The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-04-27
ALLIES HOLD THE GERMANS BACK
ENGLAND

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.l
z. LONDON, April 27.--A slackening
In fighting along the jagged battle line
that surrounds Ypres like giant half
moon, was reported early today. But
i was the IuII due entirely to the
bringing up Of additional troops and
the battle here, In many respects diff
fersnt from any other Of the war, may
be resumed at any time. The British
forces cooperating with tho Beigiars
and the French have serious attack
before them. The reports that St..
Julian had been reeaPtured by Can
adams and tho limo at this point
straiehtened out, was premature. Car-
adams did take it, but according
to General French's official report,
later were forced to retire.
While naturally all Information re-
garding the nature Of present opera
tions 10 withheld, It 10 understood
that both General French and General
Joffre have 90 strongly reinforced
their line that It Is believed utterly I'm
possible for the Germans to make any
great gains toward the sea. They
have smashed against the so-called
weak spots and have had their revenge
for Neuve ChapeIle, but 1t ls not be-
iieved they can forge much farther tc-
ward the sea.
Reports are In circulation today thet
the allied warshlps again are lombard
ing the German lines near Ostend, but
these reports arc not confirmed.
Shepherds story.
Following Is the second of the
stories in the Shepherd series, the
first OF which appeared yesterday.
William G. Shepherd, United Press
staff correspondent, is the only Ameri-
can representing an individual Ameri-
can press organization now at the
British front under official creden-
tials. A third story by him will ap-
pear tomorrow.1
TBy VIM G. Shepherd, United Press
Staff Correspondent
ICopyright 1915 by the United Press.1
GCopyrighted in Grsat Britain.l
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
NORTHERN FRANCE, April 16.-(By
mail to New York. "A mile back
from Neuve Chapelle we got out of
our automobile. On our left was q
u,
on our right q wayside shrine, the
floor covered with straw, on which
soldiers sleep at the foot Of the altar.
An English colonel takes the three
OF us in tow.
''We'll go in twos," he said. Keep
your distance apart. They never shell
a couple Of men, but If they see four
of us together, they might try to
drop shell on u.s."
We pass three ruined farms In the
yard Of one hyacinths are blooming
at the doorway Of the roofless house.
"Now over. across this farm" says
the colonel, and we turn of the road
and follow broad beaten path.
This path is going to be written
down in history some time. 1t was
beaten down by the feet OF the Brit
ish soldiers who marched to the
trenches that night Of March 9 and
waited until the signal was given in
the morning to rush the trenches that
stretch before the village of Neuve
Chap.elle.
Villiers, who has drawn sketches in
sixteen wars and is now on his seven
teenth, stops to make a sketch. =
,"If you don't mind" says the col
onel 1--WE won't stop here. There's
a house ahead of us there and we can
stop behind that"
"Why. are the Germans near here? ?"
says villiers.
They're right over those trees"
says the officers. But he didn't hurry
us on. He's used to 1t.
The trouble about this war is that
you never know you are on battle
field until someone who knows about
it, tells you so.
The English artillery is booming
bshind US the shells drill their long,
hollow, echoing tunnels through the
air. But, in all the fiatland around
US, broken now and then, only by the
wrecks of shelled houses, there is not
CONTINUED on page ~