The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-01-27
RUSSIANS RETAKE
CITY OF KIELCE
Two Armies Deal Heavy Blows
on the Austro- German
Troops.
DEEP SNOW ABOUT WARSAW
Weather Conditions Favor the Ger
mans, Delaying the Russian Ad-
vance at Some Points-Turks
Check Russ in Caucasus.

BY FRANCIS LAVELLE MURRAY.
International News Service Correspondent.
Petrograd, Jan. 25.-While Russian
troops are maintaining the offensive
against the Germans in northern Po-
land despite severe snow storm, and
progressing slowly but surely toward
Thorn, two more armies in southern
Poland are dealing heavy blows to the.
Austro-German troops in the govern
ment of Kielce. The city of Kielce
has been recaptured by the forces of
General Ruzski.
Taken by the Germans when their
heavy re-enforcements threatened to
engulf the Russian troops on the east
bank of the Pilica river, Pilica was
held by them for less than a week. It
was evacuated before the advance of
two Russian armies, one of which
drove it's way north of Kielce as far
as Lopuszno, while another advanced
over the Lyso Cora heights to
strengthen the forces opposing the
forces opposing the Austrians on the
Nids river.
Russ>in Rapid Advance.
The rapid advance of these two
armies rendered the German positions
in and about Kielce untenable and
they have fallen back to a front rum
ming through Oloszno. Kurzelow and
Socemin. While the Germans effected
their withdrawal in good order, they
have been forced back 33 miles. Along
the little hills just east of the Pilica
river they have mounted guns, appar-
emily intending to make stand there.
While general interest for the last
few days has centered on the north
Poland campaign because of the thrill!
ing plunge of the Russian troops to-
ward Thorn, the gains in South Poland
are of vastly more importance to the
Russian arms from a strategic view
point. They permit the continuation
of the campaign against Cracow,
which for ten days had been threat
ened with failure.
1t is Cracow that the Russians want
in order to open the campaign against
Berlin. Thorn Is important, but it is
not the gateway to Germany. No at
tempt has ever been made to disguise
the importance of the campaign
against Cracow and the fact that its
| CdPIuiS WOulu pIOhc q udTu ldSh.
Some irresponsible journalists in Oc-
tober sent out dispatches from Petro-
grad saying the Russian general staff
expected to be. in Berlin by Christmas.
As matter of fact, the Russian gen.
eral staff did not expect even to have
taken Cracow by that time. The off,
cial belief is that the capture of Cra-
cow will not be effected before May
That it will be captured, however, is
the confident prediction of all Russian
officialdom.
Snow Hampers Operations.
The same conditions that hampered
the fighting west of Warsaw in mid.
December now prevail in northern Po
land. On the levels the snow is from
one to three feet deep and in the val
leys it is up to the shoulders of the
soldiers. At many points on the front
the digging of trenches is useless. as
they Immediately I'LL with snow.
These conditions are reacting in ia.
vor of the Germans, delaying the Rus
sian advance at some points and Civ
ing the Germans time to bring re-en
forcements up over their railways.
Il Reports from the Caucasus front In
dicate that the Turks have succeeded
in temporarily checking the Russian
advance toward Erzerum. Along the
Techoroch river and south of there
fresh Turkish troops have appeared
and they are offering desperate resist
ance to the Russians.