GO OVER THE TOP WITH THE BOYS IN THE BEE'S WAR NEWS FROM DAY TO DAY.
"The Stars and Stripes
"Forever." .
HUNS IN FULL FLIGHT
FOR EASTERN SIDE
OF CANAL DUN ORD
Strong British Forces Cleaning Up German Positions;
: Enemy , Working Frantically to ave Men and
Materials From Wreck in and Behind
Shattered Defense System.
; By Associated Press.
. Paris Sept. 3. French troops have crossed the Somme
near Epenancourt, according to the War' office announcement
tonight. They have also gained a foothold on the east side of
the Canal Du Nord.
With the British Army in 'France, Sept. 3. The British
victory in the battle of the Drocourt-Queant line seems com
plete. ' Without having delivered a single counter-attack and
staggering from the blows administered yesterday the Germans
last night and this morning were in full flight for the eastern
side of the Canal Du Nord. v
The enemy is trying to save what men and material he can
from the wreck in and behind one of the most powerful defense
, systems ever devised.
The much boasted Drocourt--
; Queant line, or, as the Germans call
it, the Wotan line, is totally shat
tered. The British are driving far
through it and the Germans are hur
rying eastward, leaving behind only
pockets of machine gunners and even
resistance from these is gradually
melting away.
Roll Up Hindenburg Line.
Strong British forces are now fight
ing their way down the Hindenburg
line itself snd are cleaning it up as
they go. Meanwhile, a little south
from here, another force is driving on
the Hindenburg linefrontally.viThe
Hun has tasted disaster in the Dro-
court line battle and now his disor
ganized and badly depleted forces are
working fast to prevent an . even
greater j catastrophe overtaking J him.
The British are rapidly approaching
and are close to the Canal Du Nord,
the territory behind which is even
now under heavy fire from many
British cannon.
Ordered Out in Hurry.
The foe knows this movement con
tains a menace to some of his forces
and orders apparently have been
given to get them out with haste.
The Canal Du Nord, where the Ger
mans are retiring, is simply a canal
under construction and contains no
water. It is like a railroad tunnel,
with the top off. , It is 80 feet across
and 60 feet deep, with its sides for the
most part granite-walled, sloping
slightly inward toward the bottom.
There may be as hard fighting here
' as there was last year. '
It, was early in the morning, after
a night in which a most stubborn
battle was fottght, that the Germans
began to show real signs of generally
( being beaten. The village of Etaing
was reported cleared up. Hamblain-Les-Prez,
on, the extreme flank, was
taken and the troops moved eastward.
But they did not go far, as the Ger
mans, in desperation, had dammed the
river Scarpe at Vitry-En-Artois and
flooded the low lands in this locality.
Push Sharply Forward.
Patrols entered Biache-St. Vaast,
which soon was reported captured.
From this general , locality on fhe
north the British pushed sharply for
ward Early in the forenoon air-
planes reported no Germans in any
number west of Ecourt St. Quentin,
which is e$st of Recourt and Saude
mont, where the British were push
ing on and overcoming the diminish
ing resistance. ' 'v
The first substantial indication that
the Germans admitted defeat ' was
when the British troops entered Re
court after having reached the out
skirts last night They had been in
the town only a few minutes when
the enemy artillery began shelling it
heavily from a distance. "
The British drove down the Arras-
(Contlnued on Pace Two, Column One.) -
Slayer Kills Himself
After Holding Big Posse
At Bay for Four Hours
-San Pedro, . Cal., Sept. 3. The
' body of Marion Ciserich was found
in his home here tonight after he had
fought off a dozen policemen and
scores of soldiers, sailors and citizens;
some of whom were armed. The fight
lasted two hours, during which the
house was riddled with bullets. Be
side the body of Ciserich lay his in
fant, who had .not been harmed by
the fusilade.
The crowd gathered following circu
lation of a report' that Ciserich had
slain his wife. Her body was found
in the same room with Ciserich when
the crowd finally broke 1 into , the
home. ;.,V ' . , ,. '.
A 10-year-old daughter of the
couple was slightly wounded in' one
arm, A 15-year-old son was shot in
one ' foot According to the police,
the children , were shot , before the
crowd gathered. ;;( . r
The Omaha Daily Bee
VOL. 48-NO. 67 tfgSfXTZSSZOt i OMAHA, WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 4, 1918. tWSA 8K TWO CENTS.
RAILROAD MEN
MAY BE EXEMPT
IN NEXT DRAFT
Generals March and Crowder
" Discuss With Presidentlhe
Changes to Be Made
in Regulations.
Washington, Sept. 3. No changes
are contemplated in the basic rules
governing the operation of the draft
in the case of men included under
the new age limits. This was indi
cated today by Provost Marshal Gen
eral Crowder who, after going to the
White House with General March,
explained that the principles which
prevailed in the selection of men be
tween the ages of 21 and 31 would
be retained in large measure.
There will be some changes in the
details relating to men engaged in
certainndustnes and more especial
ly to men of more mature age in
cluded in the new registration. Just
what these are the government is
not prepared to announce, but it is
believed that rules to cover all ques
tions that can be foreseen now will
be sent to draft boards within a few
days.
. General March and General Crow
der conferred with President Wilson
for an hour. They were summoned
by the president, who wished to fa
miliarize himself with all details of
the man power-measure and pro
posed method of operation.
t 'Whether arrangements will be made
which will automatically exempt rail
road men and coal miners as a body
cannot yet be stated. Director Gen
eral McAdoo is understood to be in
favor of providing some method other
than the decision of local boards for
exempting essential railroad em
ployes.1 General Crowder said that,
under present plans, the matter of
exempting this class- of workers
would be in the hands of the district
boards to be taken up by them after
the questionnaires have been passed
on by the local boards, which,- he
said, are without jurisdiction to ex
empt a registrant on the ground that
he is an essential industrial worker.
Allies Hold Unbroken Line
- All the Way Across Siberia
- London Sept 3. According to the
Daily Mail's Harbin correspondent
the allied forces have established un
interrupted connection between their
forces across Siberia from the Volga
to Vladivostok.
The dispatch, dated Monday even
ing, says the vanguard of the Czecho
slovak forces from Verkni-Udinsk,
80 miles east of Lake Baikal, have
joined hands with General, Seminoff's
forces on the Onon river, and Gen
eral Diedrichs, the Czech commander
at Vladivostok, " already is in tele
graphic communication v with the
trans-Baikal Czechs.
"From Penea, on the Volga, to
Vladivostok," the correspondent adds,
"there is now an uninterrupted chain
of allied troops." ' -. '
Austrian Forces Driven Back
In Italy by Advance Guards
Rome, Sep'. 3 -Austro-Hungarian
detachments were driven back yester
day by the Italian advanced posts at
Stilvio and Tonale, on the western
end of the Austro-Italian front, the
war office announced today.
Germans Unable to Care
For Wounded in Retreat
By Associated Press.
With the American Army in France,
Sept. 3. Just beyond Juvigny, during
their advance the Americans captured
a German dressing station and several
wounded Germans and rescued two
wounded Americans. The . rescued
Americans had had little food for two
days and practically no attention.
The Americans did not complain
as the German wounded were not
given much attention either. This
was due to the confusioni of the re
treat and the great nunfbers of
AMERICANS IN
GREAT BATTLE
ALONG AISNE
Lines of Enemy Converted Into
Seething Inferno of Smoke
and Dust by Intense
Bombardment.
American Headquarters in France,
Sept. 2, (Reuter's) A great fight has
been in progress all day north and
northeast of Soissons. The Germans
are defending the Pont Ruge plateau
northeast of Soissons and the Laon
railway with great vigor, as well as
the line on the right along the north
bank of the Aisne.
The Americans are bombarding the
German positions from the south and
west. The lines of the enemy for
hours have been a seething inferno of
smoke and dust The tillages he has
been holding are burning like vast
torches. ,
The Germans at 1 o'clock drenched
the American positions on the Ju-
vigny plateau with gas, but in retalia
tion an American barrage silenced
their guns.
The scene in the bright September
sunshine is one of , extraordinary
splendor. The entire battlefield is
spread out before one. Every shell
burst can be seen over a front of
many miles.
Captured Guns Turned Upon Foe.
With the American Army in
France, Sept. 3. Durinar the eastward
advance from Juvigny two 10S milli
meter guns captured by the Ameri?
cans were turned by the American ar
tillerists upon the enemy. The big
guns were in perfect working order,
and all the Americans had to do was
to switch their' muzzles in the op
posite direction to which they had
been pointing. A great supply .of
ammunition for the guns also was
taken and soon after the capture the
105s were roaring against their for
mer owners.
Many German machine guns also
are being turned upon the enemy,
the Americans operating them having
been given a special course of train
ing prior to the battle, practicing
with guns captured north of the
Marne.
Artillery Activity Along Vesle.
There has been considerable aerial
activity in the Vesle'region and sev
eral combats in the air. One German
machine is reported to have been
downed by allied airmen.
The usual artillery activity along
the Vesle is being carried out, with
the Germans paying particular atten
tion to the town of Fismes, which is
held by the Americans.
Fires "are reported to have been
seen all during last night south of
the Aisne in the regions of Dhuizel,
Barhonval and Longueval, territory
in the hands of the enemy. Late to
day scout aviators reported additional
fires. s - . ; t ;.'
More Than 40,000 Arrested
' ' In New York Slacker Hunt
New York, Sept 3.--Federal offici
als estimated more than 40,000 sus
pected slackers had been arrested to
day in New York and nearby cities.
Semiofficial estimates of, the num
ber of willful slackers or deserters
ran from 50 per ce'nt of the men ar
rested in certain districts . of the
Bronx to 5 per cent in other districts.
Most of the prisoners, it was said,
come from other parts of the coun
try. ' '" - , ; y-
As the task of housing, feeding and
guarding the suspects become hourly
more serious, Charles F. De Woody,
head of the federal . investigation
bureau, conferred here with Governor
Whitman. It was said that at the
conference the question of mobilizing
the state guard was discussed.
It was found that many of the 40,
000 arrested were from out-of-town.
: This feature was explained by Capt.
David Asch, assistant to the director
of the draft board in this district, who
declared that "New York is the
greatest slackers' retreat in America."
Women aided in the raids by driv
ing many of the hundreds of automo
biles used in transporting prisoners
from police stations to armories. '
wounded who poured into the station
as the Americans advanced.
Jn this dressing station quantities
of French lace -curtains were found
which had been cut into strips for
bandages nd also crepe paper used
for the same purpose. The lace had
been taken by the Germans from
French homes in various sections,
sterilized and medicated, cut into
strips and rolled the same as regu
lation bandadges. The Germans evi
dently had been obliged to use it be
cause of the shortage of material in
Germany.
WAGE INCREASE
GIVEN MILLION
R A I LJMPLO YES
Raise Approved by McAdoo
Will Add Nearly Hundred
Million Dollars to An
nual Payroll.
Washington, Sept. 3. Nearly
1,000,000 men, or half the railroad em
ployes in the United States, share in
additional wage increases approved
today by Director General McAdoo
for track laborers, watchmen, other
maintenance of way employes, clerks,
station agents and other classes of
employes drawing relatively lower
pay.
The new increases, the second
granted in supplement to the gov
ernment's general wage order, will
add nearly $100,000,000 to the annual
railroad -payrolls, it is said." Most of
the increases range from 10 to 30
per cent above the present wages.
, Details of the new order will be
announced to morrow. . The director
general adopted most of the recom
mendations of the board of railway
wages and working conditions which
investigated requests for employes for
more pay. . Pay increases for railroad
telegraphers are the subject of an
other report to be made soon to the
director general.
Garnisheeing of the waees of rail
road employes was forbidden today
by Director General McAdoo
The wages were held in the .order to
be, prior to their payment to the
men, government funds against which
legal action may not be taken. Mr.
McAdoo at the same time made it
plain that employes who do not pay
tlfeir bills will be dismissed.
Canadian Rail Men Get Raise.
Montreal, Sept. 3 Wage increases
aggregating, $15,000,000 annually will
be granted to 30,000 men in railroad
shops throughout Canada, affecting
all the railroads in the Dominion, un
der an agreement announced here to
day. The award is the same as that
given to railway employes in the
United States by Director ' General
McAdoo.
The agreement was reached
through the Canadian railway war
board, through its labor committee
and representatives of the Railroad
Shopmen's federation, which had pre
sented the wage demand.
Debs Must Oo to Trial.
Cleveland, Sept. 3. Federal Judge
D. C. Westenhaver today overruled
a motion to quash the indictment
against Eugene V. Debs, charged
with violation of the espionage act
in a speech at the socialist state con
vention at Canton, O., June 16. Trial
was set for 'September 9.
Kaiser Looks Like Man
Suffering Great Sorrow,
Assert Swiss Observers
Geneva, Sept. 3. Swiss who
saw Emperor William and King
Ferdinand at their Nauheim con
ference recently, according to the
Democrate, say . the German ruler
has aged greatly, his hair is snow
white and his shoulders stooped.
The emperor's eyes are feverish,
his gestures abrupt and his face,
which is severely lined and tanned,
gives the general impression of a
man suffering a great sorrow.
The Democrate learns that ' the
emperor's visit to King Ferdinand
was for the object of obtaining Bul
garian divisions for the western
front in order to release German
reserves, similar to the way Austro
Hungarian troops are being used
to fill the gaps. In the meantime
German recruits barely 18 years old
have received orders to prepare to'
join the fighting forces in , Oc
tober." v.- . . ,
Are Yon Reading
Oh, Money! Money!
By ELEANOR H. PORTER
Author of "Pollyanna" and
"Just David".
Today's Installment on Page S
SUPPORT GIVEN niWANT rAPTimPI)
CZECHOSLOVAK
PEOPLES BY U. S.
Recognition of New Nation Sig
nifies New Alignment - of
Demands Upon Ger
many and Austria.
Washinerton. Sent. 3. Recognition
of the Czecho-Slovak nation today by
the United States government assures
the Czechs of northern Austria of
standing m the league of nations.
Since it follows similar action hv
Great Britain, France and Italy, it
may have a far-reaching effect on
the war situation. It is expected to
produce a new alignment of demands
upon Germany and Austria-Hungary
ai ine peace table,
The first effect of the American
governments action, State depart
ment officials said, will be in the
opening of the way to furnishing
mucn-neeaed war materials and sup
plies to the Czecho-Slovak armies
operating in Siberia and southern
Russia. Financial assistance also
can be given, and, while no request
for such aid has yet been made, it
is expected and officials said it will
be granted.
May Re-establish Eastern Front
Officials say the Czecho-SIovaks,
if properly aided, will be! able to make
a more serious offensive. The Czechs
in Russia and Siberia are anxiois to
re-establish an eastern front and are
said to lack only equipment and moral
support. It is estimated there are
from 150.000 to 200.000 Czecho-SIo
vaks in Russia and Siberia. These,
with the aid of such military assis
tance as is being furnished by the
united states and the allies and the
large numbers of Russians which
they may attract, - aie-xpected',suc
cessfully to combat German, and Aus
trian aggression in the east
In extending recognition to the
Czecho-SIovaks the Unitrfd States
went further, than France and Great
Britain by recognizing the Czecho
slovak national council as a de facto
belligerent government Prof. Thomas
G. Masaryk, president of the national
council, will continue to represent
the Czecho-SIovaks in a diplomatic
way with the American government.
Charles Percler, his chief assistant,
will act when Professor Masaryk is
absent from Washington.
Will Establish, New State.
Recognition of the Czecho-Slovak
nation by the United States was de
layed because President Wilson and
his advisers wished to be certain that
the national council, with headquar
ters in Paris, was the real representa
tive of its people. President Wilson
has told congress that it was not
the purpose of the United States to
dismember Austria, but the fact that
the Czecho-SIovaks as a nation have
existed since before the Christian
era and recent developments In Aus
tria are represented as lending weight
to a change in this government's atti
tude. The terms of peace which the en
tente nations will impose upon Ger
many and Austria are expected to
establish definitely the territorial po
sition of the Czecho-Slovak nation.
This means that the northern tier of
states in the dual monarchy, Bohemia,
Moravia and a part of Galicia, will
be severed from the empire and be
come the independent home of the
Czecho-SIovaks. Under this plan the
adjoining section of Germany also
will be embraced In the newly estab
lished nation. t
British Experts Expect
American Troops to
Give Mopping Up Blow
' London, Sept 3. Tfhe strategical
situation on the western front leaves
to the Americans the duty of striking
a mopping up blow against the vast
German hordes that are being pressed
back by the other allies, in the opin
ion of some of the British military
experts
Much is expected of the American
forces, which are increasing with sur
prising rapidity. British critics today
expressed belief the Germans will not
be able to hold the Sensee and Nord
canals and with the Germans losing
more of -the Hindenburg line every
day the experts ; fail to see where
the Germans can make a strong stand
after their recent severe defeats and
lack of reserves.
Belgian Document Tells
Story of Huns' Invasion
Washington, Sept 3. Further rev
elations concerning Germanys viola
tion of international law in respect to
Belgium are contained in a document
published by a Belgian commission
of inquiry. An ' official . dispatch to
day from France said ' that in 150
printed pages the commission, in
what was decribed as its 23d revela
tion, dealt extensively with Ger
many's invasion of Belgian territory
and the treatment of Belgian prison
ers of war in German camps.
AND LENS REACHED
BY BRITISH TROOPS
t- , - r ' -, -. '.
ii 1 1 i " ' .-v'"
Retreating Columns Cut to Pieces by Artillery From
Vantage Points; Thousands of Prisoners and
Many Dead on Battlefield Testify to
Enemy's Heavy Casualties.
BULLETIN. ' ,
Amsterdam, Sept. 3. The German general staff has trans
ferred its headquarters from Spa, Belgium, to Verviers, a little
further north and 14 miles east of Liege, according to Les Nou
velles. . ' .
By The Associated Press.
From Flanders to Soissons the British, French and Ameri
cans are keeping up without cessation their strong offensive
tactics. The Germans still are giving ground. - Seemingly real
ization of his peril prompts the enemy to put forth every effort
to avert complete disaster, .
Territory long held by the enemy has been restored. Thou
sands of Germans have been sent behind the lines to swell the
great throng in prison camps, and many of the enemy's dead,
lying upon the battlefield testify to his heavy casualties.
2UU IMLLtU III
ALL-DAY FIGHT AT
PILAR DE CONCHO
Federal Force Lured Into Trap
by f rancisco Villa; Troops
- Now In Pursuit of
' the Bandits,
El Paso. Tex.. Sent 3. Two hun
dred were killed Thursday in a battle
which lasted all day at Pilar De
Concho, southwest of Chihuahua City,
between the command of Gen. Er
nesto Garcia and Francisco Villa.
One hundred and twenty federals
were killed and 80 Villa followers lost
their lives. The news of the fight was
brought here today by an American
from Chihuahua City.
General Garcia lett Parrel with
men in pursuit of Villa. In the field
he received an ,order supposed to have
been issued by Pedro Favela, another
federal commander, ordering him to
unite with the Favela command in a
campaign against Villa. An identify
ing signal was arranged for in the
order. When Garcia's men reached
the rendezvous suggested in the order
and flashed the signal, Villa's men at
tacked, the order and the signal hav
ing been a part of Villa's scheme to
lure the federals into a trap, accord
ing to the American. .
General Garcia returned to Chihua
hua City, obtained GOO fresh troops
and now is pursuing Villa in the vi
cinity of Niaca.
Preparations to resist an attack by
Villa on Chihuahua City on the night
of September 15 are in progress and
sappers are building elaborate defen
sive works and gun emplacements
near the city. , ' - ' ) '
Schwab Warns Against
. Taking Skilled Ship
Workers in Army Draft
:" Philadelphia, Sept. i'3. Director
General Charles M. Schwab of the em
ergency . fleet corporation tonight
sounded a warning against skilled
workers being taken from ship yards
for the draft. Last week 385 skilled
men at Hog Island were taken from
the yard and an effort will be made,
Mr. Schwab said, to stop it. He
will endeavor to correct the matter
through the industrial relations de
partment of the fleet corporation and
if necessary will go to Washington
for a conference ' with General
Crowder. "; .
"If we cannot have the men we can
not build the ships, Mr. Schwab
said. . "They are taking skilled, work
men sway from the ship yards faster
than we can train them." V
Three Omahans in Chicago ;
Take Licenses to Marry
Chicago. 111.. ' Seot ' 3.Marrlaee
licenses were issued today to Henry
Ruedy and Miss ' Loretta Wilson,
both of Omaha, and to Thomas P.
Fallon, '1102 Park avenue. Omaha.
and , Miss Emily Klickman,vChicago.
War Expenditures for
'August Nearly Two Billion
Washington, Sept ' 3. Government
war expenditures in August broke all
monthly records by more than $100,
000,000, amounting to $1,714,000,000,
pn reports up to today. Later reports j
may raise this by $50,000,000.
THE WEATHER.
' Unsettled and slightly warm
er Wednesday; probably show
ers in south portion; Thursday
fair and warmer.
5 s. m.
a. m.
1 b. in.
a. m.
t a. m.
18 a ,m.
11 . m.
1 m. ..
M
,67
55
M
1 p. m 54
t p. m. 54
t p. in. .....55
4 p. m. ..51
p. m. ,..'.......61
p. m ,...51
1 p. m SS
p. m. 5.1
........M
54
...51
5S
T Retreating columns of the Germans
have been cut to pieces by the British
artillery from captured vantage points
before which the enemy was com
pelled to pass unsheltered from the
fire of the British gunners. , t
Encroach Upon Cambrai.
From the region ground Arras
southward ,to Peronne ', the British
line has moved forward ever since the
famous Drocourt-Queant defense line
was overwhelmed and left in the rear.
Eastward of the Drocourt line the
British now at nearing the Canal Du -
Nord and Douan Valenciennes aor
Cambrai have been further encroached
upon by English, Canadian and Aus
tralian troops. , Eat of Peronne the
British line has been steadily pushed
forward. Numerous towns and vil
lages have fallen into British hands,-,
among thern Queant, at the southern
end of the Drocourt-Queant line.
To the south the French along the
Canal Du Nord are giving the enemy
no rest and gradually are blotting out
the remaining portion of the salient
north of Noyon, while on the Sois
sons sector the French and Ameri
cans now are in control of the entire 1
plateau dominating the Aisne, the
Chemia Des Dames and the roads to
Laon and LaFere. 1
: Penetrate Outskirts of jLens.
In Flanders the British have pene
trated the outskirts of Lens, the fa- ,
mous coal mining city in northern
France, and farther north in the Lys
salient have taken Richebourg, St.
Vaast, and established themselves on ,
the line of La Basse road and between
there and Etaires, having captured the ,
last named place. Steenwerck and .
Fulverghem also are in British hands
and thus the great salient is virtually
wiped out. N ,
. Unofficial dispatches say that in the
region east Snd southeast of Arras
the Germans are. retiring to a new
switch ljne running from Brebieres,
five miles southeast of Drocourt,
southward to Moeuvres, where it joins
the Hindenburg , line near Graincourt.
If this proves true the new line al
ready seems menaced as Field Mar
shal Haig'i men virtually are upon it
at Lecluse and Rumacourt. southeast
of Arras, and almost, abreast of it at
Baralle, ' f three .( .; miles north ; of
Moeuvres. , ' ; ' . '' ' ' ' ,
British aviators have carried out an, v.
intensive bombing raid on towns, in
the Rhine province ' dropping large
quantities' of explosives on Beuhl,
Saarbrucken and , Ehrang. Heavy
damage is said to" have done by the
missiles' dropped from the low flying1 -planes.
. ,: -' . r , '
Prima Donna's Spouse
Charges Menanon of
His Wife's Affections
. , " '. . . " '. : '? ..-'
New York. Seot 3.Luid Curci.
husband of Mme. Amelita Galli-Curci,
prima donna; today began suit against
Charles L Wagner and Homer iam- ,-
nels, manager and accompanist, re
spectively; of the noted soprano, ;
legingr alienation of affection and
seeking, $250,000 , damages.
At the same time Mme. Galli-Curcg
obtained a writ of' replevin of fur
nishings in her apartment here, where t
her husband and brother-in-law, Gn
naro, have been living. . ;
Prince In Disagreement
' V'--'::... With General Luden(orff ;
Washington, ; Sept 3.- Dispatches , t
from Switzerland say Crown Prince
Rupprecht o Bavaria is in complete
disagreement with General Luden.
dorff. The crown prince, it is said,
opposed the last German offensive, .
holding that the Germans had neither .
the means nor the strategic posi
tions to be successful : '
It is suggested . that this situation " -may
explain why the crown priaO
has gone nome on a long: vacafc
