The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-07
Germans Fire Towns as They
Retire From Lines.
Germans Are Withdrawing
After Hot Resistance.
LAON IS BURNING NOW
Was Stronghold of the Ger-
mans in Southwest Line.
BuIgars Surrender and Tell
Central Powers To Move.


Paris, Oct. Trench and Amerf-
can troops across the Suippe river, on
ten-mile front. are advancing north
ward toward La Neuville and Semide.
+ (La Neuville is fifteep miles northa
east of Rheims. Semide is ten miles
east of La Neuville.)
Despite their desperate resistance
in this region and north OF st. Quen-
tin. the Germans are reported to be
withdrawing their material and de-
stroying that which is too bulky to
move quickly.
shorten West Front.
Captain Salzmann, writing in the
Vossische Zeitung,. urged the German
high command to shorten the west
front.
'It does not matter IL we make
vast retreat. provided the front holds"
he declared. 'It is vitality necessary to
hold the front at any COST
Capture st. Masmes.
sParis. Oct French troops cap
tured the town OF st. Masmes. north
east OF Rheims and penetrated the
town of Hauvine. further to the east
and north of the Arnes river. the
French war office announced today.
Northeast of ST. Quentin, the Ger
mans attacked several times In an ef-
fort to retake the positions conquered
ny the French. All the attacks except
in the region of Tifioy farm were re-
pulsed.
Fighting in that region continues.
Britishers in Battle.
London. Oct Local fighting
north of st. Quentin and between Lens
and Cambria was reported by Field
Marshal .Haig today.
I'm local fighting in the neighbor-
hood of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. "a mile
and a half north of LIE Catelet) we
II x,xterx fAn ex&o
said. N
"One of our patrols In the Oppy sec
tor brought in thirty-four prisoners
and four machine guns.
During the night we established
posts at canal crossings north of
west of Oppy.
"a German post east of Berclau was
captured. We made slight advance
north of Wezmacquart."
Laon Is Afire.
Paris, Oct. 7.-Laon, the stronghold
to which the enemy has been clinging
as the keypoint of his line to the
afire by the Germans. The town was
reported ablaze Sunday and fires were
still burning there today.
Rheims has been finally and defin-
itely cleared from the menace.
Bulgars Surrender.
Paris, Oct. THE general in COM
mand of the Eleventh Bulgarian divi-
sion has surrendered his force to tho
allied troops in Macedonia. The divi.
sion was composed of two brigades.
and with it large quantity of war
material fell into the hands of the
allies
Greek Troops Strike.
Athens. Sunday. Oct. s.-Greek and
allied troops, says the newspaper EN-.
bro. will yet strike into eastern Mace
>donia toward the Rhodope mountains
and beyond the Nestos river.
(The Rhodope mountains separate
eastern Macedonia and Thrace from
Roumelia, Bulgaria.)
Promote q Serb.
4, Corfu. Oct. 6.-Prince Alexander of
Serbia has been promoted to the rank
Of general by King Peter, in recognf.
ton of his victories during the Mace.
donian offensive.
Capture Debra.s
Paris, Oct. 6.-The town of Debra
on the Black Dvina river and forty
miles northeast of Eibasan, Albania,
has been occupied by Serbian troops,
according to a French official state-
mept issued tonight.
Must Leave Bulgaria.
Amsterdam, Oct. 7.-BuIgaria on
Saturday notified the powers with
which she had been allied that they
must quit Bulgarian territory within .
month. says Sofia dispatch to the
Berlin Tageblatt.
Pursue the Germans.
London, Oct. SERBIAN troops are
energetically pursuing the Austro.
Germans north of Vranje In the direc-
ton of Nish. according to Serbian Of
ficial statement. The Serbians al
ready have taken 1900, prisoners and
twelve guns.
Paris. Oct. THE Germans Ire
burning villages and towns behind
their lines along the whole front from
Lille to Rheims.
This is believed to .presase retire
ment in several sectors South OF
Cambria, the enemy is reported al
ready to have fallen back two miles on
a seven. mile front.
At least a score of places are II
flames Laon. the great communities
ton center and base of the st. Gobaiu
massif. was set afire Sunday. Sal.
laumines. east Of Lens. and several
Continued on Page TWo1