New-York tribune., 1919-01-09
Poles Win First
Battle for Wilma;
Bolsheviki Ousted
Conflict Continues, With
Russian 'sReds'' Closing
In ON City From Three
Sides; Germans Fleeing

WARSAW, Jan. (By The Associated
Press s).-The first fighting between the
Poles and the Russian Bolsheviki for
the possession of Wilma, the capital of
Lithuania, has begun.
Polish advance guards have driven
Bolshevik advance guards from the out
skirts of Wilma. The Bolsheviki are
reported to be awaiting reinforcements.
During the struggle for the civil pos
session of Wilma by the Poles several
Bolshevik agents there are said to have
committed suicide. The German troops
in the city ara anxious to leave and
are handing over their arms and other
supplies to the Poles in order to gain
of Poland. The turning over of the
arms to the Poles has improved their
strength. The Polish force at Wilma is
said to number 10000.
Closing In on City
are closing in upon Wilma on three
sides. The force is said to be we'll
armed and is less than twelve miles
rom the city.
Agents OF the Russian govern
ment have established headquarters at
Kovno, Grodno and Brest- -Litovsk.
Stiff fighting continues around Lem
berg, where the Poles are defending
themselves tenacously against the Ru-
thenians. The water and electric sup
plies to the city have been cut by the
besiegers. Bloody hand-to- hand fight
ing has occurred daily in the suburbs.
N1,-t,, oil Ill of
the Polish army have been sent to Lem
berg in an effort to save the city. The
Polish forces there are said to mum ber
10000 and are being assisted by many
civilians-men, boys and women. The
civilians are dressed in Austrian uni
forms and helmets left behind when
the Austrians retired from Lemberg.
Pad"rewski to Control
Ignace Jan Paderewski, who is in
Poland as representative of American
Poles, is expected to return to Warsaw
to-day from Cracow and to take part
IN the formation of a new ministry,
the Socialist government of General
Pilsudski having been weakened some
what as the result of the attempted
coup d'etat Sunday by the Conserva-
tives and Liberals. Present plans are
for a new ministry in which there will
will have national character, with
four members from Posen, four from
Galicia and eight from Russian Poland.
Reports are that neither the friends
Of General Pilsudski nor the National
Polish Committee in Paris will be per-
mitted to predominant in the Cabinet.
In view of the fact that Mr.. Paderew-
ski has declared himself to be friend
of the workmen and the peasants, it is
declared by his friends that he will be
able to consolidate all parties in Poland
milton by the Allies. as we'll as to pre-
sent a united front against the Bolshe-
wiki. Since his visit here those friend
ly to Paderewski declare that in addi-
tion to being a patriot and musician
he has shown qualities of statesman
ship.
Socialists Strengthened
Sundays attempted revolt is regarded
in Liberal circles as unfortunate in
that it temporarily strengthened the
hands of the Socialist ministers. The
six ministers who were arrested by the
opposition forces have been liberated
from the building where they were i'm
prisoned.
Prince Eustache Sapieha, who led
Sundays attempt, has been asked by
General Pilsudski to remain in his
home pending developments. Colonel
Janszagts, the principal military aid
to the prince, has been imprisoned in
the fortress for trial before military
court.
Early this morning there was some
random shooting about the city. Thirty
White Guards were disarmed by regular
troops. The regulars placed machine
guns on the steps of the Holy Cross
Church. in Nowy Street, and fired on
the palace occupied by the White
Guards. Four of the White Guards
were wounded. The affair was settled
peaceably when Albert Kossak. the Po-
lish military painter, many of whose
pupils were among the White Guards.
persuaded them to yield to the regu-
lars. He treated the incident lightly
and returned to his studio.
There has been so much fighting in
the streets Of Warsaw during the oc-
cupation and revolutionary periods
that Kossak's attitude is typical of the
population generally. No one seems to
get excited when shooting affrays occur
in the streets.
pOEos Soszo PORT nf