The Little River news., 1918-06-22
HOPE OF SUPPLIES
 INSPIRES AUSTRIANS
Troops Are 1sd to Remember Food Captured in & Drive-Prisoners All in Rags ad Show Plainly
 Effects of N ing Underfed

Italian Army Headquarters, June 19.-That Austria's drive against Italy is positively a hunger offen- sive' has been proved by new orders and addresses found upon prisoners. These were signed by officers ranging from Field Marshal Conrad von Hoetz- i endorff down to regimental command CTS. One, which was issued by the commander of the famous regiment bearing the name of Archduke Charles, says:
 Soldiers, remember the spells we got last fall from the Italians; the sheep, COWS, steers, warehouse full of good clothes, and grocery stores full of wines, canned goods, flour and su- gar Think of your family. Think of the white bread you may win for all.
 The correspondent has visited groups of hundreds of prisoners, all of whom are thin and weak They said they had had little food for the past month and spoke with horror of the winter months they had passed. A sample of their black bread showed that it was made of rye straw and potatoes.
 Prisoners g Sad Lot.
 Many oi the prisoners have strong well spiked shoes, but these they claim they made themselves or bought. Their clothes, however, are falling spart, having been patched frequent ly Most of them have mere rags for shirts. The ma. ..ority of the prison CTS have money but it is either in paper bills or iron coin. The most of them wear medals for valor, some of them having two or three of these, but these decorations are of base metal and none are of gold or silver One is stamped with a likeness of Elm p.ass Zita nd enciIclei With laurel Wreaths and is made of zinc com position. The prisoners part readily with these medals saying they have no pride in them for 9. few pennies Ot Italian money. Most of the captured men are young and light haired and generally have bad teeth.
 The Italian soldiers tell humorous stories of captures effected by per sucding Austrians that they will be fed. One Italian officer, who h-d been wounded and picked lip by a group of Austrians, who intended to make him prisoner, explainei how foolish they were. He said:
 Come with me and you will get meat, wine and real bread.
 ThereupOn the whole party went over to the Italian lines.
 It is said also tht at the begin hing of the offensive the Austrians in the front line each received three ra- tions of meat, one for each day of the attack until they reached the Italian stores. They were so hungry, howev- er that they ate all the first day.
 Offensive Has Failed
 In a trip by the correspondent along. the entire front, completed this evening, there. was found ample evi- denee that the Austrian hunger of lensive had failed.
 Except for their crossings of the Piave, the Austrians got nothing for their attacks upon the Italians or the Anglo-French forces aside from front line observation posts, which already have been retaken or seem in the way of being reclaimed.
 The trip brought out clearly the fact that the Austrian artillery marks manship was extremely poor during the attack. The enemy's fire was ire quently slack and often virtually use less because of the cutting of the Austrian telephone communications by the Italian gunfire. The exact itude of the Italian artillery rejoinder not only spoiled the Austrian aim but was responsible for heavy losses which are known to have been inilict- ed upon the attacking forces
 The Italian machine gun likewise produced marked effect whenever the Austrian infantry moved forward
 --W S.S-
 Make every day thrift day and l. ~J,~