UNCLE SAM
- The Omaha ! Daily Bee I T
- - i .'.
VOL. XLVII NO. 297. v-. OMAHA, THURSDAY MORNING, MAY 30, 1918 16 PAGES - J- TWO CENTS.
Ill 1M
Q ' ' o
CANTIGNY
BYU.S.
-
UNDER
V
. ;
Captured Positions Consolidated and Repeated Counter
Attacks Repulsed; Enemy Defeated Also in Three l
Raids in Lorraine and in Heavy Gun Attack
in Luneville Sector.
(By Associated Press.)
Washington, May 29. Consolidation of positions taken
yesterday by the Americans in the Cantigny salient and the re
pulse of counter attacks is announced in General Pershing's
communique, issued tonight by the War department.
t The dispatch follows :
, "In the' Cantigny salient we have constructed our positions
In spite of heavy artillery and machine gun fire. Renewed
counter attacks broke down under our fire.
"In Lorraine we repulsed three raids during the night, tak
ing several prisoners, killing a number of the enemy. There
undin the Woevre the artillery of both sides has been active.
Beat Off Enemy.
-"It is established that on May 17
our -aviators shot down two hostile
machines instead of one as reported."
With the American Forces on the
French Front May 29. Numerous
counter attacks made by the Ge?mans
to retake the terrain which they lost
In Picardy Monday completely broke
down in the face of the American ar
- tillery fire and the heroism of our in-
fantry. All the ground won by the
, Americans Monday remains in their
possession.
When the news of the American
advance reached the villages in the
; rear, cheering broke out among the
soldiers and civilians, some of whom
? toad,; been up all night in anticipa
. tkn of important news. The faces
of the women and children were
bright and happy and the stck and
wounded in the hospitals were heart
ened by, the feat of their brothers in
arms." v-
Boys ' from the front with whom
correspondents talked today all joined
in praise of their comrades. They
- said that they knew there was a long
way., to. go, but he Americans had
, now shown their mettle and if the
Germans attempted to overrun them
they were going to have the hardest
, time, of their lives.
Gas Attacks Repulsed.
With the American Army in France,
May 29. The enemy launched another-
heavy gas attack against our
troops in the Luneville sector early
' this morning and attempted to reach
our line in three places. They were
repulsed with comparatively heavy
losses:
The first attack, made two kilo
meters southwest of Premenil, broke
: down uffder the hot machine fire from
1 the American trenches, the Germans
retreating. Both the Americans and
"Germans fought in gas masks.
-. Soon afterward the enemy put
. down a heavy barrage from the west
; and: 14 Germans managed to pene
trate a trench in which the Americans
' on Monday were' subjected to a gas
attack and were fighting mad. The
Americans emerged from their dug
outs and hand-to-hand fighting, which
was" bloody for the Germans, en
' sued, the. Americans going for the
enemy with knives and bayonets.
The Germans had been ordered to
" "take prisoners; at any cost, but they
failed to get any.
The American losses were insigni
ficant. The enemy lost all the 14 men
who penetrated the American position
nine having been killed, one having
died of wounds and four having been
' made prisoVier.
GOVERNORS URGE
. THAT STATE UNIT,S
BE NOT BROKEN UP
Washington, May 29. The govern
ors of Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa
called on Secretary Baker today to
protest against orders for the transfer
of 5,000 national guardsmen from the
Thirty-fourth division to fill up an
other organization about to go over
seas. They urged that the state units
in the Thirty-fourth be not broken up.
The governors said they did not
want to interfere if military exig
encies demanded the transfer, but
. suggested -that if possible the men
needed be drawn from the national
army or from new organization of
; regulars.
Mr. Baker instructed General
March, chief of staff, to comply with
' the request if possible.
Barbara Fritschie's Nephew
Enlists With U. S. Marines
New York. May 29. Herman
Fritsschie of Irvington, N. J., great
grand nephew of Barbara Fritschie,
and the only male survivor of that
heorine's family, enlisted in the ma
' rne corps here today.' Notwithstand
i "the difference in the spelling of
t.ie family name, the young recruit
said'he has family records to show,
hU relationship '
CAN COUNT
HELD
TROOPS
HO T FIRE
TOWLE TELLS
OF BIG SHIP
YARD PLANS
Nebruoka Bridge Man Here
From East on Brief Respite
,., From Duties in Governr
ment Labors. -
John W. Towle, one of the big men
in the government's ship building in
dustry, arrived in Omaha Wednesday
for a busy week in his private busi
ness affairs. Mr. Towle is president
of the Nebraska Bridge, Supply &
Lumber company and an officer in
half a dozen other iron and construc
tion companies. Mr. Towle was plant
engineer representing the construc
tion department in the ship building
plant at Hog Island, Philadelphia.
He asked to be relived from duty at
Hog Island.
The Emergency Fleet corporation
immediately assigned him to pick out
a site and construct a shipbuilding
yard in North Carolina. This he did,
and he is now constructing a yard at
Wilmington, N. C, to be operated
by the Carolina Shipbuilding corpo
ration, a subsidiary of the George A.
Fuller company.
Activity at Wilm-ngton.
"We will have a capacity at the
Wilmington yard to build nine ships
of 9,600 tons each at the same time,"
said Mr. iowle. "These are about
the largest cargo boats now being
constructed.
. '.'T.he Progress of the national ship
building prograrrr-ismiite satisfactory.
We are launching ah average of two
ships a day in this country now, and
before the end of the year we will
be launching 10 a day.
-"We are now constructing as great
a tonnage of ships as Great Britain
and within four months we will be
building as much steel tonnage as all
the rest of the world combined.
"In the month of April the Emer
gency Fleet corporation launched as
much tonnage as all the tonnage of
the allies and neutrals sunk by the
submarines. .
Naming Schwab Big Stroke.
The selection of Charles Schwab
as director general of the shipbuild
ing program was a master stroke. .It
has increased enthusiasm and speed
edup the work greatly.
"Authority over all departments at
each plant has now been concentrated
in one man who reports direct to the
general manager."
Mr. Towle says $50,000,000 is being
spent on the one item of experiment
ing with concrete ships.
Schools are being established in the
east to train men and officers for the
great fleet of ships now being con
structed, Jiesaid
Germans Lay Road From
Finland to Petchenga Bay
Moscow, May 29.-The Germans
are laying a railway from the Fin
nish frontier to Petcheno-a hav nn th
Mourmansk
i . . J
Archangle dispatch
LUdst, accorchna
to an
to the Nashe
3I0V0,
Soissons oi Direct
Railroad to Paris
Soissons, the city at the left flank
of the allied battle front in the
Aisne river sector, captured
Wednesday by the Germans, is an
??ent. fort,fied town, having about
15,000 inhabitants and has been the
center of ji considerable trade in
gram and haricot beans. Railway
lines run direct frgra Soissons to
Pans and Compiegne,
ON NEBRASKA 'S PROMPT
Memorial
TVTEMORIAL DAY is a peculiarly American institution. It was instituted
in order to keep alive in the memory of succeeding generations the sacri
fices that brave men and women made in order to preserve intact the great
republic of the west. In these latter years the south, as well as the north, has
taken up the very happy custom of decorating the graves of its soldier dead
on Memorial day and there is no reason why they should not, for after all
the preservation of the union means just as much for the folk south of the
Mason and Dixon line as it means for the folk up north. The great
thing is that the United States is an undivided country, and that the
Stars and Stripes float over a united people and in the providence of God
it will ever be thus. The custom of decorating the paves of our noble dead
has spread throughout all elements of American people, and untold thou
sands of folk who know nothing of the merits of the civil war take Memo
rial day as a day for the decoration of the graves of their own dear ones.
It is an infinite gain to a nation when it keeps the memory of these
noble ones fresh and green. This year Memorial day has a new signifi
cance, for this year memorial services will be held not only in this coun
try, but in scores and scores of little villages throughout France, and in
Paris and in London, and in places on the very firing line. We have Ameri
can dead today in many places in France and in England, and we may rest
assured -that those lonely graves in far-off countries will 'hot be neglected
by their comrades. Indeed, the French folk, with that courtesy so char
acteristic of the French, are going to take part in our Memorial day serv
ices, and the Britishers, with an equally true appreciation of America's
part in this war, will likewise assist in this work of memorial to the dead,
and I expect that at least two American destroyers will go out on the
treacherous waters in the very submarine zone and will scatter flowers over
f, ' that place where thfuscania went down into the
t : .: more than 150 . of -our boys-gave up their lives, and
wise aivea tome caverns 01 the deep, carrying with it more than half a
score of Unde Sam's soldiers. It would not be at all surprising if the idea
of our Memorial day takes hold of both the British and the French imagi
nation. Indeed, such a day for both great nations could not but add some
thing to the fineness of the sentiment of both nations; and, indeed, might
continue the work of cementing together these great outtandingmodern
democracies.
Memorial day this year will naturally be a time of jioly memories. It
will also be a day of humiliation humiliation because of the prevalence of
a certain militaristic spirit that we are just now awakening to but it will
also be a day of holy determination determination that the government of
the people by the people and for the people shall be made to triumph in the
worlds. On Memorial day it is well for us to keep clearly in mind the fyct
that justice and righteousness in the last analysis are never defeated.
ffi Pastor of First M. E. Church,
4
MEAT PACKING
INDUSTRY TO BE
UNDER CONTROL
President Wilson Approves
Policy of Supervision; Stock
Yards to Be Licensed by
Agriculfure Department.
(By Associated Preai.)
Washington, May 29. Approval by
President Wilson of a policy of su
pervision over the meat packing in
dustry without actual government
operation unless enforcement of reg
ulatory measures is found to be im
possible, was announced tonight by
the food administration.
This policy was included in resolu
tions of the committee which the pres
ident appointed recently to report
upon policies to be pursued with re
gard to the industry and all of which
Mr. Wilscjp approved. Other resolu
tions provide for:
The licensing, and regulation of
stock yards by the Department of
Agriculture, with- a governmental
systemof animal grading. '
Continuation of the present food
administration regulations as to max
imum profits unless the federal trade
commission upon investigation should
find these maximums unreasonable.
Co-ordination of purchases by agen
cies of both American and allied gov
ernments so as to control packers'
profits and make prices paid by con
sumers the same as tfrose paid by the
government.
Appointment of a committee to in
vestigate the conditions of the retail
trade with a view to better methods
of disribution and continuation of
control of privatt-owned cars.
Composing the president's commit
tee were Secretaries Houston and
Wilson, Food Administrator Hoover,
Federal Trade Commissioner Fort
and Chairman Taussig of the tariff
commission.
Day Dawns With Fresh
Significance
Omaha. .
GRACE LUSK FOUND
GUILTY OF MURDER
IN SECOND DEGREE
i
Slayer Attempts to Throttle
Prosecutor as Verdict Is Read
and Is Led Screaming
From Court Room.
(By Associated Press.) ,
Waukesha, Wis., May 29. Grace
Lusk was found guilty here tonight
of second degree murder for the kill
ing of Mrs. Mary Newman Roberts.
When the sentence was delivered,
Miss Lusk attempted to choke D. S.
Tullar,, acting district attorney, but
was overpowered and led screaming
from the court room.
"It's a lie; it's a lie against me; he
lied," she screamed as she sprang at
the throat of the prosecutor.
The verdict carries imprisonment
from 14 to 25 years.
Miss Lusk collapsed when the jury
retired and her condition became such
on returing to the jail that it re
quired nearly half an hour to return
her to the court house when the jury
reported a verdict. The jury delib
erated four hours.
Liaison Results in Tragedy.
Mrs. Roberts was shot and killed
by Miss Lusk in the latter's home
the afternoon of June 21, 1917. The
tragedy followed a friendship ex
tending back to the summer of 1914
between Dr. David Roberts, former
state veterinarian and nationally
known as a manufacturer of propri
etary medicines for cattle, and Miss
Lusk, who had won distinction as an
educator after having taken a degree
at the University of Wisconsin.
Harry Lauder's Own Story of War
Zona Experiences Will Be Found
(on Page 13.
AND FULL RESPONSE TO
ft
watery depth, ana1 where
where the Moldavia Jike-
TITUS LOWE.
200,000 MEN TO
BE CALLED FOR
STAFFJERVICES
Registrants Physically Defec
tive to Be Employed in Pro
ducing or Handling Equip
ment for Army.
(By Associated Press.)
Washington, May 29. Two hun
dred thousand men of draft age, who
because of minor physical defects have
been held by examining surgeons
over the country for limited military
service, are to be employed in pro
ducing or handling equipment for the
army. Provost Marshal General
Crowder announced tonight that the
army staff corps will utilize the ser
vice of these registrants and thus
release" fighting men for the front
line.
General Crowder today issued the
first call under the new plan. Or
ders went forth to governors of states
for upwards of 9,000 men for service
in spruce production for airplanes.
The men will be allowed to volunteer
until next June 6. After that date
aeport will, be made to the provost
marshal general and if there are not
sufficient volunteers, allotments will
be made to the various states to be
filled by involuntary induction.
Some 24 trades or classes, includ
ing railroad, transport and construc
tion men, office workers and laborers,
are desired for the spruce division.
When this division has been filled,
men will be called to fill other staff
services of the army until the 200,000
total has beerf exhausted. No intima
tion was given as to when the other
calls will be made. ,
St. Edward Hears Haverstein.
St. Edward, Neb.. May 29. (Spe
cial.) Sergeant PauT A. Haverstein
was met here' by a crowd of 2,000. St.
Edward eave $3,000 to the Red Cross.
GERMAN HORDES;
CONTINUEADVANCE
IN AISNE SECTOR
i
Fresh Divisions Continually Thrown Into Battle and Heavy
Price Exacted by Allies for Ground Lost; Rheyns :
Seemingly Doomed to Fall; Berlin Report
Capture of 25,000 Prisoners.
(By Associated Press.)
In the irregular attacks on the SO-mile battle front running
from Soissons eastward to the region northwes of Rheims, the
German armies are continuing to force back the French and
British on nearly every sector.
The fortified town of Soissons, the extreme left flank oi
the allied battle line, has been occupied by the enemy, although
the French are still holding tenaciously to its western environs,
through which emerge the railway lines leading to Paris and
Compeigne. According to the German official communication
25,000 prisoners, among them a French and a British general, ,
have been taken, and numerous towns along the front captured.
o
ALLIED LINE
SUBMERGED
BY HUN HUSH
French and Bntisn Keen in
Close Touch as They Retire;
" Reserves Concentrating
to Stem Tide.
(Br Ainoclted Freu.)
With the French Army in France,
May 29.-The Germans advanced
against the French lines again today
after throwing further masses of
troops into the battle. Both flanks of
the latter line were the scene of very
heavy .fighting by inferior numbers
against superior, with the result that
the allies were obliged again to cede
ground at several points.
Besides von Boehm's and von
Below's armies, many divisions of von
Sutler's troops were engaged. These
especially trained units had partici
pated in the first rush of March 21,
and had since then been recon
structed. An enormous number of light ma
chine guns were employed by the
Germans, as well as a large fleet of
tanks and much heavy and light artil
lery, while the German aviators were
very active.
Officers Sacrifice Lives.
From the plain toward Juvincourt,
Ville Aux Bois, Pontavert and Berry
Au Bac numerous tanks came into
action. For a considerable time th'e
thin allied line held out, but as the
enemy debouched wave after wave,
the French and British, almost sub
merged, fell back slowly, getting
across the river. Several British offi
cers afterward sacrificed their lives
in destroying the bridges.
Almost simultaneously overpower
ing enemy troops made their way to
the top of the Chemin Des Dames
ridge and also the western end of the
neighborhood of Chavignon and
Malmaison and the troops holding
these points were obliged to recede.
The allied movement to the rear was
executed with the greatest precision.
(Continued on Page Two, Column Four.)
President to Observe
Holiday for Brave Dead
Washington, May 29. President
Wilson will observe Memorial day to
morrow as a day of prayer and will
attend church services held in
response to his proclamation calling
on the public to pray for the success
of American arms. Later in the day
he will attend memorial services at
Arlington National cemetery.
N. Y. Bars German.
New York, May 29. The Board of
Education voted unanimously tonight
to discontinue teaching of German in
the public schools for the duration of
the war.
Eleven Yale Students
Consider German Ruler
Greatest Man of Hour
New Haven, May 29. Senior
class statistics at Yale college, gath
ered in the old-time way of polling
the class members on a set of ques
tions, and made public today, show
that while President Wilson is
deemed "the greatest man of the
hour," there were 11 who voted for
the German emperor. In the list of
nationalities represented in the
class, 11 are credited as Germans
and 11 as Austrians.
EVER Y CALL
Rheims Menaced.
Seemingly Rheims, like Soissons, it
doomed to fall into the hands of the
enemy, as the French war office re
ports that the troop covering the
famous cathedral town, which almosl
daily for several years has been th
target for shells of hate, from the
German guns, have withdrawn behind
the Aisne canal northwest of the
town. '
On the sector directly southeast ol
Soissons the Germans now are fight
ing relatively 12 miles from . where
they started their drive Monday from
Vauxaillor, while further east, neat '
Loupeigne and in the center In the
vicinity of Savigny, wedges ave been
driven into a depth of "approximately
15 miles. , ' '
German Losses Heavy.
The Germans continually are throw,
ing fresh divisions into the battle, bul
the British and French troops are
keeping up their tactics of giving '
ground only when it is Impossible
longer to hold positions under the
tremendous pressure of the enemy.
Heavy casualties are being suffered
while the losses of men to the allied
forces are described as relatively Jight.
Although unofficial .reports havev
mentioned the rushing up, of rein
forcements from the south, there as
yet has been no official statement that i
General Foch is sending in his re
serves. ,
Americans Retain Ground Gained.
Of almost as great intensity as the .
Aisne battle is the situation around
the little town of Cantigny, where
the Americans made a notable gain in
their first "sole" attack against the
Germans Tuesday. Numerous counter
attacks have been launched against .
the Americans holding Cantigny and
the outlying positions, but all of them
have met with-the same result fail-,
ure and the loss of many men killed
or wounded. Evidently the American '
are prepared to dispute to the last
degree their occupancy of the high
ground they have won overlooking
the plateau east of Cantigny. - :
Unstinted praise has been showered
upon the Americans by military offi- "
cers for the dash and daring they
showed when they left their trenches
and started out in quest of their ob
jectives. .
In Flanders and Picardy the Ger
mans are heavily bombarding French,
and British positions on various sec
tors and raiding operations are beinjj .
carried out by botlt-sides. No pig,
battle has been begun. '
NO ANTHRACITE .
COAL TO CROSS
THE MISSISSIPPI
Washington, May 29. Under the
allotment of anthracite coal for the.
y;ar ending next April, announced to
night by the fuel administration, the
supply to the transmississippi 'terri
tory and the 24 southern and western 1
states has been entirely discontinued.
The allotments to the central and
northwestern stares and Canada hav "
been decreased and those to the New;
England and Atlantic states increased;
Expressmen to Have V
Their Wages Increased ,
Washington, May 29. The new
express monopoly created by merging
the Adams, American, Wells-Fargo
and Southern Express companies
under agreement with Director Gen-.
eral McAdoo will have as a foremost '
policy fair treatment of shippers and
the public, George C: Taylor, presi
dent of the combination, announced
today. Mr. Taylor also promised wage '
increases for the 100,000 employes.
Custer Sends 58 Men. x
Ocanto, Neb., May 29. (Special -Telegram.)
Custer county board "
placed its quota of 58 men. in charge
of George Mary, jr., to be delievered
to the commanding officer at Cam'
Dodaa,' 1
'r.
r
. -