THE WEATHER
PAGES
MAIL
EDITION
Fair Tonight; Partly
Clouddy Tuesday ,
PRICE FIVE CENTS
VOL XXII. ISO. 294
ASHEVILLE, N. C, TU AFTERNOON, NOV. 27, 191
" A s he vi lie' s Livest Newspaper T o d a y ' s News T r y No t To m o r r o w E v e r y Day in the Year"
' - - ' " " ' ' ' ' ' " ' i&
,
WEEK JUST CLOSED
FAVORABLE flNETO
CAUSE OF ALLIES
Resistance of Italians and
Cambrai Offensive Con
sidered One Movement
BAKER ISSUES HIS
WEEKLY REVIEW
Increased Artillery In the
American Sector Some
Valuable Experience
Washington, Nov. 27. --"The -week
just closed has been one very favora
blo to the allied arms," says the war
department's 'official communique Is
sued today, reviewing military opera
tions for the week ending Saturday.
"The success of the British offensive
in the region of the Cambrai and the
steady resistance of the Italians In the
face of the repeated attacks of the
Austro-German forces ore two factors
which may bo considered as correla
tive elements of one and the same
movement.
"It is evident that the enemy took
the offensive in Italy, hoping thereby
to extricate himself from the Increas
ingly difficult position in which his
forces find themselves in the west.
Though the Trench and British have
both dispatched large detachments to
Italy, this has in now way hampered
the continuance of their offensive op
erations. "It is the wastage of the enemy
forces, the slow, yet relentless sapping
of his man-power by continued and
sudden offenslvn thrusts which must
eventually result in the softening of
his line in ihe west.
"The military situation is dominat
ed by the rpectneular success gained
by the British forces in their thrusts
toward Cambrai. By adopting new
taction; methods, by evolving a strat-
. egv daringly conceived and brilliantly
executed, the British forces have been
able to record a greater success, when
measured by captured terrain, than
any hitherto achieved by either bel
ligerent in the same space of time
along the western front. While seem
ingly continuing his intense artillery
bombardment In Flanders. Field Mar
shal Halg has been able to mask suc
cessfully his plans for an offensive
thrus between the Scarpe river and
St. Q..cnt!n. ' - '
"The usual preliminary ' artillery
preparation was dispensed with. The
elements of surprlso so essential to
victory played a large' part in the suc
cess gained. The British by a pre
ponderant numerical superiority in
men and mobile material, by impro
vising tho skillful tactical maneuver
ing of an unusual number of tanks,
and by co-ordinating with precision
the deployment of cavalry, made use
of theso two arms to bear the brunt
of the encounter. Infantry then was
called upon to hold and consolidate
the terrain gained. Thus ihe British
were nine to record a decided success
with very great -economy of munitions
and slight casualties. Three success
ive German lines of defense on a
frontage of six miles astride the Cam-bral-Bapaume
road Were captured,
and the Scheldt canal in front of Cam
brn.l was crossed.
J he British forces while still
pressing forward arc meeting with in
creased resistance.
"Cambrai. the center of Very Impor
tant rail, road and canal lines of com
munication, now comes under tho im-
imui.ni. ma oi nriusn tiem guns,
wnno tne rarge calibre high velocity
mid naval guns can readily search
out the country-side for three miles In
tho rear, harassing hostile territory
and rendering the continued tenure of
tho city by the enemy difficult.
"Tho numbers of prisoners enumer
ated hitherto is over 10,000, which
exceeds tho total British casualties
"While the battle for Cambrai has
resulted In so rapid and sweeping an
advantage, for the British forces ap
parently without extensive preliminary
preparation, It must not bo forgotten
that it was only made possible hy the
continued pounding of the German
lines In Flanders. In the meantime
the British havo not ceased to keep
the enemy busy In tho Ypres salient
and gains of terrain ure notni to the
" southeast.
' "Along the front held bv the French
forces, tho latter have, achieved a suc
cessful coup do main south of Juvin
court, In Champagne, resulting in the
capture of some elements of enemy
trenches and the taking of numerous
prisoners.
"In the sector where our troops are
training increased artillery activity Is
noted. Small detachments, while on
pntrol duty, have gained some useful
experience.
"The Italian armies, now completing
their reorganization, hnve been able to
withstand tho orsaults of the numeri
cally superior forces of the Austro
German divisions engaged against
them. They have hitherto prevented
any further Invasion of the Italian
plain. The enemy Is continuing his
efforts to break through. Tho line of
the Plave has held firm.- Along the
lower I'lave where hostile forces gain
ed a temporary foothold on the right
bank of the river, they were driven off
with great loss, thus rendering the
Italian positions more securo.
"Along the plateau of the Sctte
Oommunl heavy fighting Is going on.
The enemy has been successfully con-
A IRIIIOU. HI UIO luuuniniii irpjiviin
tween the head waters of the Brenta
SELECTING
IN MEANS' TRIAL
At Noon Today, Out of First 16 Veniremen Examined,
Three Jurors Had Been Accepted Questions Asked1
By Counsel for State and Defense Indicate Lines on
Which Case Will Be Fought Not Necessary To Prove
Motive, Judge Holds Select Two Farmers and Weaver
Concord, Nov. 27. Enough
veniremen of the 150 ordered
for the trial of Gaston B.
Means had been notified before
opening of court today for se
lection of the trial Jury to be
(Tiri. In addition to the special
enire 13 men were left from
is., ft -
the panel of 36 called with the !
special term, making a total of 6,
163 from which to choose tho
12 men who will decide wheth- I
er Means killed Mrs. Maude A:
King. -
Two Jurymen Chosen.
C. K. Culp, a '' farmer, the
second venireman to be exam
ined, and It, H. Buchanan, a
weaver of Concord, were
chosen today as the first and
second of the 12 men who are
to be asked to decide whether
or not Gaston B. Means shot
and killed Mrs. Maude A.
King. Buchanan was the
fourth venireman called.
Hud Formed Opinion.
The first prospective Juror
was J. F. Setzer, a barber of
Kannapolis, who was excused
because he said he had formed
an opinion that Means was In
nocent. The third venireman,
G. R. Blackwelder, a drayman,
was excused because he had formed an opinion that Means was guilty.
Tho state nsked the veniremen it' they would accept circumstantial evi
dence, and also .if they could "give due and proper consideration to the
testimony of expert witnesses" on an equal basis with other testimony .
The solicitor also questioned the veniremen whether or not they would
be "prejudiced against witnesses who come from another state to testify.
All those among the first examined replied that they had no prejudice
against outside witnesses and said they would give due weight to circum
stantial evidence.
The State's Contention.
The state will try to prove by means of expert testimony that it would
have been physicaliy impossible for Mrs. King to have inflicted in the
back of her head the pistol bullet wound that caused her death. The
usual legal questions as to kinship and business connections were asked
by the state. . - -
Questions by Defense.
The defense asked many questions
as to opinions formed and as to what
ixtent the veniremen had discussed
the case. Buchanan said he had talk
ed very little about the case except to
his wife. He was asked in detail
about what he had read, particularly
in a Chicago weekly paper.
No Motive Necessary.
The defense asked F. H. Linker, a
farmer, if he would convict Means if
the state was unable to show a mo
tive. '.-;-.-
The state pointed out that North
Carolina law does not require a mo
tive to bo shown, and was upheld by
the court.
Linker was excused by the defense,
it being tho first time either side had
used a peremptory strike.
and the Plave defensive operations
have been well conducted, and the
enemy has been unable to make any
further progress. Strategic reserves,
trengthened by allied contingents, hnve
been constituted. The moralo of the
Italian forces is improving daily and
while the situation is not wholly free
from critical aspects, the defensive
measures appear adequate to meet the
situation.
"In Palestine tho British forces un
der General Allenby are advancing
rapidly on Jerusalem. They have now
reached a point on the Ramalch road
approximately seven miles west of the
city, whHo another force is bearing
down from tho north."
TO ISSUE REGULATIONS
Washington, Nov. 27. Regulations
to govern the transmission to or from
the I nitcd Kiates of communications
not in the regular mails will be Issued
within a few days under the trading
with the enemy act.
Ship and consignees mail consist
ing of bills of lading and similar busi
ness documents probably v 111 not be
forbidden when de.tlned to neutral
countries and considers hie latitude
will be allowed commercial travelers
and other representatives of business
concerns to carry in liiggago letters
relating strictly to their business.
Most other comiminic. tions will be
forced into mall channels.
Communications to enemy or ally of
enemy countries are prohibited ex
cept by license of the war trade board.
BUSY DAY FOR
THE PRESIDENT
AVashinulon, Nov. 27. President
Wilson hnd a busy day with a cabi
net meeting and several engagements.
General Le Clerque. head of the
Belgian military mis. ion. called to
thank the president for the aid given
the mission and to bid him farewell.
William E. Gonssales, American
minister to Cuba, also was n caller.
The president played golf in the
morning,
Homes Overheated. '
Wnshlngton, Nov. V27. Declaring
American homes are overheated, the
fuel administration toduy urged all
householders to maintain a tempera
ture of not more than 68 degrees rec
ommended hy eminent American phy
slcians. With that temperature, the
saving In coal wijl go far toward meet
ing the enormous war demand for fuel,
officials announced.
JURY
si-
"?. '
GASTDN B.MCANa
One venireman went off for cause
when he announced his opposition to
capital punishment.
, Third Juro Accepted.
The third juror accepted was M. M.
Lipe, a farmer. He was the sixteenth
venireman examined.
Little Done Yesterday.
The opening day of the trial yester
day brought no more progress than
completion of legal formalities and
summoning the veniremen and late
yesterday and last night the sheriff
and special corps ot deputies scoured
the country side to get in touch with
each venireman.
The attorneys meanwhile were con
centrating themselves on. the venire
list and making ready for the task be
fore them.
USES DUTIES Oil
. Mexico City, Nov. 27. President
Carranza has issued a decree increas
ing the taxes and import dnties on all
wines and alcoholic liquors, to take
effect January 1. All alcoholic liquors
produced in Mexico will be subject to
a tax of 6 percent and wines produced
a tax1 of 60 per cent' and all
wines' will be taxed 2" ' per) cent.
Wines and alcoholic beverages of
foreign make will have to pay
a stamp tax of "0 percent nbove the
import duties Ftireign-made beer
will be taxed SO percent above the im
percent above the im -
, decree provides also
of from five to 20 cen-
port duty. Tho
for a stamp tax
tavos on corked bottles sold over eoun-
ters.
BREAD CARDS ILL BE
SSUED IN PARIS SOON
Puris, Nov. 2 7 .--Bread cards will be
if a o i
Issued shortly. They will be In form French army headquarters today,
of books . with detachable coupons, ', They were the guests of General Po.
each entitling the bolder to purchase j tain at Inncheon.-tbe French coniman
a eortiiin amount of bread. The daily der-ln-chlef. Marquis De Chambrun,
allowance has been fixed at 300 grams ) w ho was a member of the French mls
(about ten ounces) per capita. Men i ion to the 1'nited States went with tho
i engaged in hard manual labor will
'.have a double allowance.
Tho system will be applied only to
towns and cities.
Bakers win no penuittca nerearter
to bako loaves of any shape or size
they please, instead of the loaf of
standard shape and dlmcn.sions now
obligatory. It Is probable a uniform
1 price of five conts a pound for the
i whole country will be fixed for bread.
WANTS TO GET IN
TOUCirWITII ALLIES
Amsterdam, Nov. 27. Count Mich
ael Karolyi, the Hungarian opposition
lender, has Informed the Berne cor-
respondent of tho Budapest Ax list
inai me iimui unji.'i:i in iu visii in
Berne was to get Information regard
ing the feeling among the enemies of
the central powers.
"I openly declare," he said, "that I
Intend to get Into touch with the Brit
ish and French In order to explain to
them that we are neither conquerore
nor oppressors."
MOTHER TO TAKE
WITNESS STAND
Mrs. Errazuriz, Mother of
Mrs. De Saulles, Expected
To Testify at Trial During
the Day
Mlneola, N. T., Nov.
Blanca Errazuriz, mother
27. Mrs.
of Mrs.
Blanca De Saulles, was expected today .
to take the witness stand to testify in '
behalf of her daughter, who is on ;
trial here charged with murder of
divorced husband, John L. De Saulles. J
The character of t'- testimony-
r.. v i .'v c, ,:
which it is expected Mrs. brrazuriz
Will give has not been outlined. -Sev-j
eral other witnesses for the defense I to. the Bolsheviki armistice proposal northeast corner of the wood. There
are to follow her on the witnesn i d pledged -its support to the ex- j wag niuch severe fighting Monday
stand where upon a volume of expert i tremists. . . I around Moeuvres, west of the Bourlon
testimony Is to be adduced. Alienists, ! The American government has re-1 outskirts of Fontaine
-ray specialists and other men prom- ' celved the armistice notfr from the ol and in the ou skirts or ontatne
Inent in the medical profession tire to ' Detrograd government and it is un- ' Notre Dame immediately east of the
testify for both sides in connection der consideration. The ministers of Wood and toward Cambrai.
with Mrs. De Saulles' claim that she - the allied powers in the Russian cap-,. Active Around Verdun,
was . mentally irresponsible when she al. '-it is reported otticially . will de-. ; al:till..v ms bcen active in
lired the shots that resulted in the 1 'nd their passports if Kuw.ia enters ! German auillciy has been active tn
death of her former husband. -j' into separate peace negotiations. the 1 press and Verdun regions. In
There was but a fraction of thei.'' General- Kaledines, the , Don Cos- Glanders the British positions at Pass
crowd which yesterday jammed the ; sck leader, a dispatch received in..; -iChenJaeieV the northern part of the
corridors outside the court room when , London says, -is master of the skua- Pn,K(,hpr.(,plp oh,luveit rtdKe are be
h ,i, .u h.k.. n.,,n4 tion in Russia. He is m control of . 1 asschenrtaele-oneiuveit riuge ate oe-
today. Nearly all -who came to theimost ot the grain-growing territory in
place gained admission.
Contrary to prediction!), Mrs. De
Saulles was returned to the witness
stand this morning for cross examin
ation by District Attorney Charles R.
Weeks, who Is conducting the prose
cution. It was believed .Imt because of the
defendant's physical cn. ".Ition a spe
cial concession of the court would be
sought so as to postpone her-cross
questioning some days.
Mineola, Nov. 27. Mrs. Blanca De
Saulles on trial here for the murder
of her husband, John L. De Saulles,
yesterday from the witness stand told
the story of her life.
It was a story brimming with dra
matic interest. Her childhood, spent
in Chile, her meeting there with De
Saulles, their marriage in Paris, aud i
the return to the United States was
the first and happiest part of the tale.
Then came the defendant's detailed
story of the change in her husband's
attitude toward her of the trickery
to which she claims he resorted in or
der to get possession of the $100,000
which she inherited from her' father.
Instances of his alleged .infidelity
were related by the witness who spoke
in a calm, unimpassioned manner,
while the throng which filled the court
room listened with breathless Interest.
Letters which Mrs. De Saulles wrote
h0 ner husband were introduced by
her counsel with the purpose of show
ing the jury that sho had suffered from
neglect. The pathos of some of them
drew tears from the listeners in the
court room.
At tho afternoon session Justice
Manning ruled that testimony tnken In
the divorce proceedings instituted by
Mrs. Do Saulles would be excluded
from the record of the trial.
In his opening statement of the case
last week, Attorney Uterhart Indicated
the record of these proceedings would
be depended upon in large measure to
establish De Saulles". alleged mistreat
ment of his wife and his unfaithful
ness to her.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR
E
Milwaukee. Nov. 27. With the ar-
rest of a large number of suspects
early today in connection with Satur-
day night's bomb outrage which re-
; suited in the killing of 10 persons, the
j police department was hopeful that
before many hours they would securo
j something
definite on which to fasten
responsibility.
There was groun'd for the belief that
the police were hopeful of having tho
man who made the bomb in custody
shortly. The men rounded up are
supposed anarchists.
BLISS AND BENSON
GUESTS OF PETAIN
Paris, Nov. 27. General Bliss and
Admiral Benson, each accomnanied bv
tw0 members of his staff, motored to
, party. Col. Mouse and the oth"r
members of the American mission to
the inier-nllied conference planned to
spend the day in cin areT-es here
Odd Wave In New York.
Wiitertown, N. Y., Nov. 27. North
ern New York is in the grasp of a
severe cold wave, the coldest for No
vember in 1'1 years.' The official tem
perature here early today was two de-
grces above zero.
LITTLE CHANGE IN
RUSSIA! MUDDLE
Country on Verge of Civil
War Bolsheviki Trying
To Arrange Armistice
Kaledines Master Now
The situation in Russia shows little
improvement and the country is de-
scribed as being oh the verge of civil
war. Efforts of the Bolsheviki gov-
ernment to arrange an armistice con-1
tinue and Berlin and Petrograd are
reported In communication by wire-
'ess presumably in connection witn tne
peace offer of the maximalists. The
econd ,mny (m the ltussian nol.theril
front has removed its officers, aureed
inc "uu.i aim im Ba.iu n iii. hi mo nun- cut crown I'rince ituppercnt, oi ja
I sian gold reserve, reported removed i j attempted infantry at-
. from Petrograd a year before the war
'hrnk. mil. The Russian soldiers at : tacks.
the front are' reported desperate from I
hunger, due to the exhaustion of food j
supplies anu muiinies aie iu
broken out.
Forces Which Made Russia
an Empire Will Reappear
and Matters Will End as
They Should
London, Nov. 2St.-j-The Russian rev
olutionists have mads a "ghastly fail
ure" of their attempt at administra
tion, according to the Petrograd cor
respondent of the Morning Post, writ,
ing Saturday. He adds:
"But behind or beyond all this ap
parently hopeless chaos the forces
which made Russia an empire are not i
idle and those who know Russian his
tory understand perfectly well how
matters will end.
"Kven as I write the situation Is
becoming clear. The elections to the
constituent assembly will take place,
but the constituent -authority will not
meet the success of the Bolsheviki
movement, whatever the movement
may really mean, as it already has
(lainhed the constituent assembly.
"Meantime I would call attention to
the following facts:
"The vast gold reserve of the Rus
sian empire which was removed from
Petrograd to the Kremlin in 1913, was
later carried still further into the In
terior. It is in safe hands.
"General Kaledines. hitman of unit
ed C'ossaekdom, is in secure possession
with trustworthy and disciplined
troops of all arms, of all those regions
nf Kuropean Russia that produced
harvest this year and is rapidly cap-
i Hiring those remaining territories upon
which Russia relics for its daily bread,
" vast union under the name of
tne Southeast union has been formed,
t i,.irt,, the n,.n terrifm-v. a creat
,)art of Little Russia, the lower Volga
provinces and Turkestan the area
whlcn fce(ls Rusa, This union is
extending and promises to cover the:
Siberian corn land. ;
General Kaledines, holding the gold
reserve and the bread supplies, is nias
ter of the situation and those he serves
will accept dictation neither from Ker-
j ensky, Lenine or anybody else, least of
! all from Germany.
i "The allies may safely admit a
bowing acquaintance with the curious
Individualities thrown up from the
depths by Internal disturbances but for
Intimate friendship and future part
nership they must look elsewhere and
the meantime they must wait uncon
cernedly until their old friends reap
pear above the present turmoil.''
T
FROM LACK Of BREAD
London, Nov. 27. The Russian
' bread for several days, according
armv on tne nortnern rrom nas nnu
i to reports received in Petrograd and
transmuted by the correspondent of
SITUATION CLEARER
SAYS LONDON POST
the Dally iixpress and only two or '"f " """ ""-...i..t,
three davs supply ot army biscuits Is 1 forces to break through to Bassano
on hand. Tho army delegates are ; J tllp enetlan plains,
reported to have recommended , tho Staff officers and orderlies were nr
witlulrawnl of the troops in order to ; riving with reports from all vital
prevent a general flight with Its con- , points and hurrying off with orders
sequent excesses. Instead of 100 cars fur tho maneuvering of troops. The
of food arriving dully at the Dvlnsk ' general paused long enough to give a
front, only 20 have hcen received. ! good general idea of the situation and
Large numbers of troops being details of tho condition of the troops
moved to different places have been,
stopped by tho removal of sections of
railroad truck to prevent their reach
Ing Petrograd. They were stopped at
towns whore food could not he obtained,
BRITISH REPULSE
ANOTHER GERMAN
COUNTER ATTACK
.Germans Fail in Desperate Attempt to Drive
General Buna's Men From High Ground Dom
inating Cambrai Region Italians Success
fully Withstanding Massed Attacks
New German attempts to drive the
British' from their positions in Bourlon
wood and the high ground dominating
the Cambrai region have failed. Gen
eral Byng's men have repulsed an
other enemy counter attack at the
ing rjombarded heavily by the enemy
On the right bank of the Meuse
wIlere tne French gained the first and
second German defenses on a two mile
front Sunday, German efforts to at
tack have been checked by French
artillery while the enemy guns have
been bombarding the new French po
sitions. The activity of the big guns
also has been violent In Belgium and
north of the Chemin-Des-Dames.'
To Reinforce Kalians. :
French and British soldiers have
reached the fighting zone north of the
Venetian plains to aid the Italians In
their brave defense against the invad
ing Austro-German forces.
Fighting Renewed Between
Bourlonwood And Cambrai
British'.. Army Headquarters in
France, Nov. 2fi. (Delayed) (By
The Associated Press) British troops
night continued to bore their way
forward through the Hindenburg sup
port line west of Moeuvre. There was
vigorous righting at close quarters in
this region and, as a result, the British
today were in possession of a further
section of support trenches 2,(100 yards
long running east, and west just south
of Pronville and Inchy-Kn-Artois. The
British advance in the last few days
had made this section virtually unten
able anil the Germans were forced to
withdraw when pressed by a new at
tack. Fighting was renewed today between
Bourlon wood and Cambrai about
Fontaine Notre Dame, where the Ger
mans were still Installed and continued
to work machine guns from roofs and
windows. West of here at Bourlon
wood and Bourlon village the situation
remained much as it was last night
after the Germans had forced the
British out of most of the village in a
tierce counter attack which involved
still more furious hand to hand fight
ing through tho streets. Tho battle
continued here today.
The light for Bourlon wood and the
village will long be romombered as
I one of the most bitterly cont
' sanguinary vet fought along
jsh front in France. Americ;
tested and
g the Urit-
riean officers
visiting the Cambrai sector have been
thrilled at this renewal of old type
i warfare and with one accord say:
Americans Like It.
"That Is the kind of fighting Amer
ican troops would like to be in for you
Italians Fighting Against
Heavy Odds, Says General
Italian Headquarters in Northern 1
Italy. Nov. 26. (Delayed) (By the
Associated Prcss)---During a trip of
100 miles today through the fighting
zone in the north the correspondent
met the major-general In command
of the most exposed front between the
I Brenta and, l'iave rivers, where the
I pressure has been greatest and the
! losses heaviest, and obtained from
him details of the situation. As the
general spoke a heavy cannonading
resounded
through Ills nem neail-
ouartcrs and he looued out upon a
great stretch of the Brenta valley
and the splendid fight they aremak-
Ing against heavy odds.
Odds Are. Five to One.
The general estimated these odds
nt four or five to one. But his men
were fighting with a power of resist
. Between the Srenta and the Pfave
the Italians are withstanding success
fully massed enemy attacks. The in
vaders attempted to rush the defend
ing lines on the left, in the center
and on the right of the short front
between the rivers but were crushed
everywhere by the Italians.
Near Jerusalem.
British cavalry is now three and
one half miles west of Jerusalem and
is closing in on the Turkish defenses
from the southwest. The Turks are
offering some resistance and are hold
ing the Jerusalem-Shecham road to
the north in strength. North of Jaffa
British patrols have been driven back
to the southern side of the Nahr-El-Aujel.
Official Announcement.
London, Nov. 27. The announce
ment follows:
"During the night the Germans un
dertook another counter-attack against
our position in the northeast corner of
Bouiion. wood. The attack was re
pulsed. "There is nothing of special interest
to report on the remainder of tho
front. The weather is stormy and
wet." .'
Berlin's Statement,
Berlin. Nov. 27: (via. London.)
The situation on the Italian front is
unchanged, army headquarters an
nounces. The repulse of a British attack on
Burlonwood and village, in the Cam
brai area, is also announced in today's
official communication.
are in the open where you can get at
the enemy with cold steel."
The Germans have been concen
trating all efforts in the attempt to
oust the British from this elevation
which is vital for the enemy to hold
if he is to maintain himself tn the
present positions farther north and
northwest.
The British have clung tennclously
to Bourlon wood defended partly by
tanks which have taken positions at
advantageous location from which
they can work their guns. Fontaine
Notre Dame was being hard pressed
by the British at the latest reports.
Throughout yesterday this hamlet re
mained unmolested for it in no way
hampered the operations about Bour
lon wood. .
American Doctor's Work.
In a certain British casualty clearing
station on the Cambrai front there has
been working for several days a well
known New York surgeon who belongs
to the American medical corps and
volunteered his services for the pres
ent battle. Most of his work has been
done among the German prisoners
who have come to look upon this big,
cheerful officer as almost superhuman
because of several remarkable opera
tions he has performed.
Some Quick Work.
The Germans all swear by the "big
American" and treat him with the ut
most deference. H fell to the lot of
this surgeon to operate upon a Ger
man who had left tho Russian- front
only 3 hours before. It took him 24
hours to get Into the battle before
Cambrai and 12 hours later he was a
prisoner In a British clearing station.
ance, courage and dash beyond all
praise. Attacks were almost continu
ous at one point or another, but the
Italians were always ready to respond
and had not only repulsed attacks but,
driven the enemy back after a series
of heroic charges. ;
The general summed up the physi
cal conditions of the battle ground
which made the strugg! particularly
trying on the troops. First, he Raid,
there was that terrible strain of en
durance and natural fatigue accom
panying nights and days of ceaseless
fighting with the 'relentless foe. Then
there whs the extreme cold, with the
li mperature at nights at abou' 14 de
grees nbove zero, Fahrenheit. This
extreme cold was made worse, -he
said, because the men were without
any kind of shelter, everything has
been swept away in the terrific artill
ery action and tho constant shifting of
position.
No Shelter or Wafer. '
There were no trenches or dugouts'
which ordinarily give somo shelter '
and there was no water from unfail
ing sources , sue' as the soldiers
(Continued on Fag 1)