Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-09-24
GERMANS OCCUPY
V|[NAAFTER BATTLE
RUSSIANS HAVE ONLY ONE RAIL.
WAY ON WHICH TO MAKE
A GETAWAY.
OTHER LINE HELDBY GERMANS
Won Hindenburg and Leopold Renew
Efforts to Catch Retiring Enemy
-lvanoff Defends kovno-Mi-
nor Battles on West Front.

London, Sept. 2O-The Germans
have occupied Wilma and by wide
sweeping movement to the north of
that city have succeeded in almost en-
tirely surrounding portion of the
Russian army, which is fighting in the
railway triangle between wilma, Ida
and Vileika.
At any rate, the Russian forces in
this district either must fight their
way out eastward or retire in south
easterly direction for the only railway
left entirely in their hands is that
which runs from Wilma to Ida, and
thence to Baranovich.
Wilma a Stragetic Point.
wilma, a city of some 100000 inhab-
itants on the WarsawPetrograd rail-
way line, has been the object of Ger
man offensive movement for weeks
past, in the course of the operations
of Field Marshal Won Hindenburg.
After the fall of Kovno to the north
west, and Grondo to the southwest, no
fortress barrier remained before the
Germans moving on Wilma, but stub
born defensive measures were taken
by the Russians to hold back the Teu-
| tonic advance, Wilma being the north
ern key position on the important
strategic railway line running south
eastward to Rovno, which the Rus
SLAMS were striving to retain.
Tho foIl Of Wilma bod hoon oypootod
for several days, the German encir-
cling movement having developed suf-
ficiently to make it apparent that it's
abandonment. was only a question of
time. Last week PetrOgrad dispatches
stated that Wilma, as we'll as Dvinsk,
another of Field Marshal Won linden
burgs detectives, had been emptied of
stores and abandoned by government
and private institutions.
Wilma has been an important indus
trial and trade center in the midst of
a region studded with lakes, forests
and marshes. Recent estimates have
stated that probably half the popula-
ton was Jewish, with only small ma
tive Russian element.
4 With the capture of Wilma the Ger
mans seem likely to find the way more
easily opened to Dvinsk, virtually the
entire railroad line leading northeast
ward to that city apparently now be.
ing in their hands.
German Position Strong.
The army of Field Marshal Won Hin
denburg, which took wilma and has
reached Vileika, to the east of wilma,
is working in close cooperation with
that of Archduke Leopold of Bavaria
J in an effort to catch part of the Rus
sian army, an operation which has
been so often tried without success
since the Austro-Germans commenced
their drive in western Galicia in early
May.
Big Battle.
London, Sept. 21.-Of the many big
battles fought on the eastern front dur
ing the last five months few, If any
have been fraught with such import
ance as that now in progress to the
east and south of Wilma, where Fieli
Marshal Won Hindenburg is attempting
to cut off the retreat of and destroy
the Russian army that defended tina
city.
The German official report ISSUED
!, today throws little light on the prog
ress of the operations, simply stating
, "The attack against the enemy retreat
ing from Wilma is proceeding"
Nels B. Pearson, the owner of tn,
Mechanics saloon, Spokane, was in
stantly killed when an automobile HI
drove turned turtle on the Medica
!, Lake road, near Spokane, last Mon
day.