The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-12-16
RESULT IN POLAND
REMAINS DOUBTFUL

London, Dec. 14.-The most striking
feature of the days official news is
the candid admission by the Austrian
government of the defeat Of the Aus
trian army in Servia and apparently
the abandonment of its third attempt
to invade its smallest Slav neighbor.
While attributing the failure to the
enemy's superior force, as all gov
ernem bnteruasu iB5fino etaoin shrdl'
ernment bureaus explain failure, the
Austrian bureau announces an extend.
ed retirement and heavy losses.
New decisions and measures con-
sequently will be taken to repel the
enemy" says the Austrian statement.
Apparently that means that the Aus
trian army directed against Servia will
assume defensive line.
The Servians claim to be pressing
home their victory with more cap
lures of prisoners and to have driven
part of the invading army across the
Drina river. Moreover, they express
confidence they are about to retake
the capital and expel the invaders
from Servian territory,
Claim Some Gains.
The progress of the war 1 nnorth-
ern Hungary is less definite. Sun
days German wireless report, with
candor equal to that Of the Austrian
bulletin, speak of the Severe resist
ance" which the German and Austrian
arms are encountering in South Po-
i,nd and In Galicia, adding that 1t was
evident that the Austrian forces in
the carpathiaps are not numerically
strong enough to cellar the Russians
out of Hugnarian territory, but the
Austrians claim they are driving
down the northern slopes of the Car
Iathians the Russian invaders who
were last week In occupation Of sew
eraI towns south Of that mountain
range.
Poland is fast becoming another
Belgium in point Of suffering, while
the opposing arimes drive each other
back and forth, occupy and reoccupy
cities and villages and infict upon
the inhabitants bombardments similar
to those suffered in Belgium and
northern France.
More than 500 Polish towns ahve
been ruined, according to various ac-
counts from the correspondents.
A Polish L0vain.
Each army accuses the other OF
looting and cruelty. The fight Of the
civilians from Lodz was one OF the
most tragic episodes Of the war, while
one correspondent pictures the fate
of Kalisz as repetition Of Louvain,
with the slaughter of 400 civilians and
the sacking Of the city.
A distressing feature of the fighting
in Poland lies in the fact taht blood
kindred are pitted against each other.
There are several hundred thousand
Poles in the Russian ranks and sever
al hundred thousand more in the ranks
OF the Germans and Austrians.
The Germans claim q distinct gain
in their position in northern Poland
although they are not believed to be
as near Warsaw as the report last
week indicated. On the other ahnd
the Russians announce strategic re-
alignment Of their forces in that field
which strengthens their position.
In a late report tonight the Aus
trians announce that they have Feoc-
cupied the important point Of Dukla,
north of the Carpathians, on a line
south of Przemysl and Cracow, but
nearer to the former, wit hthe cap
tnre of 5000 prisoners.
The main issue In the Eastern thea
tre-whether the German and Aus
trian armies by the German opera
tfons In northern and central Poland
and the Austrian advance across the
carpathians, will shake the Russian
grip from the Przemysl and craco~
fcrtresses-remains unchanged.
No Change in West.
The day has known no important
developments IN the West. The
French war Office reports artillery en-
gagements in which they, had the
better of the Germans and small ad.
vances, particularly in the neighbor-
hood of verdun and st. Mihiel, in ac-
cordance with Gen. Joffre's famous
scheme of "nibbling at them" The
German bulletins deny these, how
ever.