The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-24
Won Mackensen's Forces Cap
ture Three More Towns.
German Army Controls All of
DObrudja Railroad.
RIOTS IN RUMANIA CAPITAL
Invaders Now Will Devote Ef-
fort to Northern Drive.
Rumanians Hopeful Allies Will
Come to Rescue Nation.

On both the north and southeastern
Rumanian fronts the Teutonic allies
are rapidly flattening out the Ruman-
ian lines and forcing them back.
In Dobrudja. Field Marshal Won
Mackensen inflicted severe defeak
upon the Russo Rumanian left flank,
driving it to the Tara Murat district,
some sixteen miles northwest of Son
Stanza, the Black sea port he cap
tured day before yesterday. In the
center the field marshal has forced
his way into Medjirie while along the
Danube he has drawn appreciably
nearer the Tchernavoda bridgehead
by capturing the Danube town of
Rashova, nine miles southwest OF
Tchernavoda. He has taken 6,1O0
prisoners, two cannon and fifty-tWo
machine guns.
Driving home the attack on the north
General Won Falkenhayn reports as
a result the capture of Predeal, ten
miles south of Kronstadt, on the Ru-
manian side of the border, and the
collapse of the strong resistance the
Rumanien ms have been offering at the
southern end of Rothenthurm pass, on
the frontier south of Hermannstadt.
On the northwestern Rumanian
front the Russo-Rumanian forces ap-
parently are hold their own. Bucharest
reports them on the offensive in the
Oituz valley, where several hundred
prisoners and ten machine guns were
| captured from General Won Faiken-
hayn's troops.
Holds Entire Railway.
Virtually the entire Constanza-
Tchernovoda railway line in Dobrudja
is now in the hands of Field Marshal
Won Mackensen's victorious forces, it
appears from Russian official state
ment today, admitting the evacuation
of Medjidie by the Russians and Ru-
manians. Medjidie is approximately
/ twenty miles inland from CoHstanza,
/ the Black sea port and terminus of the
railway. the fall of which to the
armies of the central powers was re-
ported yesterday. Medjikie further
more, is but little more than thirteen
and one-half miles from Tchernavodo,
where the Russo Rumanian forces are
apparently preparing to make a stand
at the bridgehead protecting the town.
The only bridge over the Danube be-
, tween Belgrade and the sea, spans the
river at Tchernavoda, carrying the
railway line running to Bucharest.
! The Russo -Rumanian line now runs
along the heights north of Constanza
and Medjikie, according to the Petro-
grad announcement, the entente forces
having fallen back upon these ridges
after evacuation of the towns. The
Somme front situation was little
changed overnight.
London reports that the British
have fully consolidated the ground
gained by them yesterday in the
neighborhood of Gueudecourt and Les
Boeufs. where the capture of 1000
wards of German trenches was report
ed. There was no infantry action
along the French lines in the Somme
region, the most important happening
being the development of a spirited
artillery duel south of the river in the
area between Biaches and Ablaincourt
Short on Artillery.
! Mackensens easy victory at Con-
/ Sfa a,-tIx fn
Rumanian's lack of artillery. it is un-
derstood here. When Falkenhayp be-
I gan sweeping the Rumanians out of
! Transvlvania, the Rumanians hastily
! shifted guns from Dobrudja to the
! Pennsylvania passes to check the in
vasion of their western borders The
: Russians brought reinforcements in
! men into Dobrudja but were unable to
/ bring adequate artillery equipment
and the enemy batteries were unable
to offer effective opposition to the
! Teutonic advance
I One report from Sofia today said
I that Constanza was won with hardly
any fighting, the Rumanians evacuat-
ing shortly after German detachments
cut the railroad to the west.
| Cavalry forces entered the city in
the afternoon and found it deserted
by the enemy.
The decisive victory over the Ru-
manians is expected to have great
attempts to win Greece's armed sup
port.
To Assail Bucharest From North.
Paris. Oct. 24.-5:25 a. m.=The
capture of Constanza by the Teutonic
allies altho not unexpected, neverthe-
less has put a damper on the enthusi-
asm aroused by the continued advance
/ of the entente allies on the front in
I Picardy. French commentators do
not unduly exaggerate the Importance
I of the achievement of Field Marshal
j Won MackenSen, whose action up to
the present time. is considered here as
a defensive one in shortening his
front SO as to hold it better if with
fewer men. They point out that the
only way that he could do this, is ad-
vance. since if he fell back. his front
would on the contrary. be heightened
insofar as he succeeued. These OBJ
servers say also that II ne manages TO
7 tie up the Russo Rumanian forces in
Dobrudja by holding a narrow front
slightly south of the railroad he will
not be slow to employ his troops thus
! released to act in direct correlation
! with the Austro-German army oper-
(, ating in Transylvan-a which they as
sert is the essential front from when
alone Bucharest can be attacked with
any chance of decisive success.
! Long before that il is believed here
Rumania with the help of the allies
| will be in a position to turn the tables
upon its enemies French critics as
/ sert this belief seemingly is justified
by the gallant defense the Rumanians
are maintaining in the passes of the
| Carpathians.