Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-09-14

vast transformation. The pursued
are now the pursuers The irresistible
sweep of seven German armies through
Belgium into France met an immov-
able force at the Mhrne river. The
army of General Won kluck which so
hattled to turn the alliRs' western flank,
was itself slowly and steadily out
thanked. Its retirement before the
small but hardy British army turned
the tide of battle.
Today, IL the FRENCH reports are cor
rect, all the German armies except
that facing Verdun and a few miles
southwest are retreatihg, General Won
Klucks army which h week ago was
a few miles to the southeast of Paris,
has retired more than 60 miles to the
northeast, while on the extreme right
the army of the Bavar1an crown prince
which was attacking The French east
ern line from Nancy I'd Epinal. has fall
len back to the frontiers of Lorraine.
permitting the French to reoccupy
Luneville and several other towns
General Joffre, the French comman-
der-in- chief. pictures the retreat as
hurried. if not disorderly, with the Ger
mans abandoning wounded, supplies
and prisoners.
Last Sunday was thh darkest day of
the war for the allies. The French
government emigrated from Paris to
Bordeaux in a long, sid procession of
motor ears. An attack upon the capt. |
tai appeared imminent and the main
German force had hammered a huge |
wedge into France between Paris and |
Verdun. with it's center some miles /
south of that line.
The French people trembled with the |
question whether their army was not |
a beaten army whether the history of |
1870 would repeat itself.
Marvellous Revers al of Roles.
The battle of the Marine, which was
decided in a week. is regarded by mill /
tary critics as the most marvellous re-
versal of roles of two armies known
In their view, it appeArs to have de-
cided the first phase pf the war and
TO have made possible the plan which
the German staff is supposed to have
lad of smashing the French by one
comprehensive stroke and then turn
ing the bulk OF the German forces east
ward to confront the Russians,
The military experts, however, are
still cautious. While recognizing the
possibility that the German armies may
yet rally and draw a strong defensive
line they recognize also the POSSIBLE
ity of the almost complete evacuation
of France and Belgium.
Paris announces that the Germans
have evacuated Amiens The where
abouts of German achievements of
10000 reported to be marching south
on three roads in that neighborhood
are unknown.
The Belgian army is credited with
the determination to Feoccupy Brus-
sells and claims to have cut the rail-
road between Liege and Brussels, thus
severlng an important German line of
communication and to be pushing the
scattered German forces, composed for
the most part of reservists, toward the
southeast.
Position Is Critical.
Military authorities ih France con-
slider the position of the German armies
critical. The army which was south
of the Argonne forest, they argue, can
hardly retreat eastward, owing TO tie
danger from the strongly held French
fortress of Verdun, while the noun
famous, wooded character of the Ar
gonne district renders retreat due north
impracticable The LETT wing of the ,
Germans, they believe must retreat in
northwesterly direction. ,
They also cherish tho nope that the ,
Belgians may succeed I'm clearing the I
Germans out of Brabant when the en- ,
tire German army would be obliged to !
retreat on Gutenberg, an operation }
which they liken to the passing of
large stream through a narrow bottle $
neck. .
The German version bf the battle of I
the Marine is yet to bel heard. The I
German official wireless is silent re-
garding the operations of the past week
in that theater. Ii records a local |
success by the army of the crown
prince, which, it reports, took a forth i
fled position to the southwest of Yer Il
dun and the beginning DE an attack on c
the forts to the south df Verdun with I
heavy artillery No date is given and Il
the operations may haFe occurred at
All earlier stage of the battle. e
The position of the Troops. as stated v
In the French reports ii that the Ger a
man right army is retteating beyond v
the River Vesle. which runs between
Rheims and Scissors; that the Ger
man forces in the center, which had
nenetrated farthest south. are falling
back north of Vitry-le Francois and
Seimaize and have CROSSED the River :.
Marine, and in the hilly, wooded coun-
ny between Vitry and VRrdun the Ger !.
mans have lost Revigny and Brabant- "
e-Roi
The French appear to have taken the =
offensive along almost the entire front, =
Is indicated by SUCCESSES in the east :,
between Luneville and St. Die, where
hey have retaken several towns they =,
Evacuated fortnight ago. while re- 81
'orts from Basel say hard fighting oc- i.
urred Saturday in the duehwiller val n