The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-26
Franz Joseph's Army Retires
To Strong Line Of Defenses
Before Invading Host
GERMANS USE GAS
WITH MARKED SUCCESS
British at Ypres Are Compelled
To Fall Back Before Five
Miles of Poisonous Fumes.
Germans Occupy Trenches

Romr. May 25.-Itaiian troops
advancing ON front OF about tsf-
.y-nxe miles, have entered Austrian
territory and occupied several
towns. The Austrians made sifEhs
resistance, retiring evidently TO
their strongly fortified lines orr
wanfxed for the defense of Trtestes
which il believed TO be the ftaiian
objective.
At one point, Cap0retse. the ttsi-
ian inv aders have reached the Ii.
anxo river. which Austria. In her
offer of territorial concessions,
the rejection of which led 10 the
war. proposed should he the new
boundary between Italy and the
dual monarchy. Although the wsr
office. I'm Its announcement of this
initiaI victory made NO mention
of the troops engaged I'm the adj
vance. IL Is evident from the nature
of the ground traversed that
large italian force must have becn
employed.
The war office tells OF the occupas
ton of the heights between the lsen-
20 and the Judrio, and the capture o.
the town of the Caroretto, in that re-
eion These heights extend over >
distance of about 20 miles.
Agree With Vatican.
Inc dPttCdte duu iIAp3llaHt AhsNNt1tA
of what was to become of the Teutonic
representatives accredited TO the Holy
See has been :, tied satisfactorily, as
had been arranged by the Vatican and
the Italian government previous to
the deeiar ton Of war. The Italian
government issued an Official state
ment announcing that it would NOT
demand that the ENJOYS TO the SEQ
leave Rome. This was intended to
show that no limit was to be placed
on the independence of the pope, pro-
tected by Tire law of guarantees OF
1871 and so ward OFF the danger of a
future protest by the Vatican RgatnSr
a violation of the law
Meanwhile. Pope Benedict requests
ed the Teutonic ENJOYS to leave for
motives Of expediency. The diplomatic
representatives had completed all pre-
parations for their departure at z
o'clock last evening.
The embassies of Germany and
Austria were surrounded by troops
which kept back the crowds. Baron
Macchio, the Austrian ambassador.
and Priitce Schoenberg- Hartensteir,
the Austrian envoy TO the Vatican.
Wen in separate automobiles To thu
station and left at o'clock. Prince
won Bueiow and DR., Won Muehiaerg,
the Prussian envoy to the Holy See,
left at 93d. The Bavarian minis
te~ 10 the Quirinsi and his col-
league accredited to the Vatican.
left ten minutes later.
Crowd Is Calm,
The stats of the embassies and
legations accompanied their respec-s
tive chiefs. The departure OF tho
dig iomats was not marked by the
slightest untoward incident. Ths
crowd was calm and indifferent and
the extraordinary police precautions
taken were unnecessary
1T is expected that Pope Benedict
will at once make two important pros
nouncements one declaring that tina
neutrality of the Vatican is unlri-
paired by ItaIys declaration of war,
the ether declaring that there is no
incompatibility between the neutral-
ity of the Holy See and loyalty and
patriotism on the part of Italian
Catholics. The relations between the
Vatican and the Italian government
already begin to show great im-
provement on account of the war
The inhabitants of the village Of
| Tivoli, outside Rome, attempted to
storm the historic Villa d Este which
belong TO the late Archduke Francis
Ferdinand today. The crowd pulled
the entrance and hoisted the Italian
flag over the building. The villa was
built in the sixteenth century for
Cardinal lppolito d Este and Is known
to all tourists.