' Mm
1.00 a Yir In 'Advance
'FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY AND FOR TRUTH."
Single Coplea, B Cents.
VOL. XXI X
PLYMOUTH, N. C, FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1918
NO. 4.
-SURPRISE BLOW IS
MAJ. B. H. GITCHELL
VISCOUNTESS CURZ0N
GERMANY'S FUTILE
REINFORCEMENTS
STRUCK BY
REMERSES
10 JEWISH RELIEF
GERMANS MEETING
O B Iff
IN NEW OFFENSIVE BRITISH PEN
ETRATE ENEMY LINES TO
TWO MILE DEPTH.
FRENCH THREATENING RDYE
More Than Six Hundred Prisoners
Taken In Enveloping Movement
Along Somme-Oise Front.
While the Germans were busily
engaged In defending themselves
against the attacks of the British and
French armies from the Ancre river
to the region of Soissons, Field Mar
shal Haig struck another surprise
"blow over a new front.
The new offensive was launched
from the east of Arras on the Scarpe
river and southward to the Cojeul.
All along the front the British pressed
forward, at some places to a depth of
more than two miles.
Across the Cojeul, the new British
attacks on the old battle front brought
them to the villages of Mory and St.
Leger, and farther south the small
town of Favreuil, one and a half miles
northeast of Bapaume, from which
the British pressed on eastward about
a mile. Farther south the British are
reported unofficially to have reached
the western outskirts of Thilloy in
the nipper movement they are carry
ing out against Bapaume.
The French- again are hammering
away at the environs of Roye, one of
the strong points of the Somme-Oise
front, the . capture of which doubtless
would cause the giving up by the en
emy of the entire salient from the
Somme In the north, to Noyon. Fres-noy-Les-Roye,
to the north, and St.
Mard to the south of Roye, both of
which have been captured by the
French, despite the desperate resist
ance of the Germans, and Roye, like
Bapaume in the north, apparently is
in danger of being .pinched out of the
ine in an enveloping movement. More
than 600 prisoners were taken by the
French In the operation.
BRITISH LOSE SEVEN AIR
PLANES IN BOMBING RAID
London. The British independent
air force operating on the west front
lost seven airplanes in the bombing
of Mannheim. The frank report of
this loss has caught the public imagi
nation. It is pointed out that the Germans
were in largely superior numbers and
had only to think of fighting, whereas
the British had both fighting and
bombing to attend to. The odds were
all on the German side, but the Brit
ish aviators reached Mannheim and
did their job.
Commenting on the raid, a British '
air officer said: I
"We suffered losses, but we won a
aplendid victory. We set out to bomb
Mannheim and no German efforts
could frustrate our intention."
AMMUNITION DUMPS BLOWN UP
BY AMERICAN CANNON FIRE
With the American Army on the
Vesle Front. Several German ammu
nition dumps north of the Vesle river
were blown up by high explosives
from the American guns. This was
"the only notable incident in the opera
tions between Soissons and Rheims,
although the usual exchange between
the artilleries continued.
The destruction of the dumps was
made possible by aerial observation
by American aviators. They were lo
cated near Revillon and early in the
day a battery of long range guns be
gan dropping shells at points indi
cated. The observation posts soon
after reported great clouds of smoke
from the target.
20,000 PRISONERS TAKEN
BY BRITISH IN FIVE DAYS
Paris. The number of prisoners
taken by the British since August 21
has reached 20,000, The Petit Journal
declares.
8UBURB OF THE TOWN
OF BAPAUME CAPTURED
London "Suzanne and Cappy, towns
north and south of the Somme, re
spectively, were captured by Field
Marshal Haig's forces, according to
reports received here from the British
battle front. The British also took
Avesnea les Bapaume, a suburb of
the town of Bapaume.
British troops also reached the west
ern outskirts of Thilloy, south of Ba'jf
paume.
I
I , 1
Maj. B. H. Gitchell of the National
army has been appointed chairman ot
the Industrial relations section of th
aircraft oroduction board.
GERMANS COUNTER -ATTACK
ALBERT, AN IMPORTANT TOWN
AND A RAILROAD CENTER
HAS BEEN TAKEN.
Threatened With Pocketing Germans
Seem to Be Making Haste in
Their Retreat.
London. The town of Albert, eigh
teen miles northeast of Amiens, on
the Ancre river, has been recaptured
by the British, who also have obtain
ed all their objectives in the fighting
between Bray Sur Some and Albert,
according to the official communica
tion from Field Marshal Haig. Over
tbe six mile front the British advanc
ed two miles.
The British were steadily driving
into the German positions on the
high ground between Bray-Sur Somme
and Albert. One thousand Germans
were taken prisoner.
A vicious German counter-atack
directed against the British positions
in the outskirts of Miraumont were
driven off.
On the ground between the two
points where the British armies are
hammering them and where they are
threatened with being left in a pocket
the Germans seem to have started re
treating. GERMANS RETREAT BEFORE
PURSUING FRENCH ARMIES
With the French Army in France
The retreat of the Germans before
both the third and tenth French arm
ies continued with increased speed
over a large part of the battle front
and in some cases in disorder.
General Mangin's men are approach
ing the Coucy forest and are nearly
on the line held in April, along the
River Ailette. They have also widen
ed their hold on the Oise to Bretigny,
midway between Noyon and Chauny.
The French advance towards the
roads leading to Chauny adds another
menace to their line of retirement and
explains the acceleration of the
enemy's retreat. Bourgignon, St.
Paul-Aux-Bois and Quincy fell into
the hands of the French giving them
command of the valley of the Ailette
from the region of Coucy-le-Chateau
to the Oise.
General Humbert's troops also are
pressing the enemy vigorously. Hav
ing occupied the height of Piemont,
Just south of Lasslgny, they have cap
tured Thiescourt, which completes the
conquest of the group of hills known
as the Thiescourt massif. The enemy
now has but a precarious hold on the
valey of the Dlvete river, in which
French cavalry Is now operating.
Several thousand prisoners have
been taken -and trophies in such great
quantities that it has been imposible
thus far to count them also have been
captured.
General Mangin's troops advanced
seven miles during the night.
ALBERT THE CITY OF
THE "LEANING VIRGIN"
Albert is a town in the department
of Somme. It is situated on the Ancre
rivor and is a railroad center. Before
the war it had a population of more
than 7,000. Albert has been the scene
of some desperate fighting and in the
recent British drive the town was sur
rounded on three sides by the armies
of Field Marshal Haig, the village of
C4ur on tne nortn an( Meaulte on
X sith having been reached by
MANY ADDITIONAL TOWNS ARE
TAKEN BY FIELD MARSHAL
HAIG'S MEN IN NORTH.
E IS IN GREAT PERIL
More Than 17000 Prisoners, Large
Number of Guns, and Immense
Amount of Supplies Captured.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Germans have brought up strong re
inforcements on both wings of the bat
tle front, the British and French
forces everywhere have beaten off the
enemy and continued their victorious
progress.
Many additional towns have been
captured by Field Marshal Haig's
men in the north, while the French
have successfully overcome obstacles
placed in their way and reached ter
ritory north of Soissons which adds
further to the danger of the Germans
in the Noyon sector and to their line
running eastward from Soissons to
Rheim3.
All along the front from Arras to
the Somme, the Germans are gradual
ly being driven back to the old Hln
denburg line by the British. Along
the Somme the enemy is being harass
ed well to the east of Bray, while
farther north strong counter attacks
have been repulsed and the towns of
Mametz, the Mametz wood, Martin
Puich, Le Sars and Le Barque have
been captured.
It is around Bapaume that the Ger
mans are keeping up their strongest
efforts to hold back the tide that is
surging against them but the British
are continuing to make slight gains
daily in the process of surrounding
the town, which seemingly soon must
be evacuated.
Since August 21st the British have
taken more than 17,000 prisoners and
large numbers of guns and great
quantities of supplies have fallen into
their hands.
18,000 KILOS EXPLOSIVES
DROPPED ON ENEMY LINES
Paris. The Frenh have continued
their progress east of Bagneux, be
tween the Ailette and the Aisne, ac
cording to the war office announce
ment. They repulsed counter-attacks
west of Crecy-au-Mont. Four hundred
additional prisoners have been taken.
The text of the statement says:
"Both artilleries were active in the
neighborhood of Lassigny.
"Between! the Ailette and the Aisne
we made new progress east of Bag
neux and repulsed enemy counter-attacks
west of Crecyyiu-Mont. We
aptured 400 prisoners.
"Aviation: It was impossible to
carry out any bombing operations
during the day. During the night the
weather improved and our bombing
machines immediately took the air.
Eighteen thousand, four hundred kilos
of explosives were dropped behind the
battle front and on stations, which
were damaged.
AMERICAN BOMBING AIRPLANES
DROPPINB BOMBS ON CONFLANS
American Forces on the Lorraine
Front. American bombing airplanes
dropped 38 bombs on Conflans, a town
on the Verdun-Metz railroad. Ten di
rect hits were obtained.
Three aerial combats were report
ed in the Woevre region. Lieuten
ant Jones attacked and apparently de
stroyed an Albatross biplane over
Marre .northwest of Verdun. Lieut.
Hugh Bridgman, while on a recon
naissance patrol, atacked two Fokkers
which disappeared.
BRITISH PATROLS SAID TO
BE ENTERING BAPAUME
London. Reconnoiterlng patrols of
British troops are entering Bapaume.
It is reported that British outposts
have reached the fringe of Bullecourt,
which lies seven miles northeast of
Bapaume, and captured High Wood,
east of Albert.
RECENT VICTORIES DEFINITELY
SETTLE FORTUNE OF WAR
Pars. Premier Clemenceau tele
graphed the presidents of the general
councils that they could rely upon the
government and Marshal Foch and his
magnificent staaff and the allied mili
tary commanders to turn the present
succses of the allied arms into a com
plete and decisive collapse of the
enemy.
"The splendid victories of recent
weeks,'1 said M. Clemenceau, "has def
initely settled the fortune ot war."
r, ssr " ' ' A Si. i'i
One of England's most beautiful
women, Viscountess Curzon, Is giving
up all her time to look after and care
for the wounded soldiers In the Lon
don hospitals. Thii prominent British
noblewoman is very popular with In
vafld troops because of her kindly and
helpful acts.
TWENTY VILLAGES CAPTURED
PIVOTAL TOWN OF LASSIGNY
NOW IN HANDS OF ALLIES;
ADVANCE CONTINUES.
Armies Advance About Five Miles
At Certain Points Despite Foe's
Stout Resistance.
Paris. Lassigy has been captured
by the French forces, whose lines
have now reached the outskirts of
Chiry-Ourscamps, southeast of Noyon,
The official satemet making this
announcement also says that 20 vll
lages have been liberated and, that
the French have advanced about Ave
miles at certin points.
The text of the statement reads:
"Between the Matz and the Oiae
the enemy, despite his resistance,
gave way under the energetic thrust
of our troops and Lassigny fell Into
our hands.
AMERICAN STEAMER
TORPEDOED AND SUNK
Washington. The American steam
er Montanan, of 6.659 tons gross, was
torpedoed and sunk in foreign waters
August 16 with the probable loss of
three members of the civilian crew
and two members of the naval armed
guard, the navy department announc
ed. Eighty-one survivors were landed.
The Montanan was in the service
of tho quartermaster's department of
the army and was used as a supply
ship.
The members, of the naval guard
reported as missing are David W.
Johnson, coxswain, and Chester C. El
dridge, seaman.
BRITISH MAKING SMASHING
DRIVE INTO BELOW'S ARMY
With the British Army in France.
Having smashed into General von Bel
ow's seventeenth army during a heavy
fog at dawn on a front of more than
10 miles, extending from the Ancre
river to Moyenneville, the BIrtlsh
have throughout the day made steady
progress forward, capturing villages,
taking prisoners and guns and Inflict
ing heavy casualties on the surprised
enemy.
GERMANS CONVERT TRAWLER
INTO ARMED SEA RAIDER
Washington. Navy department .of
ficials confidently awaited a wireless
dispatch telling of the capture or de
struction of the trawler Triumph,
which was seized by a German sub
marine, a German crew put aboard,
the vessel armed and started on a
raiding expedition against the de
fenseless fleet of fishing smacks op
erating on the Grand banks. Every
precaution has been taken, it was
said, to prevent the raider slipping
through the line stretched around the
fishing region.
SERIES OF RAPID BLOWS
ARE BEING STRUCK BY FOCH.
Foch seems to be striking a series
of rapid blows, relying upon a local
effect produced now near Arras, now
near the Oise and the Somme. to pro
duce in the aggregate a general dis
location of the German line. In each
of these blows he uses comparatively
few men, and the victorious troops
are ready for a thrust after a -short
interval. The German gets no rest,
no time to reorganize.
OVER FIFTY MILES FRONT THE
ENEMY IS MEETING WITH
DISASTROUS DEFEATS.
FRENCH ALSO ' MAKE GAINS
American Troops Are Not Mentioned
in Battle; Probably Reserved for
Later and Heavier Blow.
Over the 50-mile front from the re
gion of Arras to the north of Soissons
the German armies are meeting with
defeats which apparently spell dis
aster. Everywhere the British and
French forces have continued on the
attack, the enemy has been sanguinar
ily worsted. And the end of his trials
is not yet in sight.
To the British over the 30 miles of
the fighting zone from the Cojeul river
southeast of Arras to Lihons, south of
the Somme, numerous towns have fall
en, and the enemy territory has been
penetrated to a depth of several miles.
Where the French are fighting be
tween the Matz river and the territory
north of Soissons additional goodly
gains have been made in the envelop
ing of Noyon and the general maneu
ver which seeks to crush or drive out
the Germans from the salient be
tween the Somme and the Ailette, and
to put into jeopardy the entire Ger
man line running to RheVms.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Germans brought up large numbers of
fresh reinforcements in an endeavor
to stay the progress of Haig's armies
their efforts were without avail.
Where they were able momentarily to
hold back their oncoming foes, the
Germans finally were forced to cede
the ground demanded. And they paid
a terrible price in men killed, wound
ed or made prisoners.
The entire Arras-Albert road has been
crossed by the British. The strong
ly neld positions where the Gorman
saw disaster facing them if they fell
were stormed and captured, and the
British pushedthem going eastward.
Although the Americans at the
commencement of the Somme offen
sive were brigaded with the British
along the northern bank of the Somme,
no mention of their having taken part
In the fight Is made. It is probable that
they have been moved to some other
portion of the battlefront from which
Marshal Foch contemplates another
smash at the enemy.
HAPPY VALLEY AN
UNHAPPY VALLEY
Happy valley truly is a shambles.
Its name belies it.
South of the Somme the Austral
ians were most successful In the part
they played in the batlte. They easily
attained all their objectives and ap
parently hold Chuignolles, Chuignes
and Herieville and are pushing east
ward of those villages a little distance
to make sure of holding them.
In thi sregion 33 German officers
and 1.500 men of other ranks were
made prisoner. Eleven of the cap
tured officers were from one regiment.
The Germans offered ,heay resist
ance at Chuignolles, but with the as
sistance of tanks the Australians ham
mered through the enemy and swept
on, leaving the town and Its envi
rons filled with dead Germans.
On the ridge south of this town
there also was fierce fighting which
almost reached the hand to hand
stage before the Australians made it
clear to the Germans that they were
not to be stopped and shoved over the
ridge and onward.
Just now large numbers of guns
are roaring away all along the line.
All day long streams of wounded,
principally Germans as well as great
numbers of enemy prisoners', were
flowing towards the rear. The day
was cooler and the British soldiers
were refreshed by it. It was slightly
cloudy but the air was full of British
airplanes. A number of German planes
were shot down over the battlefront
during the day, each fall bringing a
cheer from the British.
BRITISH TROOPS SHOW
FINE SPIRIT IN FIGHT
Paris. The newspaper correspond
ents at the front lay stress on the
magnificent enthusiasm with which
the British are attacking and over
coming the enemy. They point out
that the British opposed stout resist
ance when the Germans counter at
tacked, and when they saw that the
enemy was staggering under the
shower of blows increased the punish
ment without giving him time to look
around.
NUMfJER 0F CmES AND jOWNt
GOING "OVER THE TOP" IN
RIGHT ROYAL MANNER. ,
ONE SUBSCRIPTION OF $500
Gotdsboro Contributes $1 Per Capita)
Ashevllie Oversubscribes; Fair
mont $200 More Than Asked.
The continued liberal response of
the ltizens of Raleigh to the Jewish.
War Relief Fund assures oversub
scription of Raleigh's quota of $5,000.
The ladies of the city have thor
oughly organised themselves into can
vassing committees, and will cover ths
entire city.
Reports from over the state indi
cate that some of the towns went
"over the top", notably GoMsboro with
Bubscriptituns nearly double its allot-'
ment. AsTievllle oversubscribed and
Fairmont, a little town in Robeson
county, gave $200 above what it waa
asked for.
The contributions from Gdldsboro
represent $1.00 per capita for the city.
Among the individual contributors, the
subscription of George W. Watts, of
Durham, of $500, is the largest slngla
subscription so far recorded in th
drive.
Jersey Breeding County.
Charlotte. Enough pure bred Jer
sey cattle' have been . brought Into
Mecklenburg county this summer to
give basis for the declaration that th
county tn reality has entered upon th
business of Jersey breeding, said O.
E. Miller, county demonstration agent.
Just last week 34 head of pure-bred
Jersey cattle, purchased at a Grassy
Creek, N. C, farm by the members of
the Mecklenburg County Jersey
Breeders' Association were dfistri(ly
uted. One of these cows was spld for
$270 and $250 was paid for a nine
months' old bull ca.it. might hajre.,
aged $180, and thirteen were soldf for
prices averaging $160.
A new block of the association has
been formed, said Mr. Miller. Th
$250 bull will head this block, which
Is formed around the herd of W. E.
Baker. Four blocks were formed last
spring, and are headed by bulls pur
chased from a Pennsylvania farm.
The herd brought into the county
last week includes two register of
merit cows, one with a three-year-old
record of 516 pounds of butter fat,
and one with a four-year-old record
of 584 pounds of butter fat. At th
present price of "country butter,
these cows are capable of producing"
annually butter valued at $258 and
$292 respectively. These are the only
cows of the herd which have been
placed on text. Ten- of the heifers
were sired by a bull whose dam mad
1,031 pounds of butter In one year,
said Mr. Miller.
Under City Manager Plan.
Greensboro. Since the director
of the chamber of commerce have
indorsed the city manager plan of
government for Greensboro, consider
able discussion of the matter has
been provoked. Sentiment is believ
ed to Incline in favor of the cham
ber recommendatf .r An amend
mnt to the city charter will prob
ably be suggested soon after the holi
days and be voted upon. If the new
plan of government Is adopted tha
officers to be elected next May wlH
be those of the manager plan.
Station Matter Dropped.
Kinston. The chamber of com
merce here has formally dropped tha
Kinston union passenger station mat
ter until the railroad administration
makes an appropriation for buildinff
purposes. The station's erection was
held up for years by the inability of
the chamber of commerce and rail
roads to "get together." , The site for
the depot was cleared many months .
ago. Business interests of the city
hope to have the station provided for
among the earliest improvements for
which the administration appropri
ates. Will Not Open on Schedule.
Elon College. Definite word has
been received from Adjutant General
McCain with reference to the.stab-
lishment of a students' army
corps here this fall. In vip
fact, and because ot the jpT
the college and three fay'
are at P'attsburg Fji-f
will be there untp"
opening f the
po-red ub til Se
ttle first timejf
the doors rd?
nourced.