The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-13
POLES CONFIDENT
WARSAW is SAFE
Big Battle for Possession of
Capital Already Started.
Defenders Hold Big Reserve to
Crush BOlshevik Force.
PEACE MEETING SATURDAY
Allied Newspaper Correspond
ents at MinSk Conference.
American AviatOrs Help in Air
Raids on Soviet.
PEACE MEETING SATURDAY

London, Aug. 13.-PoIish and Boi-
shevik armies have met in battle at
a point about thirty miles north Of
Warsaw and the result was still In
doubt when the last dispatches were
filed from the Polish capital
The Poles were offering bitter re-
sistance, repeatedly throwing the Rus
slams out of defenses where a foothold
had been gained, according to advices
from the front Much Of the fighting
was hand to hand.
considerable force of Poles was
being held back of the lines as a mo-
bile reserve, the staff fearing the Rus
sian attack on the north might be a
feint, and that the main drive for
Warsaw would materialize elsewhere.
Polish commissioners with author
ity to negotiate a preliminary treaty
of peace expect to leave this citS early
Saturday morning to meet Russian So
Wet delegates somewhere on the road
between Warsaw and Brest-Litovsk,
the foreign office announced today.
The meeting. it was said, will take
place between and Z o'clock Satur-
day evening.
American and British newspaper
correspondents win be permitted to
accompany the Polish delegates. the
Rolsheviki authorities having express
ed a desire that they be present. After
the meeting the soviet delegates on
will probably be taken to Minsk.
where the formal peace conference IS
expected to take place.
Declare Warsaw Is Safe.
The two man mission that went to
the front to inform the Bolsheviki that
Poland wished 10 send peace delegates
returned here today and there is a
more confident feeling in the city than
t,has been prevalent during the past
fortnight.
High officials said they considered
the fall of the city now out of the
question The Polish mark. which
has been quoted during the last few
days at 270 for one dollar, took de-
cided turn for the better today, rising
| to 175-
| have taken the places of men in all OF
/ Warsaw's commercial houses. the war
offices and other branches OF the gov
| ernment. More women are at present
| employed than at any time since the
foundation of the republic.
Raid Reds From AIR.
Aid raids over the soviet lines along
| the Warsaw front are daily part OF
| the citys defense, aviators flying from
the Warsaw aerodrome every twenty
or thirty minutes for the front One
airpiane caught fire when Il was start
| ing on a raid. the pilot and observer
! being killed and four civilians were
killed and six injured by the expio-
sion of bombs when the plane struck
the earth.
warsaw Aug. 13-Russian soviet
, forces which are attacking the Polish
/ lines northeast and east OF TINS city
have reached a point twenty-five miles
from Warsaw. A state of siege has
been declared here by the military
| governor. Civilians are not permitted
on the streets after ten O'Clock at
night. and cafes must close at nine
O'Clock.
Hand to Hand Fighting.
J The determination Of the Bolshevilsi
to press onward to Warsaw showed
itself at various points along the bat
7 tia line today. there being hand-to-
! hand fighting in many instances me
4 Poles savagely defended their posi-
tions and contested every foot OF
/ ground given up to these invaders.
(, Fighting was reported TO-DAY Wltntn
! 80 miles of the capital.
It was said Pultusk changed hands
several times, and last accounts were
/ that fighting was on in the streets
The Poles were holding the west oank
! OF the Narew river at this point, beat
ing off the Bolshevik from the north
and hurting back other enemy forces
which were trying to cross the river
It was decided late tonight that two
American and two British newspaper
correspondents; as well as several
Polish, French. Italian and Spanish
Journalists will accompany the peace
delegation to the eastward on Sat
urday Just how long the delegation
will remain at Minsk, or wherever the
: conference will be held is unknown
but diplomats said they expected the
conference would last four or five
days or longer.
Poles in South VIctors.
Polish successes on the southern
front where the Russians have been
pushing for Lemberg, are reported in
tonight's official communique- The
Polish cavalry and infantry have
ousted the Bolsheviki from Radz Ech-
off, Lopatyn, Stanystavezyk and Top
oroff.
Mlaws, an important city on the
Warsaw Danzig railroad. about fifty
miles northwest of this city. has been
taken by the Russian Bolsheviki. ac-
cording to reports in military circles
here tonight.
Soviet forces are creeping along the
Prussian frontier and are gradually
working their way westward toward
the Vistula river. This stream appears
TO be the immediate objective Of the
Boisheviki offensive at present. az the
soviet armies are also making an ef-
fort to reach IT just west Of Wsrsa y
from Ciechanow. The advance along
the northern frontier has suggested to
observers that the Bolsheviki plan to
strike the Vistula near Vlousiavek and
other points.
Observers believe the Boisheviki
plan TO bring up srtfliery to the battle
- E-gT -