Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-12-12
LODI is Scene OF
Fierce Fighting
GERMANS CLAIM TO HAVE TAKEN
THAT PLACE AFTER ROUTING
RUSSIANS WITH HEAVY LOSSES
ROUMANIA TO enter WAR
Allies Claim Steady Gains in Flanders.
Warships Are neutrality-suspicious.
Clam Victories, But May Move
Capital.
Summary of War News to Date.

LODI, the second city of Poland,
lying seventy-five miles TO the west
southwest of Warsaw, has fallen to
the German arms. II was occupied
Sunday, according to the official an
nouncement from Berlin. Around this
important town a desperate battle has
ragged for days. Here countless thou
sands have fallen in desperate hand
to-hand conflicts and from the shells
of hundreds of guns.
1t was evident from the occupation
of LODI by the Germans that the
heaviest kind of fighting has been
going on, for late advices told of
vicious attack and bombardment Of
LODI and fighting on the outskirts of
the city, and previous to that, OF OPP
erations twenty miles west of Piotr-
kow, which lies considerably south of
LODI, and along line from Glowno,
sixteen miles northeast of LODI, to
the Vistula river.
LODI has long been an objective
point of the German army. 1t has
grown in recent years from an insig-
nificant place to be one Of the most
populous cities in the Russian en-
pire. In 1910 its population number
ed 100000, and with this important
place as base il is expected the Ger
mans will make a strong effort to
reach the Polish capital of Warsaw.
Regarding the other operations in
the east, the Servian war office re-
ports Servian successes on the whole
front, with the capture of 2,4OO men
and four complete batteries
On the other hand, Vienna reports
that the Austrian troops are gaining
ground to the south of Belgrade
In Flanders and the north OF France
Sunday was comparatively quiet, the
French war office having nothing to
report and no marked successes on
either side were recorded in that ter
ritory for the previous day.
While the attitude OF Roumania,
from an official standpoint, is not yet
known, Swiss newspaper asserts
that Roumania has decided to enter
the war on the side with the allies.
The time for doing so, however, has
not been determined upon.
Forty British and French warships
have assembled at some place, the
name Of which is not given in the dis
patch making this announcement, ito
force their way through" 1t is prob
able that the correspondent intended
to foreshadow an effort by the allied
ships to break through the Dardanel-
les, but the name evidently came I'M
der the eye Of the censor
The German field marshal, Baron
Won der Goltz, who spent many years
in recognizing the Turkish army, is
reported to be on his way to Con-
stantinople to attach himself to the
encourage OF the sultan.
Petrograd says that the Turkish
cruiser Hamidieh has been damaged
by mine and has returned to Con-
stantinople.
That the French aviators have sue
ceeded in dropping bombs on the Ger
man aviation hangers in Freiburg. in
Breisgau, Baden. is acknowledged in
an official report received in Wash
ington from the German foreign Of
flee.
Emperor Yosh.hito opened the Jap
anese diet Sunday.
France is soon 20 call up for exam
ination 100000 of her youths who are
liable to service in 1916. Their mill
tary training probably will be begun
in March and they will be ready for
service in July.
In the Italian parliament the state
ment of a deputy in a speech that he
hoped soon to see the Italian tri-color
waving from the tower OF St. Justus
in Trieste brought forth thunders of
applause.
The Austrian general, Won Stutter-
helm, is reported to have been killed
in battle