Tombstone epitaph., 1918-06-23
AUSTRIA STARTS
 DRIVE IN ITALY
ALLIED LINE BLOCKS HEAVY sLoWs AFTER FRONT POST.
 TONS ARE WON.
PIAvE RIVER CROSSED
cAPTuRE or 10000 PRisoNERs REPoRrEp-sATTLg IN
 FRANCE QUIET.

western Newspaper lnion News serNice
 Italian Headquarters in Nortlern Italy, June 1.-The Italian and allied armies are bravtly sustaining the weight of the Austrian forces which are attacking along the front of the Italian theater from the northwest or the Asiago plateau eastward to the Piave river and thcnce along that stream to where it joins the head waters of the Adriatic sea, front of nearly 100 miles.
 The AustrialS, having male extcn- sive preparations for the drive by bringing up strong achievements in men and guns, many of them coming from the former battle line tn Ru- mania and Galicia as a result of the debacle in the east, is using them without stint il tie effort to debouch from the mountain passes and cross the Piave river and gain the vene- tian Plains. Everywhere the fighting .s of an extremely sanguinary charac- ter, especially cast of the Asiaso pla- teau, in the Brenta valley and on Monte Grappa-
 In the initial struggle the enemy succeeded in captu:.ia: several front line positions in the mountain region from the British. and also in crossing the Piave. Counter attacks, however, have restored all the positions in the mountains. including territory to a depth of 1000 yards along 2,5JO- yard front captured from the British. At last accounts the allied troops everywhere We strongly holding the enemy and King Victor Emmanuers men were gall. ntly striving to throw back the invaders across the Piave. The Italians have taken more than 5000 Austrian prisoners, among them eighty-nine officers.
 As yet the Vienna war office has giv- en only brief mention to the battle saying that the Austrian armies had invade the Sette Comuni plateau, ly- ing at an altitude of 3,400 feet north west of Asiaso, and that up to noon Sunday more than 10000 Italian Eng fish and French soldiers and a consid- erable number of guns had been cap tured.
 With the commencement of the long expected Austrian offensive, the fight ing in France has simmered down al most to subnormal, except southwest of Soissons. where the French have delivered several violent attacks against the Germans holding territory captured last week Where the enemy a week ago was throwing thous- ands upon thousands of men against the allied lines between Montdidier and Noyon. Sunday saw him worn out with his useless efforts and his forces sadly depleted through men killed and wounded, unwilling or unable further 10 give battle
 In Macedonia the operations daily increase in importance. Along the greater part of the front there have teen heavy reciprocal bombardments and Bulgarian troops several times have endeavored to penetrate the al He'd lines Al, their efforts, however, met with i'll success.
 London-British troops in a local operation have captured the German forward positions on a front of two miles north of Bethune, according to Field Marshal Heig's report
 Yankees RspuIsssThr Attacks.
 With the American Army in France, June 17.-About 600 German shock troops raided the American first-line positions at the village of Xivray. in the Foul sector, early Sunday morn ing. Some of the enemy got into Xiv ray, but were soon driven out At oth- CT points the Germans were badly beaten. The attack began at o'clock in the morning after an extremely vio- lent bombardment. The Germans ad- vanced swiftly to the attack but were met by . heavy fire. Those who pene- trated Xivray were forced speedily to withdraw and elsewhere the enemy was completely repulsed in hard fight ing lasting more than two hours.
 Paris.-French troops have reoccu- pied Coeuvres ct Valsery Southwest of Soissons, an important strategic point from which the Germans have been endeavoring to debouch their troops.