Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-02-12
HUNS STATEMENT
SHOWS LOCATION
OF u. S. TROOPS
Few Words of Berlin State
ment-TeIIing of Capture of
Prisoners of Tremendous
Significance in This Country

NEW YORK, Feb. 9.-(Summary OF
European Cables -Whilst it was only
routine item in the German official
statement of Saturday, the few words
in which the headquarters staff an
nounced minor operation in Lorraine
held American interest to a far greater
degree than the other war news Of the
day. They carried the news of a raid
upon the American lines and the cap
ture of American soldiers by a German
accommodating party
Northwest of Toul," said the recent
statement authorized by American CEN
sor as to the location of the sector now
being held by men of the United States
army. And IL was near a town north
west of Toul that the Germans an
nounced having taken some American
prisoners" The town is Xivray, and 1t
is situated about ten miles east of st.
Mihiel, indicating that the Americans
are holding line along the southernly
edge of the famous st. Mihiel salient, in
French Lorraine, southeast of Verdun.
This raid by the. Germans was but
one of several conducted by the various
belligerents on the western front, the
most important of which apparently
also was carried out in Lorraine, but by
the French, in the vicinity of Dioncourt.
The French penetrated a German posi-
ton here, cleared out the trenches and
brought back thirty prisoners and a
machine gun.
While these military activities, were
in progress in the west the central pow
ers were busying themselves with their
manifold peace negotiations with vari-
Gus groups of more or less importance
on the eastern front and announced
having come to a peace agreement with
the Ukraine, signed at o'clock Satur-
day morning.
This announcement, marking the first
peace concluded by any Of the belliger-
ents, may turn out to be one of epochal
Importance. 1t had been largely dis
counted, however. by the apparent anx-
iety manifested by the representatives
of the Ukrainian rada at Brest-Litovsk
to sign a peace of some sort with Ger
many and her allies and also ny the
uncertainty as to the reality of the
peace which has been achieved on paper.
Doubt exists as to the extent of the
control exercised by the rada over the
territory comprising the so-called Uk-
rainian republic which it purports to
represent. The control is disputed by
the Bolsheviki, who broke with the rada
representatives at Brest-Litovsk and
appointed Ukrainian delegates of their
own when they found the first set Of
Ukrainians, whom they objected to as
bourgeois" secretly negotiating with
the central powers. Bolshevik and Uk-
rainian troops are engaging each other
for the mastery Of the territory, which
includes some of the best grain-growing
provinces of Russia, and each is claim
ing success in the operations.
Germany and Austria are tacitly ad-
mitted to have seized upon the oppor-
tunity to sign a peace with the Ukrain-
ians in the hope that they could work
their way commercially into the grain
growing territory and thus secure sup
plies of food for their hungry popu1a-
tions. Their own people seem to have
built great hopes on the effectiveness of
this peace with the Ukraine, but appar-
emily their leaders are none too certain
of the relief il Will give--for one thins
because of the uncertainty as to the So
curity of the rada's power in the terri
tory. Thus they are reported trying to
incte Rumania to join forces with the
Ukrainians in an attempt to defeat the
Bolsheviki and to be holding out to the
Rumanians the possibility. of their TAX
ing portions of Russian territory in Bes-
ssrabia as a reward, labelling the trans
action as compensation for the loss of
DobrUdja to the Bulgarians. The Uk-
rainians, it has been reported, were to
get part of Russian Poland for signing
peace.
The Spanish steamer Sebastian, and
the italian steamer Duca di Geneva
have been sunk by German submarine;
off the Spanish coast. Spain is report
ed to be contemplating a protest to Ger
many over the torpedoing of the latter
within a mile of the Spanish shore, fol-
lowing up her recent protest over the
sinking of the Giralda, Spanish coast
wise steamer.