Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-10-06
ALLIES I I. CONTINUE o | |:
TO EXTEND LINES
Action Compels Germans to Shift
Larger Forces From Center
to Keep Pace.
THE FRENCH MOVE VERY FAST
Two Entire Divisions Of Infantry
March Nearly Sixty Miles in
Two Days.

From the Battle Front (via Par
isl, Oct. 6.-The allied armies, at
ter having permitted their adversar.
les, as they thought, to exhaust
themselves by continued attacks,
yesterday took a most vigorous OF.
fensive. The British and French
encountered such strong resist
ance, however, that their most ad"
vanced detachments on the western
wing were compelled to fall back.
Only at this part of the long battle
line did the opposing troops actual,
ly come into close contact.
Many picturesque villages, around
which hundreds of thousands OF
men occupy positions, have suffered
severely in the recent fighting and
probably will suffer still more be-
fore the struggle for supremacy is
over.
The country where the chief
fighting is going on is fiat and un-
der cultivation. In many places it
is Doggy and there are scattered
coal mines. The allied armies are
continually extending toward the
north and bening eastward toward
the Belgian frontier, thus COMPEL.
ing the Germans, in order to pre-
vent the crumbling up of their main
army, to move large forces from the
center and so keep pace with the
allies, whose position menacesS the
invaders along the whole line. The
allies plan, it is thought, may com.
pei the Germans to release the pres
sure on the Belgians.
The rapidity with which the
French change positions is consid-
cred remarkable. Two entire divi-
sions of infantry marched nearly
thirty miles Saturday and twenty
eight miles Sunday. The Germans,
however, by means of their aviators,
who are continually fitting over
the lines despite numerous casual
ties, discovered the movements and
brought up reinforcements to meet
them. AS the Germans occupy the
inside of the circle, they are able
to reach an appointed spot with
much shorter marches. 1t was this
that enabled them to compel the
guards of the allies to cede a posi-
ton.
A point on the allies front, a
French regiment after three days in
the trenches, on being ordered to
the rear for rest, sent a petition
through their colonel to the COM
handing general asking permission
to remain until the German position |
facing them was taken.
This was granted, and the men
advanced. Although they met with
such terrific fire from the machine
guns that an advance of 500 yards
took eight hours, they captured the
position and a number Of prisoners.
They themselves suffered severely.
French cavalry executed daring
raid back of the German lines,
where they blew up a railroad tun-
mel and escaped before their pres
ence was discovered.
British lancers and French troop
srs performed brilliant exploit at
another point. Getting between the
imperial guard their artillery am
train by a long, dashing
'ide, they cut off the supplies, de-
troying them, SO that the guards
zig guns were rendered temporarily
Useless.
Gen. Jean Rousseau of the Eng
ish cavalry died yesterday of -,
Audacious espionage carried on
y the Germans has caused the staff
# the allies to deal severely with
ii strangers found within the
ines. When two Irishmen were ar
ested yesterday had proved their
IDENTIFY to the satisfaction of the
Ulcers they were asked to go to the
eadquarters building, where an au-
was drawn up with two Of
GERS occupying the front seat. Be-
ind them were two gendarmes
nth manacled civilian between ',
hem. The staff officer said, "This !.
the reason for our severity. These ;,
len are German officers who were
aptured near our line" o