt. J. W . Goodrich was tak ? i to
Rui-ky M.mnt to a hospital Tuesday
morning for treatment.
Miss Flora Canaday, of Raleigh,
sfxjnt a few days here recently with
her sister, Mrs. O. A. Barbour.
Mr. J. M. Henry, father of our
townsman Chief Henry, is quite sick
at his hi-mo near here for the past
few days.
Miss Maybelle Cobb, of the Benson
School Faculty, is in Fremont this
week with relatives who are sick.
Mr. Lausie Hodges was discharged
recently from service at Camp J; ck
son and returned home yesterday.
Mr. J. F. Blackman, of Camp Jack
son, was here Sunday spending the
day with Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Henry.
Judge W. S. O'B. Robinson, of
Goldsboro, was here for a short
while yesterday talking to his friends
on business matters.
Miss Nettie Anderson, of Raleigh,
was here for a few days recently vis
iting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.
W. Anderson.
Mr. and Mrs. Uriah Britt are vis
iting relatives in Bentonsville town
ship this week.
Sheriff and Mrs. Turlington, of
Harnett County, were here Sunday
spending the day with Mr. and Mrs.
Eli Turlington.
Mr. Eli Morgan left yesterday for
Norfolk where he is enlisted in the
here with his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Jesse I). Morgan.
Messrs. Claud Canad.iy and J. F.
Lee were visitors to Fayetteville yes
terday on business matters.
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Johnson, of
Oxford, were here a few days re
cently at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.
A. Johnson.
Misses Dixon and Kerfees, of the
School Faculty here, recently spent
a day or two at Camp Sevier, Green
ville, S. C.
Mr. and Mrs. L. Gilbert, and L. Gil
bert, Jr., were visitors to Smithfield
Tuesday.
Mr. W. E. Barbour, of Four Oaks,
was here Wednesday on business mat
ters.
Mr. Cleon Austin, of Clayton town
ship, was here for a short while Tues
day on business.
Mrs. Pat. Moore has gone to her
home at Wendell after spending sev
eral days here with Mr. and Mrs. M.
A. Peacock.
Miss Annie Laurie Wicker spent
Sunday at her home in Elon College
visiting relatives.
Miss Myrtle Ashcraft spent last
Sunday with relatives in Florence,
S. C.
Mr. Nady Ennis, who has been in
the hospital at Fayetteville, for the
past several days has returned heme
much improved.
Mr. Haywood Dixon continues sick
at his home a few miles west of Ben
son.
Willie Norris, the five year old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George
Norris, of Elevation township, died
last Friday night of meningitis and
was buried Saturday afternoon at St.
Mary's church. The little girl had only
been sick for a day or two and her
death was a shock to her friends and
relatives.
Miss Ida Wilkes.whp has been hold
ing a position with the Farmers Com
mercial Bank, left Monday for Slo
eum, where she has accepted a po
sition.
Mr. and Mrs. Darius Duncan, of
Raleigh, are hero this week spend
ing some ttma With Mrs^Sarah Duncan
and Mr. and Mrs. Claud Canaday.
One of the finest speeches which
has been made during the war was
delivered last Tuesday night by Hon.
R. W. Herring, of Fayetleville. Mr.
Herring is a splendid speaker n?d
has a clear in-sight into the real
causes of the war. It is to be rcgrct
THE SPIRIT THAT
WILL WIN THE WAR.
Prominent Johnston County
Farmer Offers Wheat Crop of
1917 and 1918 to (Government
at Its Own Figure. Will Use
Corn Bread Himself.
Raleigh, April 4. ? Evidences of the
patriotism of the great body of North
Carolina farmers are continually ap
pearingly. No more ringingly patriotic
and inspiring communication has
come into the office of the North Car
olina Food Administration than a
terse letter from Mr. Walter Rand,
a prominent farmer of Johnston
County, who lives on Garner, Route 1.
Every word of Mr. Rand's letter is
worth reproducing. Here it is:
"Mr. H. A. Page,
Raleigh, N. C.,
"Dear Sir: ?
"I saw in yesterday's paper that
the breadstuff of the French soldiers
had been cut on account of the wheat
shortage. I have about (50 bushels of
fine wheat (raised on my farm) that
the government can have at their own
figures delivered anywhere they say
at any time. I have about 75 acres in
wheat this year and as soon as that is
cut they can have every grain of it
except enough to plant another year.
We will eat corn bread and guaran
tee not to use one dust of flour."
WALTER RAND."
Needless to say Mr. Page was high
ly pleased with Mr. Rand's letter.
"This is the spirit that will win the
war," he declared.
U. S. TO CONSTRUCT GUN
HURLING SHELL 105 MILES.
Washington, April 1. ? The United
States Navy Department plans to con
struct a long-range gun capable of
carrying 105 miles.
It will be developed along the so
called subcaliber plan.
This embodies the creation of a
large gun of big caliber and the in
serting therein of a tube for a
smaller caliber shell.
Secretary of the Navy Daniels is
understood to be favorable to putting
the plan into execution as soon as
possible. On the other hand, some
navy authorities believe such a gun
would be of no military importance
and would mean an inhuman warfare
upon civilians such as America has
never sanctioned.
However, it is the intention to go
ahead with the sub-caliber gun and
probably it will be used eventually
to fire into Berlin, in retaliation for
the long-range firing upon Paris.
Such a gun is bound to be more or less
inaccurate, and only valuable as a
means of retaliation.
Military authorities who were
frankly skeptical when the Paris
bombardment first occurred, now ad
mit it is possible to develop a gun
which would shoot 105 miles.
To do this it will be necessary to
develop a tube longer than any now
used by the United State. The
longest gun is a 16-inch, on one of
the new dreadnaughts. This is about
65 to 70 feet long, but the new gun
would develop a muzzle velocity for
the shell of 5,000 feet per second,
as against a velocity of 2,600 feet
per second, which is about normal.
It will be necessary to provide a
special powder which burns ex
tremely quickly.
It is likely that only one ? or at
least only a very few such guns will
be produced. ? Baltimore American.
Bradley-Holt.
Mr. Andrew L. Bradley and Miss
Mittio Holt went to Ooldsboro Tues
day evening, April 2nd and were mar
ried.
Mr. Bradley is a member of Co. D,
120th Infantry at Camp Sevier. Mr.
Bradley was in the first contingent
to leave Smithfield last fall and went
to Camp JackRon, and later transfer
red to Camp Sevier.
ted that a larger crowd did not hear
his speech.
Dr. J. A. Martin, of Lumberton,
was here for a few days recently
visiting his brothers Drs. W. T. and
J. F. Martin.
Mr. Jesse West who lived near Han
nah's creek died at his home last
Monday afternoon and w.s buried
Tuesday. He was past sixty-five years
of asre arid bad been in feeble health
for several week s. His remains were
buried at Hannah's Creech church of
which he was p. member.
. . ?
I TO INCREASE NUMBER
OF SECOND DRAFT
Army Officials Expect to Have
3,000,000 lTnder Arms
Within a Year.
MANY MORE TO HE CALLED
President is Resolved That Re
inforcements Shall He
Poured into France.
Washington, April 2. ? President
Wilson's decision to place all the mili
tary resources of the nation, includ
ing' its deep reservoirs of man-power,
at the disposal of General Foch and
the Entente Allies for use when need
ed in the campaign against Germany,
is being followed by definite plans for
putting more men in France at the
earliest possible moment.
Not only is it the purpose of the
President, as Commander in Chief of
the Army, to rush all troops in train
ing over to Europe as rapidly as it
can be done consistently with the safe
ty of the great movement of men in
volved, but it is the plan to hurry
along the second draft and increase
the size of the second call to the col
ors. Several weeks ago is ".vas an
nounced that the basic number for the
second call would he approximately
800,000 men. It is understood that
plans have now been made for nenrly
doubling the number cf men to be
drafted during the next twelve
months.
Tho statement was made today that
during that period the number of men
to be drafted will probably be much
nearer 1,500,000, bringing up to more
than 3,000,000 the total number of
men put into military training by the
Government including the regulars,
National Guard and national army
units.
A report was current late this af
ternoon that General Crowder, the
Provost Marshal General, had been
called upon to supply a much larger
number of drafted men in April than
had been expected prior to this time.
When General Crowder was asked
whether the quota for the second call
had been increased beyond 800,000 and
he had been called upon to furnish
more this month than had been con
templated, he said that he had re
ceived no new orders, and that any
inform; tion regarding draft plans
would have to come from the War De
partment or from Major Gen. March,
the acting Chief of St^fT.
The aggregate strength of the
American forccs now abroad and at
home, on active duty and in training
camps, is between 1,500,00 and 1,
600,000 men. This includes regulars
stationed in the Philippines, Hawaii
and Panama and at Continental posts.
It also embraces all branches of the
service, combant and non-combatant.
? The New York Times.
Death of Mr. I. J. Eason.
On Friday night, March 29, 1918, the
death angel came to the home of Mrs.
I. J. Eason and hore away her beloved
husband. On Friday nipht, March 22,
1918, just as he was retiring, he was
stricken with paralysis and was not
able to leave his bed again. He was
Sixty-two years old.
He bore his suffering with much
patience, and remarked several times
that he would soon be at rest.
On the second Sunday in March he
joined the Missionary Brptist church
at Live Oak and was to have been bap
tized the second Sunday in April. But
the death angel called him before he
was baptized. Still we feel that he is
asleep in Jesus and is at rest.
Just before his spirit passed away
he shook hands with his loved ones
and begged them to meet him in a
better world.
His funeral was preached by Rev. R.
R. Lanier, and his body laid to rest
in the family burying ground. All was
done for him that physicians and
loved ones could do, but none could
stay the icy hand of death. He had
finished his work and went to receive
his reward.
He leaves a wife, five children, three
brothers, and two sisters besides
many friends to mourn for him. But
they do not mourn as those who have
no hope for their loved ones.
FRIEND.
P. S. The deceased was a brother
of Mr. W. M. Eason who lives near
the Smithleld Cotton Mills.