The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-01
BIG DEFEAT
IS TIMELY
May Day, Annual Nightmare of Auto
crazy, Ushered in With News of Dis
aster Instead of Promised Decisive
Victory internal Situation Critical
in Central Empires 81
THE LINE WILL HOLD, SAY ALLIED EXP

LIE LINE WILL HOLD SAY ALLIED EXP HH &.
Washington, April 30 General Foch, generals ##
allied armies is taking nothing for granted as HH
OF the Franco British American line to hold. H#
The cumpIna mp Of the British fifth army HH
outset oil the German offensive guarded the ga 81
IicardH, carried It's lesson home HH
While the people Of two continents have bee, EH
anMoHslv a. to the whereabouts of Foch and the HH
army ol maneu1er it wa, learned autborita.vely III
Foch has moi been die III
Twenty seven lines of trenches il was disclosed E#
Tire city of Paris HH
foc6 it stated determined despite the impatie. BIB
onookels, to attempt nothing the way of counter, III
c until assured beyond doubt that there existed III
enemy and Paris npcperahe lime defense
against which would take from the Pussans frelnl TON
in blood.
Within The past twenycour hours, it is indicated in birn
quarter the character Of assistance being offered tho r
around pres and other sections Of the line gives to be-
PI' that the Germans arc beginning to blunt their swords On
Meanwhile American military experts confident that the
rS~ 10 inc Shn@ has been reached express the belief that
the lighting OF tho no2t forty hours will probably determines
the fate NOT only of Foch supreme commander but of other
high commands the western front
hc lime will hold and the channel ports Will not be surrend-
cred That IS the assurance that in face of from the
brtsh and French embassies and missions Yesterdays
fighting, stated in these quarters today demonstrated
beyond question that the line hold.
London, April Berlin officially admitted today that tho
village OF Locre now the pivot the allied line southwest Of
pres has been retaken by the French strong counter
lacks The German Office found solace the fact that
French attempts to advance beyond the village failed
1t the ames bulletin proud Ludendor has vet
been forced to issue the end of the greatest bat
ties that fierce aday fight yesterday in which kaiser
from Mount KENNEL expected legon smash through
the allied lines pinch off the great Ypres salient walk into the
city like while Arnims left
rout channewards,
What actually happened is known since last night All was
quiet the Flanders front today The Germans digging
carng the wounded and reforming much az
possible their battered bataons And here from tho
loss of Locre the net result of the battle stated by
dortf himself:
North of Voomezeee and Grooe Viersraat we captured
several English trenches
His inactivity throughout today the enemys most con-
vncing admission of defeat speaking even than thu
quartermaster generals bulletin several English
trenches captured and the loss of Loce Incidentally Hair
announced tonight that the French took ninety
In recapurng that village For the allies the British COM
manders statement that there only local fighting today
was triumphant confirmation of their victory
Furthermore Haig put the official the DISPATCHES
of all front correspondents telling of the fghtfu German
losses.
From the Belgian frontier the report that the num-
Der of German wounded yesterdays battle ten times
larger than had been anticipated Three palaces of the king
of the had to be hastily converted hospitals The
victims quarered there addition the tranoads sent
via Aachen into the empires interior
Thus the May Day the annual nightmare of the
military authorities when Socialism and organized ioiu
by word and all the bitterness discomfort
cumuated twelve months of suffering the kasers people
behold instead of the decisive victory endless train
columns the newspapers giving the the dead
Austria Hungary torn by internal strife dynaStc
electoral and questions faces according to all reports
the gavest May Day disturbances her history Since Bres
Ltovsk the Russian Bolshev chieans have been extremely
busy their quiet little way dropping the poison Of their
volt teachings through the underground channels all parts
of the Hapsburg empire So fruitful has their agitation
IDENTITY been that the Vienna Office itself compelled
launch counter propaganda warning of the chaos that u
follow an imitation Of the Reds methods But the Aus