The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-14

lily STATE JOURNAL
American artillery. supporting the line
| Of infantry with machine guns, had
| brought the little offensive to a halt
r Serbs Past Nish.
London. Oct. Tour troops en-
tered Nish on Saturday and captured
| positions to the northward,' the Ser
bian was office announced today.
I'VE hold a line thru Marmor and
Prekouplie northwest ana west of
Nish9. French. cavalry occupied
| Belapalnnka."
French Chase Huns
Paris; Oct. 1.-THE French are
| swiftly following up the German re-
treat along the eightysimile front be-
tween Ia zsFere land the Arsonne
region. s.szs-z .6--.1e 4as-'.s r. =
The whole Laor front, following
evacuation of the st. Gobain massff. is
tured dozen additional villages. The
railways leading from these are intact
and great masses Of shells and other
war material have been seized.
Nberste 6,50o, Civilians.
! Paris. Oct. -l3.-Sixty<five hundred
civilians were liberated when the
French troops entered the city ofLaon
it was officially stated tonight. The
statement. issued at war Office says
that the French have passed far be-
yond the town on the whole front be-
| tween the Disc and the Ailette river.
| The official statement reads:
Pursuing the enemy, our troops re-
sumed the advance over cut roads,
| which the enemy evacuated in haste
| leaving quantities of material, shells,
barbed wire and railroads intact. AT
10:45. o'clock our advancing guards
reached the Laon-La-Fere railroad
where they were met by a violent ma
chine gun fire coming from Besny- Et-
Loisy and Lamontagne, which were
occupied by. enemy rear guards.
AT IL @ clock all the st. Gobain
forest was clear of Germans and the
French flag was floating on the ca
thedral. Our soldiers liberated $500.
civilians, who welcomed them. with
Continuing the advance our sol+
diers approached the Laon forest at
| Samoussy, which was taken. Mar.
chais was also occupied.
Towards 2 O'Clock, the enemy ma
chine guns reaction became most se-
we're. At $3.50 o'clock an Italian brf.
gade had passed the town of Mon
fatigue. At about o'clock the ad-
vance continued o. 80. 80
There is heavy fighting with rear
guards. which have. fired upon us prin-
cipaHy from Niyaise. Couvron-Et-
AuTaencourt and dropped-shells on the
roads and railroads. We passed into
Samoussy- and continued the pursuit"
/ Pressing on, Douai. .--s
London, Oct. 1.-THE British are
pressing in on both sides of Douai
Field Marshal Haig's official state
1 ment today reports gains of ground
ooth north and south of the city.
| 461.2OO Prisoners
London; Oct. 14.-since July 1 s, the
allies on all fronts are estimated to
have taken 461,200' prisoners
Northeast of ACamhrai the British
have pushed to within eight miles of
Valsffciennes, 'while to the westward
Douai is practically in British hands
1 Occupation of Nish by Serbian
troops is officially admitted by both
| Germany and Austria.
1 The Serbs are advancing northeast
/ ward and westward from the city. In
\ the Saloniki region. the Greeks are
rap1diy7reoccupying their invaded ter
The Austrians, evacuating Albania,
are now menaced on three sides In
addition to the Italians advancing
from the south and the Serbs and
French adya neing from the west. the
Austrians are now being harassed by
formidable bands of Montenegrin .ir-
regulars in their rear Vienna reports
encounters with these new forces near
| Ipek.
| Capture Kavaya. f~
| Rome, Oct. 14.-Kavaya, a town In
Albiana twelve miles southeast of Du-
razzo, has been captured by the. Itat-
| ians, according to an official statement
| issued by the war office last night
| Only accommodating activity is re-
ported along the italian front. -
| Keep Up with Enemy.
4 Paris, Oct 14-French troops con-
tinued to keep in contact with the re-
| firing Germans, the French war of
4 flee ANNOUNCED today. The French
1.ye .~I \ TT. -.
| showing resistance on the north bank
OF the Aisne canal south of Chateau
| Porcien,
/ An Artillery Battle
| With the American first army. Oct.
/ 14.-An intense artillery battle is rag
ing between the Aire and the Mouse.
1t continued thrueut the night and was
! growing in violence this morning.
i The American guns apparently
dominated tho situation. The solid
mass of machine gun nests. which op-
pose Eour advance between the two
rivers. was rapidly being blasted to
bits.
Heavy German attacks east Of the
Argonne today were broken up by
American counter attacks.
4 The Yanks met the BOOBIES midway
| between the two lines, welding the
4 bayonet and tearing the enemy waves
to- shreds. "a 49, r-l.
The German attack had been pre-
coded by a heavy barrage. but the
American artillery siienced the enemy
guns. leaving their infantry without
protection
i Later. the American infantry went
forward and began clearing out ma
chine gun nests in the regions OF
| Romagne, Cunel ana Sommeraine.
] Repulse Counter Attacks.
i London, Oct Herman attacks
east of the Selle river, near Solesmes.
were repuised, Field Marshal Haig re-
4 ported today. The fighting there is
i continuing.
These attacks were delivered in
force on a wide front north of LIE Ca
teau, following heavy bombardment