VOLUME 37.
BRITISH WITHSTOOD
TERRIFIC ASSAULT
Line Bent Back at Points in Fri
day's Fighting.
KAISER SAW THE ATTACK
THAT HIS BIG ARMY MADE
Purpose of German Assault Was
to Regain Old Hindenburg
Line Lost Last Fall.
The big: offensive of the Germans on
the Western Front continued all day
Friday in its terrible fury. The follow
ing sumnu.ry by the Associated Press
in Saturday's daily papers tells the
story of the day:
In a battle that has rivaled in fer
ocity any that has preceded it during
three and a half years of warfare
the British, on a 50-mile front, have
withstood a great German offensive
in its initial stages. At some points
the British line has been bent back,
but not as much as had been expecieu
by military experts acquainted with
the forces the Germans had brought
up and the power cf the puns they
had upon and behind the line.
As a result of the struggle on that
part of the front just west of Cam
brai, where the fighting was appar
ently hottest, the British line has no
where been broken and Field Marshal
Haig's men have inflicted frightful
casualties on the enemy.
As an indication of the sanguinary
nature of the fighting the Berlin for
eign offices states that 16,000 men and
200 guns have been captured. This
may be compared to the British loss
es in the German counter-offeusive on
December 4, 1917, when 6,000 men and
100 guns were captured.
The first reports of infantry fight
ing were indicative of an attempt on
the part of the Germans to drive
wedges into both sides of the Cam
brai salient, isolate the British troops
farther east and regain the Hindcn
burg line, from which they were driv
en on November 22, 1917, by General
Byng's sudden blow. Subsequent dis
patches, the plan of the German gen
eral staff. The fighting on the rest of
the 20-mile front was but a side is
sue to the terrific onslaught aimed
at Gauche wood and Lagnicourt, the
south and north bases of the salient.
Bent Back Two and Half Miles.
There is no data upon which it is
possible to estimate the success at
tained by the Germans to the south,
but names of towns where the armies
were battling on Friday show th^t on
the northern side of the salient the
Germans bent the British line back
about two and a half miles. It was
reported that St. Leper was the scene
of a hard struggle and that Diognies
had been retaken by the British.
The concentration of men and ar
tillery on the British front, as shown
in official reports, demonstrates that
the Germans are making a determined
effort to smash the British front. For
ty divisions, or about 400,000 Teuton
ic troops, are in the fight. The total
number of cannon the Germans are
employing cannot be estimated, but
unofficial reports say that there were
1.000 guns on one small sector. Aus
trian and Bulgarian troops have made
their appearance on the British front.
Kaiser Saw the Attack.
The attack was launched under the
eyes of Emperor William, Field Mar
shal Von Hindenburg and General Lu
dendorff, the three guiding spirits of
the German war machine. The French
report fighting in various sectors, es
pecially in the Champagne and in Lor
raine.
Hostilities are not limited to the
front in France, but the Italian bat
tle line is beginning to show signs of
activity beyond the ordinary. An Aus
train attack in the Frenzela valley
was checked by the Italians after an
advanced post had been taken. The
Frenzela river is a confluent of the
Brenta and a drive there would be
for the purpose of gaining a foothold
on a road to the plains of northern
Italy.
American cannon have continued the
terrific pounding of the German lines
in the Lun^ville sector and raiding
parties have found that the German
trenches there have been demolished
So complete is the evacuation of the
German first lines that an American
patrol crossed No Man's Lrrd without
artillery assistance and without be
ing fired on by the enemy.
THE MATTER EXPLAINED.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
BONDS AND WAIt STAMPS.
Mr. Gilbert T. Stephenson Explains
Difference. Says People Want to
Know in Order to Invest.
Winston - Salem, March 23. ? To
show the exact difference between
Liberty Bonds and War Savings
Stamps, also the similarities, advan
tages and purposes of each, Mr. Cil
ler; T. Stephenson, director of ser
vice for State Headquarters for War
Savings, has prepared a short and
concise article in which he explicitly
sets forth the characteristics and
merits of each. Mr. Stephenson says
that he found this article necessary
for the reason that on his trips
through the State he finds men who
have money to invest who want to
know just the points of difference be
tween the stamps and the bonds.
Mr. Stephenson points out first
wherein the bonds and stamps are
similar. He says that each was issued
to help finance the war and is a prom- ,
issory note of the Government, that
the payment of each is secured by the
taxing power of the Government,
that each bears the same rate of in
terest, are non-taxable to the same
extent and that each may be protect
ed against loss or destruction by reg
istration.
Their main differences lie, he says,
in that the unit of the bond is $50
while the unit of the certificate is $4
plus a few cents; that the bond ma
tures in an indefinite number of years
while the stamp matures January 1,
1923; that the bond is not redeemable
before maturity, except at option of
the Government, while the stamp cer
tificate is redeemable at any time,
upon ten days' notice, that the bond
is negotiable while the certificate is
not.
As to the advantages of the two,
he says bonds enable one to make
large investiments in Government se
curities while the certificates give
this privilege to the small investor;
the bonds enable long-time invest
ments while the stamps provide for
one to get his money back at once if
necessary. The bond provides the
best collateral security obtainable.
The stamp enables one to make small
investments at convenient intervals.
The purpose of the Government in
issuing the bonds was to secure large
amounts of money immediately for
war purposes and to allow itself plen
ty of time to pay back the loan. In
issuing the War Stamps the Govern
ment's puprose was to increase the
number of Government bondholders,
to make it possible for small inves
tors to buy Government bonds, to
get money into ciculation, to provide
against the financial depression after
the war, and to encourage economy
and thrift by making and investing
in a patriotic enterprise.
A Little Child Led Them.
It was a moment when every nerve i
was tense. Captain David Fallon, a
returned British officer from France, 1
wounded fifteen times in battle, had ]
just finished his thrilling address, <
and pledges of $1,000 to the War- i
Savings Stamp Campaign had been i
called for it. Little Donald C .Warlick, .
bright and attractive, about five years j
old, had apparently heard every word j
the speaker had said. He had just
squared himself on the top of the al- <
tar railing, a second or a third time, j
when the request for $1,000 pledges s
was greatly emphasized. His hand \
shot up instantly. The audience was j
silent. At first it was thought a mis- ^
take, ? th:tt tho boy did not under- <
stand. Before an exclamation could be y
made, his father, Mr. Jesse Warlick,
of Hickory, said: "Take his name. I'll j
stand by him. I'll see that every cent j
of it is paid." After this pledges 1
were easily taken. Before the meet- j
ing closed $30,000 in pledges had ^
been signed. Meanwhile, an aged min- (
ister in the audience arose and said:
"Brethren, 'And a little child shall (
leat them." ? Ex.
The Germans, continuing their ad- i
vaiiv-c in southern Russia, have cap- i
tured the city of Ochakov, 41 miles 1
northeast of Odessa. The Germans (
are also continuing their invasion fur
ther north. Chaotic conditions are 1
reported in northern Russia, where i
the people are fleeing as best they i
may from the invading Teutons. (
BRITISH WITHDRAW
TO NEW BATTLE FRONT
British Swept Back West of St.
Quentin.
THE ASSAULTS CONTINUE
WITH GREAT FIERCENESS
British Taking Up New Prepar
ed Positions As The Enemy
Pushes Them Back.
The battle on the Western front con
tinued Saturday, the story of which
is told in the Associated Press War
Summary as follows:
Assaulting the British lines on the
south the Germans have forced their
way forward over a frontage approx
imately 21 miles in length, have pene
trated to a depth of four or five miles
west of Cambrai and have reached
Ham, west of St. Quentin, a distance
of about nine miles west of the Brit
ish lines, as they stood before the in
ception of the Teutonic offensive on
Thursday.
i ne lierman claim that the forces of
the central empires are fighting on a
line northeast of Bapaurae, Peronne
and Ham has not been substantiated
by British official dipatches, but the
British reports show that there has
been a retirement at various points,
especially at St. Quentin, where Field
Marshal Haig says his forces have
taken up their new positions and are
heavily engaged with the enemy.
According to a Berlin official dis
patch "a considerable part of the Brit
ish army has been beaten", but this
is not borne out by any facts so far
known. That 25,000 men have possibly
been captured by the Teutons may be
considered as a natural result of the
slow British withdrawal on various
parts of the line. This number, how
ever, is very small in comparison ic?
the forces Haig has thrown into the
fray.
The great offensive has developed as
its salient features an apparent des
perate effort to break into the south
west of St. Quentin, drive a wedge be
tween the British and the French and
push on across the Sommc canal in
the general direction of Compiegne
and Paris.
Simultaneously Paris has been bom
barded at quarter-hour intervals, be
ginning Saturday forenoon, with shelfs
of about nine inch calibre. The source
of the bombardment has not been re
vealed. The nearest point on the front
is 62 miles distant, more than twice as
far as artillery fire has ever reached
previously. One theory suggested is
that the Germans have developed an
aerial torpedo which can be fired from
a long distance.
Compel British Retreat.
There was an admitted break in the
British line in the St. Quentin region
late Saturday the Germans forcing
their way through the defensive sys
tem and compelling a British retreat to
prepared position within the area de
vastated by the Germans in their re
treat in the spring of 1917.
This new line also is now being at
tacked by the Germans and news dis
patches filed from the front late in the
lay indicated that the vghting already
was heavy in the vicinity of Ham.
which report this a penetration of
some nine miles for the Germans. Ham
s approximately 11 miles southv/est of
St. Quentin.
A supreme effort by the Germans to
'ut the line in this region is forecast
n the dispatches. They have put cav
ilry in the field to follow up the in
'antry and evidently intend to throw
-he Uhlans into the fray when the in
fantry columns open the breach the
German high command is counting
ipon.
Further north the British lines, while
hey have drawn back, are holding well
n their new positions. The maximum
British retrogression there seems to
lave been about four miles, at Morcy,
vhich has changed hands several
imes.
Reports that the French have be
?ome involved in the struggle seem
?redible, as the recession of the British
?ight flank, which was resting approx
mately upon LeFere, at the river Oise,
vould inevitably carry with it the
^rench left, which has retsed upon the
Dise.
The advance is being accompanied
>y a terrible slaughter of the Ger
nans, who in their massed formations
ire being cut to pieces by British guns
all calibres. The British casualties,
GERMAN KAISERUN
COMMAND OF FORCES
Masterly Retirement of General
Haig's Main Army.
MORE THAN A MILLION
HUNS IN FIGHTING LINE
Allies Are Optimistic. Germany
Claims Large Gains in Pris
oners and Guns
All day Sunday the battle rrged
with German army pushing back Brit
ish troops. The story of the day is
thus summarized by the Associrted
Press :
The withdrawal of the British forc
es along the battle front in France
was long ago planned in the event of
the Germans attacking in great force.
This announcement comes from the
critisn iront tnrougn tne Associated
Press correspondent, who describes
the operation of the British army as
a masterly withdrawal, made possi
ble by gallant shock troops in the
front lines, who checked the advance
of the Germans, while artillery, ma
chine gun and rifle lire worked ap
palling slaughter among the masses
of Germ: n infantry as they were
sent forward, thus enabling the main
body of the British to fall back delib
erately and without confusion.
This army, it is declared, has been
conserved and up to the present very
few counter-attacks have been mide
against the Germans. Where the Brit
ish have stormed the Germans' newly
acquired positions they have driven
them back. But each mile of advance
makes the bringing up of supplies to
the German artillery and infantry
more and more difficult, and unques
tionably the British strategy, as dem
onstrated since the beginning of the
great attack, is to let tjae enemy, so
far as he may, wear himself out
against a powerful defense.
Both British and French forces,
where their lines meet south of St.
Quentin, are watching events with op
timistic eyes.
On the battle line in France the
sanguinary struggle still is going on,
with the British troops on most of
the sectors apparently holding their
own, but with the Germans at salient
points still pressing forward.
The town of Chauny, southeast of
St. Quentin, situated on the road to
Compiegne, the gateway to Paris, has
been occupied by the Germans and
according to the Berlin official com
munications, everywhere between the
Somme and the Oise rivers the Ger
mans are pressing their advantage.
Throughout Sunday along the en
tire 50-mile battle front the fighting
never ceased for a moment, and where
too, have been heavy, and Berlin
claims the taking of 25,000 prisoners
and 400 puns.
Kaiser in Command.
Emperor William himself is in com
mand of the German armies fighting
this battle which he has previously de
clared would be the decisive one of the
war, and London commentators credit
him with assuming this post with the
aim of going down in history as the
victor in the greatest conflict in the
world's history should the Germans
win, as their leaders have boasted
they would.
Despite the advances made by the
Germans no less of confidence on the
allied side in the ultimate outcome is
apparent. "Serious, but not alarming"
is the view London takes of the situa
tion. Attention is largely centered now
on the St. Quentin thrust and the next
big developments are looked for to
come from that sector.
River Jordan Crossed.
Tho great battle in the west has
caused all other news to become of
minor importance by comparison, but
considerable interest attaches to. the
announcement of a further British suc
cess in Palestine, where General Allen
by's troops forced a crossing of the
river Jordan and are fiphting their way
eastward after successfully bridging
the stream.
Besides the mysterious bombard
ment of Paris, the city was subjected
to its first daylight raid, carried out
shortly after 8 o'clock Saturday
morning. Bombs were dropped at scr
1 ral points by the few machines, fly
ing at an extremely hiph altitude, i
which succeeded in penetrating over
the city. A number of casulties result
ed.
ELEVATION CITIZEN DEAD.
Mr. William Henry Lassiter Died
Sunday in His 73rd Year. Was
Confederate Soldier. Member
of Primitive llaptist C hurch
for More Than Forty-Five
Years.
Mr. William Henry Lassiter dini
quite suddenly at his home in Eleva
tion township, .Sunday morning about
5:30 o'clock, of acute indigestion. He
was taken ill Saturday night and lived
only a few hours. He had been in
i tt er feeble health for the past few
yecrs.
He was buried at the family grave
yard at his home yesterday after
noon in the presence of a large crowd
of relatives and friends who gather
ed to pay a last tribute of respect to
their loved one and friend. He leaves
behind a widow and two daughters,
Mrs. John King and Mrs. J. W. Lang
don, and one son, Sir William Lassi
ter, to mourn his death. He also
leaves two brothers, Mr. John W.
Lassiter and Mr. W. A. Lassiter, and
one sister, Mrs. W. B. Hobbs.
William Henry Lassiter was the
son of the late Alfred Lassiter and a
grandson of old "Uncle Billie" Las
siter who died about 1875 at an ad
vanced age. He was born on Christ
mas Day in 1845 and was in his 7.'5rd
year. He had been a faitful member
of Clement Priimtive Baptist church
for more than forty-five years, being
a deacon of the church most of that
time.
He was a brave Confederate sol
dier and served through the entire
war, surrendering with Gen. Robert
E. Lee at Appomattox. He was a
good citizen, friend and neighbor and
his passing will be greatly missed.
He was kind to those about him and
was always found at the homes in
the community where there was sick
ness ministering to the needs of
those who were suffering. He was of
an honest and sturdy race of men
whose word v/as their bond and whose
uprightness of character was prover
bial. He was faithful to his church,
always being found in his accustomed
place when he was able to be there.
A good man has gone to his reward.
Field Marshal Haig's men were un
able to withstand the terrific on
slaughts delivered by greatly super
ior forces, ground was given, but al
ways in orderly fashion.
More Than Million Germans.
It now has been definitely ascer
tained that considerably more than a
million Germans have been brought
to the western front in an endeavor
to crush the British army holding the
line from the region of Arras to the
south of St. Quentin, but it daily be
comes increasingly evident that the
enemy in his drive has met with op
position not counted upon and been
unable to realize to the full his objec
tives.
In addition to Chauny, the Germans
are claiming the capture of both Pe
ronne and Ham, and to have increased
the number of prisoners taken to
more than 30,000 in addition to GOO
guns and large stores of war mater
ials.
In their retirement, according to
Berlin, the British are burning towns
and villages behind them. This state
ment, however, seemingly is capable
of being received with reserve, as the
Germans themselves in their famous
"strategic" retirement left little
standing in the territory they evacua
ted, even denuding the country of
trees.
Long Distance Gun Mystery.
One of the mysteries of the offen
sive which now has been solved is that
the shelling of Paris is being done
by a longe-range Gorman gun. This
statement is container! in the Berlin
official communication and a Paris
dispatch says that one of the guns
has been located near Laon, about
7 f? miles from the center of Paris.
Throughout Sunday morning and into
the mid-afternoon shells were drop
pod in Paris at intervals of from 12
to 20 minutes.
Already the spirit of boastfulness
which pervades the German army in
times of success is being strongly
manifested. Field Marshal Von Ilind
enburg has complimented the Gorman
emperor on the "initial success" and
the latest German official communi
cation is loud in its plaudits of the
German h'oops, declaring that "the
attacking spirit of the infantry could
not have been exceeded."
BRITISH FORCES ARE
FIGHTING FIERCELY
Heavy Fighting Kept l'p All Day
Long: Monday.
ALLIED FORCES FALLING
BACK IN FINE ORDER
Germans Sustain Heavy Losses
While They Claim They Have
Taken Many Prisoners.
The assrmlt of the Germans on the
British forces on the Western front
was kept up through the day yester
day. The story is briefly told from the
Associ; led Press Summary in this
morning's News and Observer:
Battling for every point of vantage,
giving ground only when overwhelmed
by numbers and exacting a frightful
toll of lives for every foot of ground
1 J 1 I V n -. ' 1- 1 ? ? r?' *
uuaiiuoiicu, i,ne isriusn line in ncaay
is si ill intact. While the German on
slaught gained ground at a number of
points on Monday there was no sign of
disintegration in the British forces,
which at many points, especially on
the northern end of the long line of
battle, are standing lirm.
The largest gains made by the Ger
mans have been west of St. Qu^ntin,
where they have captured Nesle and
Guiscard. These points which ate at
the tip of the Teutonic attack, arc
more than ten miles from the front as
it stood March 21.
The French positions joined the
British to the south of St. Quentin but
there have been no reports shoving
that the French have fallen back from
their advanced positions. On the other
hand reports would indicate that the
original French lines now virtually
outflank the advancing Germans along
the Oise river.
In the meantime the British strat
egy seems to be devoted to the task of
meeting the attack so that it is direct
ed no longer straight at the line, but
is diverted toward the Oise, where the
German advance has been most rapid.
French troops have taken over sec
tors of the front and have released
British units for work farther north.
The fall of Bapaume, in the early
hours of Monday was a blow to the
British, but it was the result of a de
termination to fall back slowly all
along the line that is being attacked.
Official reports state that repeated
heavy attacks on Bapaume were beat
en off by the British, who also forced
the Germans back across the Somme
at a number of points, only to fall
back when the safe rreteat of the
main body of the army had been as
sured.
While the German wedge is still
moving, its progress is not alarming
Jy rapid as it was in the first rush of
the Teutonic hordes. The yielding line
it is asserted, has absorbed the impe
tus of the shock and has weathered
the storm remarkably well. Berlin
claims that 45,000 prisoners have been
taken.These were probably units which
were left to hold the easier defended
points while the main portion of
Field Marshal Haig's army fell back.
The British losses have been heavy,
but it is officialy announced that con
sidering the magnitude of the strug
gle, they are not undue. On the other
hand, the Germans have suffered ter
ribly, even Berlin admitting that the
Teutonic casualties before Peronno
were "comparatively heavy."
Brought Cars From Toledo.
Mr. Ruflin Ccats, of Four Oaks, wa9
in town yesterday, having just re
turned from a trip to Toledo, Ohio.
Mr. Coats with two other gentlemen
went to Toledo to buy cars and bring
them home through the country, not
being able to get thom shipped. They
succeeded in getting the cars and left
Toledo last Monday afternoon. They
came by Cleveland. Youngstown, and
other Ohio cities, Pittsburg, Pa., and
Washington, P. C. From Washing
ton they came by Richmond and Hen
derson, reaching Four Oaks Sunday
evening, making the trip in six days.
Mr. Coats says they found the roads
in fine condition with the exception
of a stretch this side of Alexandria,
Va. Up in the mountains of western
Pennsylvania and in Ohio they found
the roads, great stretches of them,
as good as the paved streets of
Smithfield.
About $500,000,000 a year is being
spent on education in the United
States.