Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-12-08
Kaiser's Forces Captured Russian
City Sunday, Berlin Officially
Reports.
SCENE OF FIERCE FIGHTING
Teutons Are Expected to Use City as
Base for New Attempt on
Warsaw.

Berlin, (via London), Dec. T.
1908 a. m.-LodZ, the second city OF
Poland, and lying seventy-tive miles
to the west, southwest of Warsaw
has fallen to the German arms. 1t
was occupied Sunday, according to
the official announcement issued this
morning.
Around this important town a
desperate battle has ragged for days.
Here countless thousands have fall
len in desperate hand to hand con-
flicts and from the shells of hun
dreds of guns.
1t was evident from the occupa-
ton of LODI by the Germans that
the heaviest kind of fighting has
been going on, for late advices told
of a vicious attack and lombard
ment of LODI and fighting on the
outskirts of the city, and, previous
to that, of operations twenty miles
west of Piotkrow, which lies consid-
erably south of LODI and along a
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 in
significant place to be one of the
most populous cities in the Russian
empire. In 1910 it's population
numbered 415,604. With this i'm
portant place as a base, it is expect
ed that the Germans will make a
strong effort to reach the Polish
capital of Warsaw.
From unofficial sources, however,
it is gathered that on Thursday last
the Germans, having failed in their
attempt to pierce the Russian CEN
ter, commenced, with the aid of re-
Inducements, another attempt to
envelop the Russians on both tanks.
This is indicated by the fact that
there is fighting near low, to the
north of LODI, and at Piotkrow, to
the south.
Both of these places are in ad-
vance of the positions at which the
Germans previously have been re-
ported in their second invasion of
Poland, and like LODI, they are sit
uated on the main roads to the Po-
lish capital.
There is now news from south Po-
land, beyond a German denial of
success reported to have been
achieved by the Russians at Cen
stachowa.
The capture of one of the advance
positions at Przemysl is regarded as
comforting a valuable advantage to
the Russians in their attack on the
fortress. Leaving this city to the
attentions of the besieging armies,
the Russians are pushing in small
bodies steadily across the plains of
Hungary, and fugitives are said to
be pouring into Budapest.
In the face of the Austrian ad-
vance in Servia, there has been talk
of the removal of the capital from
Nish to Mitrovitsa, but Servia de-
MES that this step actually has been
taken.
The allies continue to push for
ward in Flanders and in northern |
France, but the Germans explain
that they are giving ground for tao
tical and strategical reasons. The
advance, as far as Flanders is con-
csrpeq, seems to have been checked
on the outskirts of Langemarck.
There has been a recrudescence
of hard fighting in the Argonne dis
trict, where the French claim they
are making progress. On the whole,
however, in these siege operations
these successes and reverses only
mean a gain or loss of a few hun
dred yards and a slight readjust
ment of positions.
Seemingly more important is the
unofficial statement that the French
have seriously interfered with the
German communications between
Metz and the Woevre district, in
France, for here, as elsewhere, COM
mand of the roads is of the greatest
Importance to the armies.
1t was unofficially announced last
night that during his visit to France
King George conferred the Order of
Merit on Field Marshal Sir John
French and also pinned the Victoria
Cross on the first Indian soldier to
win that decoration.