Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1914-08-22
Heavy Fighting All Along FOrt;;-
Mile Front.
FRENCH SWEEPING ALSACE
Threaten TO Turn Flank Of Biz
German Armies.

Persistent reports were received
from various sources that Brussels,
tn, capital 81 IL eium Was in the
hands OF the Germans.
Denial OF these rumors was made
by the Belgium embassy in London
and a despatch which purported to
come from Brussels. seemed to indi.
cate conclusVoly that the Belgians
still held the city. Both said that
heavy fighting was going on east and
southeast Of the capital.
Notwithstanding this. the report
spread 10 the various centres OF news.
Antwerp first announced hearing that
the Germans had taken Brussels in
Il night attack.
4 short time later II was officially
announced in Paris that the rumor
had been received but not confirmed.
that the Belsian troops had left their
positions AZ l.ouyain and BRUSSELS and
were falling bach toward Antwerp
which is heavily fortified That some
crcdence was place in the report was
indicated by the statement that such
a move was not unexpected. and that
1t was entirely IN accordance with
good military tactics.
II the report from Paris that the
defending forces are falling back from
Louvain and brussels IS true. II would
indicate that the supposed object of
the German attack In Belgium-the
piercing OF the allies lines and the
consequent separation Of their armies
bids fair to be fulfilled.
Proof positive that at least part of
the English eXpeditionary force Is
fighting with the defenders In Bel
gium was furnished. when the British
press bureau officially announced that
three men had been killed and two
wounded In the war.torn country
Meantime. lighting OF the heaviest
character. as reported from points all
along the forty front Of the Ger.
man army in belgium. indicates thS.
the big engagement which military
experts have been looking forward TO
for days. is al last under way
despatch from Rotterdam says
the Cologne Gazette" asserts that the
German advance. although slow, has
not been seriously checked at any
point.
The "Corriere D'Italia" in Rome, re.
ceived a despatch from Berlin in
which the German war office was said
to have announced that the German
centre was moving steadily forward
beyond Namur This would seem 10
mean that the kaiser's troops are
pushing toward Givat and the extreme
southeast frontier OF Belgium, as well
as farther north.
The situation AT I.iege. where the
vigorous defense OF the Belgians up
set the German calculations at the
outset. Is confused by the conflicting
reports. Berlin reports the fall Of all
the forts Several were destroyed by
the kaiser's heavy artillery and the
others will be used as a base for the
Germans future movements.
From Rotterdam comes a version
that the Belgians had evacuated the
forts and had made them useless TO
the Germans by dynamiting them.
Paris maintains that all the Liege
forts are intact and offering resis
tenCe as heretofore TO the Germans.
Meagre dispatches that show every
evidence OF having been ruthlessly
censored. are the only basis on which
the news from Belgium can be read,
but one thing remains clear This Is.
that the struggle is raging fiercely at
many points. that the Germans are
pressing steadily onward and that the
long looked for big battle either is In
progress or the contact OF the oppos
ing forces Is so general as TO make
that grea, conflict matter OF hours
only
a message filed in BRUSSELS said
that the Germans had begun a forward
along the whole battle line
and that the attack had been made on
direct orders from the kaiser.
Other censored dispatches indicat
ed forward a great mass Of men about
tack al Louyain in great force. Lon
vain Is about midway between Die
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