Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-10
GERMANS CAPTURE
AMERICANS IN RAID
ON OUR TRENCHES
Minor Operation Northwest
of Toul, in St. Mihicl
Sector.
FRENCH PENETRATE HUN
POSITIONS IN LORRAINE
Central Powers Sign Peace
Agreement With the
Ukraine.
EVENT MAY BE EPOCHAL
Doubt Exists as to Amount OF Con.
troll Which Ukrainian Rada
Exercises. =
EVENT MAY BE EPoCHAL
Doubt Exists as to Amount OF Con.
troll Which Ukrainisn Rada
Exercises. u
rnw Associated Press.

Whilst 1t was only routine item Ia
the German official statement Of Sat-
urday. the few words in which the
headquarters staff announced a minor
operation in Lorraine held American
interest TO Il far greater degree than
the other war news OF the day. They
carried the news or r raid upon the
American lines and the capture OF
American soldiers by a German re-
connoiterinc party.
Northwest of Toul," said the recent
statement authorized by the American
censor as to the location OF the sector
now being held by men OF the United
states Army. And it was near town
northwest OF Toul that tho Germans
announced having taken ''some Amer
lean prisoners" The town is Niv1ay
and il is situated about ten miles east
Of ST. Mihiel Indicating that the Amer
leans arc holding line along the
southcrly edge Of the famous ST. AIihiel
salient. in French Lorraine, southeast
OF Nerdun
This raid by the Germans was but
one OF several conducted by the various
oelIiSerents on the western front, .hs
most important of which apparently
also was carried out in Lorraine, bur
by the French In the vicinity of Dion.
man position here. cleared out th.
trenches and brought back thirty pris.
oners and a machine gun
PEACE TREATY SIGNED rt
YESTERDAY MORNING
While these military activities were
III progress in the west, the central
powers We're busyinE themselves with
their manifold peace negotiations with
various groups OF moro or less impor.
tance OH the eastern front, and ana
nounced having come to 4 peace aEree:
ment with the Ukraine. signed at 4
o'clock Saturday morning,
This announcement. marking the
first peace concluded by any of the
bel!iSerents, may turn out TO be one
OF cpochal Importance. II had been
largely discounted. however. by the
apparent anxiety manifested By ths
representatives of the Ukrainian Rada
AT Brest L,ovsk 10 sign peace of
some sort with Germany and her allies
ana also by the uncertainty as to the
reality OF the peace which has bean
achieved on paper.
BOLSHENII<I AND LKuAINLANS7
IN A FIGHT FOR MASTERY
Doubt exists as to the extent of the
control exercised by the Rada over lthS
territory comprising the so-cal,ed
Ckrainian republic which IL purports
10 represent That control is disputed
by the Bolshevilti, who broke with tho
tada representatives at Erest Litovsx
and appointed Ukrainian delegates of
their own when they found tho first
set "f Ukrainians. whom they objected
to as bourgeois" secretly ncSotiat-
ing with the central powers. Boil
u, u : Y
gaGing each other for the mastery Of
the territory, which includes some. Of
the best srain-erowing provinces Of
Russia. and each is claiming success
in the operations. irtf
Germany and Austria are tactily sad-
mittcd 10 have seized upon the oppor.
tunity TO sign a peace with the lUk-
rainians in the hope that they could
work their way commercially intol.thA
grain growing territory and thus Sc.
cure supplies Of food for their hungry
populations. Their own people seem
10 have built great hopes on the ef-
icctiNencSS of this peace with the Uk.
ralnc. but. apparently, their leaders
are none too certain of the relief It viii
GiNe--for one thing. because of the un:
certainty as to the security OF the
Eada' S power in the territory. Thus
they are reported trying 10 incite Rou-
maria 10 join forces with the Tx
ranians in an attempt to defeat the
EolshcNik!. and 10 be holding out to
the Roumanians the possibility Of their
taking portions Of Russian territory In
besSaraha as Il reward. labelling the
hcSsaraoia as reward, labelling the
loss of Dorudja to the y3uiSarians.
The CNrainians il has been reported,
were 10 get part OF Russian Poland for
signing a peace.
The Spanish steamer Sebastian ana
the Italian steamer Duca di Genoca
have been sunk by German submarines
off the Spanish coast. Spain is rcDortcd
To he contemplating protest to Ger
many over the torpedoins OF the latter
within a mile OF the Spanish shore toi-
lowing up her recent protest over the
sinking OF the Giralda, a Spanish coast
wise steamer
DtNISH BOISIiENiIiI TO