Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-10-06
Location of Fighting Shows
That Enveloping Move
Is On in Earnest
GERMANS ARE STILL
ATTACKING FIERCELY
Paris Is Hopeful That the
Winning Of Victory Is
Soon to Be Assured

London, Oct. 5.-The fact that fight
ing is in progress in and around the
town of Douai midway between ArraS
and Valenciennes, on the railroad 10
Mons, is taken in London to show how
surely the allies in northern France
have pushed the forward movement
they hope will envelope General Won
Kluck, the commander OF the German
right wing, in net OF steel.
For the last week the Germans, SO
far as can be ascertained from the
few facts known in London, have been
vainly hurting themselves against oll-
ferent points in the allied line IN an
effort to discover weak mesh IN the
net. At the present time In the view
of General Joffre, commander In chlel
of the French forces, the process OF at
triton has gone far enough to Justlly
the resumption of offensive movements
en- the part of the allies as is announc-
ed in the latest communication IRON
French headquarters.
Apparently the intent now is to at
tempt something decisive against the
German right wing, and II possible,
bring to an end this contest which Tor
magnitude and stubbornness is with
out precedent in history.
The series of highlands stretching
north and south along the allied left
are the master keys of the battle and
q considerable force from over seas
and elsewhere has been pushed up 10
secure control of them.
At scissors the German trenches
already have been captured, but the
Germans continue to fight fiercely and
are still attacking at this point as else
where along the entire line OF the Dat
tie which their latest official report as
serts is going in their favor just as
confidently as General JOffre maintains
the contrary.
Paris, Oct. 5.-When the long drawn
out battle in the north was resumed
today there was feeling in many
quarters that decisive developments
we're imminent. Consequently this af-
terncon's statement of the war office
on the battle of the Aisne unique in
the history of battles, was awaited with
the greatest interest.
While the French realize that the
battle has not yet been won 1t does
not seem to many of them that it can
now be lost. If the allies win no doubt
is felt that they will pay for it, the
sacrifice on both sides already being
great. The tone of the official COM
nuhication has furnished the best rea-
sons for the hope on the part of the
French although the announcement OF
the visit of President Poincare to the
front was an additional factor for the
confidence and optimism felt in regard
to the intense struggle. His action
commented m 9S in0icat-
ing that success is at hand.
Despite the hope of the French the
military critic Lieutenant Colonel
Ronsset declares that the battle still
can last for some time, pointing out
that modern encounters last now as
long as certain campaigns formerly
did. In 1859 the situation was settled
in two months while in 1870 it took
thirteen weeks, the fighting after Sc
dan and Metz being merely contest
for honor.
In the furious fighting now going on,
Lieutenant Colonel Rousset says,
neither adversary can claim the result.
With the shifting of the battle scene .
the railroads are resuming traffic
through number of cities which had
been occupied by the Germans. From
Epernay the news comes that the Ger
mans respected the vines of Epernay
in the important champagne district.
Colonel Du Patty de Clam celebrity
Of the Dreyfus case, is among the
wounded in Paris.
New York, Oct. 5.-Lieut. A. Eli
colt Brown, U. S. A., who visited the
battlefield of the Meaux just after the
fighting, reached New York aboard the
steamship Minnetonka. So great was
The carnage, he said, that within a !
radius of 600 yards he saw 1000 dead
Germans The bayonet charges of the
allies. he said, were responsible tor
the great slaughter as the Germans
were so strongly entrenched that they
could be dislodged in no other way.
81 saw Captain Barker of the United |
States army while was in France"
said Lieut.. Brown, ''and he told me
that the German army's retreat from
its near APPROACH to Paris had been a
perfect military movement and that he
had seen but one dead German left be-
hind. The German soldiers are friend
" to the French peasants, he said. He
found no trace of atrocities, although
-. had heard much about them" !