The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-10

preceste the chancellor reply 10
peace interpretations.
London. May 9.--slowly but stead
lily the Canadians crept back toward
Fresnoy last night and today.
The village itself, wresied from
them by the Bayarians at dawn YES
terday. is still i'll Teuton hands. but
all day long the British artillery
pounded it, and its ruins are Ning.
gradually reduced to a no mans land
preparatory TO "A new frontal attack
by the Canadians
West of Fresnoy," said todays
British headquarters statement. we
improved our position during the
night by counter-attack. A portion
of the ground lost yesterday morn
ing has been regained."
All around the village to the south.
west and north embittered fighting
took place today. The Teutons tried
vanly to get beyond it and reach
Arleux en- -Gohelle. The Canadians
hit back furiously and. aided by the
British guns, crushed every new on
saught of Prince Rupprecht's troops.
Berlin's official version of the
Fresnoy battle says,
THE Bavarian-f 'rankish regiments
which stormed E'resnoy yesterday
Win Sktdt daSI ttAti GlAC NbiaA %
against fresh enemy attacks and
brought in an additional. 100 pris-
oners."
French Carve Another Slice.
Meanwhile the French carved an
other slice out of the fortified de-
lenses of the Siegfried line. In what
the Paris communique describes as a
brilliant action" the poilus stormed
German first line trenches on a front
of about three quarters Of mile to
the northeast of Chevreux. near
Craonne. Thus they pushed forward
considerably one arm of their nut
crack er" that threatens to crush this
village. on the retention OF which, in
German hands, the Berlin war Office
last week laid especial emphasis
All along the Aisne and the Cham
payne the Teutons launched deter
mined counter-tsrusts in the last
twenty hours. Each was rer
pulsed one powerful assault hurled
against the French on the California
plateau was rewarded by hort-lived
success. Teutons who had penetrated
the French lines were elected at the
point of the bayonet. The Paris otfi-
cia1 statement speaks of the Ger
mans being moved down. by the
French artillery and machine-gun
fire.
Here. as we'll as along the Wotan
line. the Germans are still throwing
fresh reserves into battle. This fact
has strengthened the view taken by
some military critics that the Teuton
high command is gradually transfer
ing the bulk of the eastern forces to
the west
Systematic Counter Offensive.
Today's official accounts show that
the counter-attacks launched at Fres-
noy, near the northern pivot OF the
Wotan position at Gavrelle, on the
Arras-Douai road and at Bullecourt
near the southern end of the Wotan
switch are part of systematic coun-
ter offensive on the British front.
All dispatches from British head
quarters speak of a powerful Germany
artillery concentration and of cor
respondingly fierce fire. There is every
indication that Hindenburg means to
hold his present positions from Lens
down to Auberive in the Champagne.
Some experts here believe he is pre-
pairing for great attempt to drive the
entente forces back on the whole
front.
Battle In Full Swing.
Tonight, when Sir Douglas Haig
sent his supplementary bulletin tho
battle for Fresnoy was still in fun
oN HE. III ictdI liElilIAE dIOuUu buti6~
court, he reported. a German detach-
ment was caught under the British
machine gun fire, suffering heavy
losses.
Artillery duels began late this after
noon in the central sector of the line
of the allied push. around st. Quentin.
The German official night report as
serted that British attack near Fresnoy
and Bullecourt failed. 1t spoke of
heavy gun duels near Arras and on
the Aisne.
The French contented themselves
this afternoon with consolidating and
extending their gains on the vaucierc
plateau. Big shells are being hurled
into Iaon.
The house of commons was moved
to iubilant cheers today by the state
ment from Chancellor OF the Ex-
cheqHer Bonar Law that since F.as-
ter Monday, when ,fhe British drive
began, $4,000 prisoners. twenty-seven
guns. 4 and 277 mortarz have been
taken by Sir Douglas Gig's- army
and that the British up TO date have
advanced from two y nve miie1 -
ga u