Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-09-22
ARMIES REST
while GREAT
!. GUNS CONTINUE
Most of Allied Forces Remain iii
Trenches But Big Guns Are
AN EXCITING AERIAL FIGHT
French Aviator Riddles German
Machine With Bullets and
Kills Pilot.
AN EXCITING AERIAL FIGHT

From the Battle Front (via
Paris), Sept. 21.-The bulk of the
allied armies remained yesterday III
the trenches waiting while theil
artillery exchanged furious cannon.
AIDES with the strongly placed Ger.
man batteries.
Some brilliant feats of arms were
performed at various points on the
lines extending along the Disc, the
Aisne and Woevre. The seasoned
Algerian troops made gallant cap
ture of another German flag.
Jules Vedrines, the noted French
aviator, was credited with a cour-
ageous fight in mid-air with a Ger
man aviator, whom he brought to
earth. The German was daringly
reconnoitering the positions of the
allies when Vedrines assembled.
AVIATOR IS KILLED.
Moving swiftly upward until he
was above the German, Vedrines
gave chase and as he skinned along
fusilladed the air scout with his au--
tomato gun. The German machine
was riddled and the aviator killed,
both collapsing to the ground with
in fifteen minutes from the time
Vedrines took the aid. Vedrines has
accomplished similar feat once be-
fore. .t a....
These incidents, however, are i'm
portant only for their influence in
encouraging the allied troops, and
do not affect the result of the great
battle which already has lasted a
week and promises to continue for
many days longer.
Military experts here believe that
the longer the. battle endures the
better it will be for the allied arm
les, who will thus be able to pass
strong forces of fresh troops to
places where they are needed along
the front.
At the western end of the battle
line, Rheims has been the object of
the greatest attention from the Ger
mans, who, time after time, have
attempted to break
through the allies lines, after sub
jecting the town to an intense bonn
bardment. 1t is the Germans inten-
ton, it is understood, to capture
Rheims, which is an important rail
road junction, the possession Of
which would give them command CT
another road to the north.
They have made an especial mark
of the magnificent cathedral, which
has been in flames since yesterday.
The allies, meantime, have made
for themselves strong position on
the right bank of the Aisne, where
they occupy all the heights. The
Germans have taken advantage Of
the sites of the forts which were in
tended for the defense of Rheims,
but which were abandoned by the
allies when the invaders made a
rapid dash southwark from Bel
GUM.
EXPOSED TO WEATHER.
A heavy hailstorm, with a cold
wind, added yesterday to the hard
ships of the entrenched troops, who
are entirely without tents, but it did
not affect their spirits, which are
high. All the commissariat depart
ments of the allies are working
splendidly; the men are well fed and
clothed and are contented.
The German army when it evacu-
ated Chalone, left one of its chief
surgeons and a corps Of nurses in
charge of a hospital filled with Ger
man and French wounded. The
French medical officers found the
hospital so we'll managed and the
French wounded so well treated
that the German surgeon was left in
charge.