THE VOL. V ν»., ; ; ■ ..fc, Jj.fr'-fAjr *·'· ι·- ··"·-;·*^y-kr ϊ;-λ| · ·-·· '·;·^Ι ...,.; .w-l.-- Vi CRUCIAL MOMENT OF WAR IS NOW NEAR AT HAND. CrMUit Billlt of War of Tvll Re trMt of CtnaiBi Eip4ct»d WltK· I- > WmL Waihlngtnn, 8ept. 11.— Behind the apparent loll in the battle in Fran'" events *rr awiftiy Khapim: for oper ation· of crucial Importance in th* opinion of official* here who arc keop ln« in clou* touch with dovelotimonl* Thotf observers believe η wa-V'a tim* will *e* either th* jrrc*te«t Iwt tlc of th· war In pr'nrr·»* alnnp th* old llind*nburg line, or the enemv ο train In full retreat toward th» D. U Irian frontier refuting to meet Poih» forte*. There i· evidenee that the (remian high command may plan further ex tensive withdrawal* in order to *hor ten defeiultf liar* and aaae Iho strain upon Gerwian'i waning mon power. There ia now little doubt that it was lark nf fighting effective* that forced the enemy to ah'indnni all he had gained In hi* drive of this year and narrow hi* front. Unoffi cial a*tlmate* from France say the German* have left hahind them Hur liut the withdrawal more than 300,. 000 prim· fighting men. killed bad ly wounded or prisoner*. Thi« H in additior t» the heavy Intact in the frontal attack* by which the en.-my early in the *viramer drove hi* way toward Pari· and the channel port* With *uch lowaa a» the»* draining the rank* and with Ameriran troop· pouring into Franc· at the rate of tOO.OOO a month. It would not (ur-j pria· officer· here If th« German lea-1 a m*ch shorter front th· old Kiml*-ti-| dera hav. b*«n compelled to fix upou; bars line a* one which would offer any hope of itayine th· Aille*' on ward march. Preparing to Quit Dosai. Unofficial report· from Dunkirk, where Allied air patrols are bax-d, in dicated that the preparation* to evacuate Douai, northern commtnne of the Himlenburg arch Id Fraser, are well advanced. Thr Allied air men alao are aaid to have scan the onaoty airdromes and aviation sta tion* fifteen mile* beyond Douai be ing hastily evacuated of heary mu te rial From other tourte* come re ports that the civilian populations of tha towaa In Otmu hand· ia this· Ifftga are being driven out, a etcp wnicn Biwty* procrara ■ wnnarvwni by the enemy. There Is Uttlc doubt in the mind! 1 of officer· her* thai Douai enuld be huM only at gnat coat if the British ' are unt forward to take ft. Already |1 Sir Douglai Haig's men have a firm ' hold astride the line between Dou.ii ' and Cambrai and observer* helirve ' ' it will be little abort of a military mi racle if the enemy out of the confus ion unavoidable in hit swift retreat |' can organiie a defense for Doom, ; Cambrai, St. Quentin, or La Fere which ran resist successfully the full weight of the allied armlet. If three towns fall, the llindcn burg line troea wit hthein. probably a lone 'ta whole length, it Is said. Foot by foot Ui« French have forced their way around the northern aide of Jut Fore, while to the south French and American troop· have rhtnj: to their hold on the height# kIjovi* Vaux Villian against repeated counter-at tacks. Another mile of aavar»cc . here, and juat to the south, will put Gerteral Mangln's men actually on: the northern end of the Chaiain draj Dames, the bridge that gusraj t .an η from the Franco-Ameriean force· > long the Aisne. Call Up»· Wounfletf A* to the straits In which me Gcr j man leaders And thema«fce« for men, further information reacheo Wash ington today. Official iflspatrhes from Frame said orders have been isMird by the German cur/imMit·! in' get wounded men back into thai rank· even before fcomplete cur.·» have been affected to employ at once ; German prisoners released by th:' Ruasian· even though they had not fully recovered their strength and health, to torn cavalry intn infantry (o All gaps in the ranks. tuner order·, the dupâtes*· un.. direct that at certain interval· in1 rjuiet «cctorm an Austro-Hungarian ! division H« placed between two Oar man divUlon* or that Aoatrian eold nm b· riiatrlbutad in Qcrman re«i menta In a proportion of sixty to a company to make op the fall com pany strength of about 250 men. Those advieea alao atato that the re duction of the battalion «trtngxh to tiirM eovipanioa Inatead of four, pat into affect in at leaat eight enemy di vision», wa« larfaly far the purpose of making good loaaaa id company and itoncommlaaionad offlcera. A children'e Piatrt Day will be oh Hrvtd in the Erwtn Park at Duke Saturday afternoon All children under fourteen yean of a«<· are invi ted to participât». Several pria·* will be liven away «6 the wlnnrra in the varioaa contesta which will take plaça. Miaa We«tray Rattle left Wednes day far Oreatuboro wfeore ah« will enter the (Mata Normal Celiac·. MANCIN'3 TROOPS FRKSS AITLR HUNS. Now Practically i> tlx Old Trancha» of 1917 B«Iwmn AUna and OU·· With thw FTcach Amy in Krwirc. Rrpt ember β. (By Thr A»' «elated Pit·*·.)—The I roopi» nf Ocnornl Mtn gin hrlwvrn th" Aisnc an.I the Oiuc nver» now arc virtually Iwhind their old wire entanglement» in their old tranche· ·>» 1017. AU alonj; the cdfro of th* fore«t »f Uoucv and through the viilcrn horn til ihe St. Gobuin for*··! the Cftrmant m-j only two hundred yards nwav at.it It. Wjmii place* they are in portion» In the old Hlndenburc Una. whiifc arc piaiulv visible from the hcitrht. we -t of Cha teau Couey. The Oimt-Aian* Canal anil the nv ar Ailette thnt runt bi-twe-'H the height* and the CLxuteau and which form· a aort of «dvunord poit of their imam line *ix mile* farther baek at Fre»ne* ware not abandoned voluntarily, bot wrratcil from the en emy after a atrugg'e of Ave d*y«, :lur nu which 1vt tii.i ι · Γ , division* tried to hold off a tm>.l u;·." The Krench troop* were obliged to face thai Ml·- >·'. ι· I-: i:> >-f yarda In order to cto»* th» Oi··· Αι»ηι· cunjl m,.' Se viver V·ί lettr. Ρ oneeta tlie.>wi,·;'. '*rr.ir* r ».*·* . the Canal seventeen yard* wide «α:* fer*d not unly from the quirk-Avit but were in pood range of German grenade*. It required two day* to advane* to the Ailette from th* vil. lag· of Bunt-Saint Mun! and foar day* to gain Λν· hundred yard* of ground. The machine gunr were moased thickly ell along the Canal m frost jf QJ.t..'>' ·.· :. The French «ngluocn* finally *ue reeded· in brtdglntr the Canal ι»id oeor the Η rat bridge an enraged ffer geant charged the German· around a machine *'Ui -τ·-:·.Ι·ιη : :-d i.-igH· handed mad* twelve of tbem prt» tun Sufh _ waa th.* work thnt wfnt on Both' along tfte riVer oMd lay exhausting German'* Uni div siona. Twenty-4wa