The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-17
where WAR RACES
Correspondent Describes Scene
Along Italian Front.
Solid Miles of Soldiers and
Guns Ready for Huns.
nITIrIu rVnnIIo 0F OrnDI
PITIFUL EXODUS OF PEOPLE
Frenzied Women and Children
Fleeing in Terror, AfOOt.
Piave Fringed With Beautiful
Parks and Rich Statuary.

Associated Press. 1.-THE Italian gen
eraI staff gave the first opportunity
TODAY to see the PiaVe battle front and
the correspondent was among the first
four civilians authorized to take the
trim. 1t came at an opportune NOM
emf when the enemy had succeeded IN
getting small parties across the river
at two points and when the hoIdlhs
or breaking of the Pave line promises
to bring the whole issue into the bal
ance for Italy and, to some extent TOT
the entente.
some ten miles back from the river
the correspondent passed through
solid miles of troops coming and going
TO the front. Those going to the rear
were nudcovered, and tired, but not
disheartened. Those going forward
appeared resOlute and some were
singing. Refugees afoot and in OK
carts crowded the fields and roads
seeking safety from this sudden on
rush of the enemy. The party passed
Rfete where Pope Plus Y was born
and a small cross road church marked
the place where he used to be a Gu
rate before his elevation to the pa
pacy.
An air raid took place as the party
passed near the church. Five shots
were fired, but the raider got away.
Knots of soldiers filled the streets and
villages as they stood gazing at the
black pail of smoke in the east.
Along the road toward the front,
military telegraph lines were strung
on the tops of buses as there had been
no time 10 erect poles. The first stop
was made at Asolo ten miles back
from the river where the ancient
castle to which Queen Catherine of
Cyprus retired on her abdication, lo-
Gated on high hill, gave a command
Uq Vie n
tie front. The PiaVe lay straight
ahead. Across the river, five small
villages, now held by the enemy. could
be seen
The route now turned along the
west bank of the river where long
lines of peaceful villages had been
transformed suddenly by terror or the
enemy bombardment. The tewnspeo-
pie were gathering hastily their be-
IOngings together and the women and
children seemed terrified as they hur-
ried away from the sound of the guns
The party passed groups of ardid.
Arditi is the Italian word for ardent
and they are men who volunteer to
risk everything and to push to the ex-
treme front Their shirt fronts were
open, altho it was a cold autumn day
and they looked the daredevils they
are known to be
Houses Now Hospitals.
Houses along the road have been
ira nsformed into temporary field hos
pitfalls. There were ambulances along
the road but no sign of wounded. At
one village regiments of Alpini were
waiting to go forward. Batteries and
field guns also were moving down to
the river with evergreen boughs
screening the guns. The whole west
ern bank of the Pave is lined with
beautiful villas and extensive parks
filled with statuary
The party had now reached a viii
lage three miles from the Pave line
and the Smelling was continuous. As
the army automobile came up the
road to the railway station a shell
burst. squarely in the road 100 yards
ahead.
They are Smelling the road" said
the escort as he wheeled the automo-
bile behind the station, where groups
ol SoIdleEs- We're .crouching in the door
ways one of the fragments of this
smell came whizzing towards the sta
uoE and buried itself in the wall
solder led the way thru a thicket
up the side of a hill where an Italian
observation post had been established
co., - pili tIlls point of vantage the
correspondent looked out on the long
IIhes on both banks of the river The
town or Nldor, now held bv General
Won Bellows German troops, was inst
dcIoss the river from the point of oh
SelVaton and big German sa,1sar,,
Dauoon was insolentlV happj,4s~ GO l11o :
the town observing the work Of TtaI-
ian batteries. ol 4laI-
Heroic Regiment Passes
ne Comparable of Vidor was dis
eiiIclIy visible and with field glasses
several men could be seen T9oTirt
aoout the outskirts of the town HOY
TINS could be with such sheIfing syoiy,o,
on was difficult to understand yrhe
az Nantage the Germans had at This
point was evident, as the hills rosa
PACK 10 the town, giving them a scream
Tor their batteries. These plaved
u ., on the Italians in the plain on
the eastern side of the river.
Again the route turned sou+bvzar5
along the river. At one point the
party passed one of those heroic reg
lnents OF cavalry which acted as a
rear guard while the main italian
army retired to the western bank of
the Pave. The cavalry horses had
been tethered in a vineyard All The
Vineyards, haystacks and gathered
crops are being sacrificed in the pres
ent emergency. Nearing the river the
roads were full of frightened people
hurryihg away with their pitful fami-
lies on the top of household goods car
ried on carts and wagons. The actual
river bank was now near and the es-
cort gave special warning of rifle
and machine guns fire in addition to
shrapnel from the batteries. The
town OF NeFNeSa on the rivers edge
was deserted completely as the party
passed down to the wharves and the
silent town had a sepulehral aspect
The rear of artillery was now sup
plemented by the rattle of coffee
mills as the soldiers call the ma
chine guns and the crack of rifle fire
Left Wine in Watts.
Officers led the way. creeping in
single file into an old warehouse
standing on the edge of the Piave riv-
err. It had already been a target and
tne side toward the river was sieved
Hwtth machine gun fire. There were
two huge shell holes. The great wine
watts of the warehouse, still full. had
been abandoned in the hasty flight Of
the villagers. The river at this point
Is extremely narrow, with a long shoal
thru the middle. offering the enemy
handy means of getting half way over.