The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-04

ed the village from the defenders In q
serves, brought up from the rear.
launched an immediate counter
attack. The French drove the Ger
mans. still flushed with their victory.
from the dismanted town at the point
of the bayonet.
Twice Repeated.
Twice more this fighting was re-
peated, the Germans at the end sue
ceeded in holding the main sections OF
the villages. while the French. fight
ing like madmen against crushing
odds established themselves In the
The German oflcial statement to-
day contains the significant announce
ment, I'VE have pushed our line to
the west and south of the village
fDouaumont) as well as OF the ar
mored fort to. more favorable posi-
tons"
This indicates, that the Germans
have smashed forward to point be-
hind the most northeriy fortresses on
the heights of the Mouse. and not only
are IN q position TO take the under
fire from the rear, but also are fight
ing before the inner ring OF the Ver-
dun forts
Heavy attacks against the village Of
Vaux, north of the ruined fort of
the same name. have been repulsed
and heavy losses inflicted, according
to French reports.
tain OF fire and by the activity of our
machine guns" says the Paris after
noon statement.
The enemy was compelled to re-
tire. leaving among our barbed wire
entanglements large number of
bodies"
The attacks on vaux were made at
the same hour as those on Douau-
mont.
Berlin reports today that more than
1000 more prisoners have been taken
in the latest blow at verdun. The
French, in addition. have lost some
of their heavy guns. The number Is
not given.
Air Raids Over vcrdun.
Swift Folxker aeroplanes have con-
Quoted a raid over verdun itself. ac-
eording to the Berlin statement. Fort
Verdun, one of the main defenses, was
shelled from the air
On the entire front of the Woevre,
where the French have been driven
back to their fortress line on the
heights of the Meuse, an artillery
bomba rdment of unprecedented pro-
portions is raging night and day. The
wall of fame and metal transcend be-
yond anything ever seen In war. The
Germans. by an unheard of expendi-
ture OF shells. are cndeavoring to
blast the steel and concrete defenses
to powder before attempting to storm
the crests
An expert estimate puts the present
mobile attacking forces at the disposal
OF the Crown Prince at five army
corps 100000 men). These, along the
ten kilometres o. northern front, give
the Germans an average OF twenty
men to the yard. Another great army
is operating in the woevre.
IT IL predicted that the Crown
Prince proposes to try to batter his
WAY through the French lines with
human battering ram SIS Won Maeken-
sen smashed through thu russians on
the Duna5ec last summer.
French army men and military ex-
perts continue to express the utmost
confidence Tn the issue Of the battle.
They declare verdun In impregna-
bic. But they expect the battle to
continue for days--until tho German
commanders have II proved to them
In masses OF dead, that their blow
cannot succeed.
Veteran Missionary PASSES Away.
Word has been received of the
death of DIR. James Bufchart. 4 mis-
sionary of the Foreign Christian Mis-
sionary Society. at Marking. China.
He was appointed in 1890. and reached
China in 1891. He served China for
quarter of century, during period
of wonderful events
DIR. Butchart's chief work was at
Lnchowfu. where he built UP great
hospital. The splendid plant viii
stand as an enduring monument to