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AUTHENTIC DRESS STYLES **or -women ? are charwlaglr llluatrated dally on the House hold rase of THE TIMES-DISPATCH SUNDAY WANT ADS PAY Bring: roar copy to-day. Real Entate, Rualnea* Chaacei. Boanl< era Wanted. Help Wanted. THE TIMES-DISPATCH NUMBER 19,878. RICHMOND, VA., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1914.?TEN PAGES 64th YEAR TO-DAY'S WEATHER FAIR PRICE. 2 CENTS GERMANS START GENERAL OFFENSIVE; GAIN AT SOME POINTS AND LOSE AT OTHERS MRS. CARMAN IS CONFIDENT JURY WILL ACQUIT HER Accused Woman Probably Will Know Fate by Nightfall. BOTH SIDES PROMISE TO END CASE BY NOON Summing Up and Delivery of Charge Then Will Follow. DAY FOR DEFENSE IN COURT Defendant Submits to Grilling Cross Examination*, and Others A p. pear in Her Behalf. M1NEOLA, October 23.?Mm. Flor ence Conklln Carman, on trial hero for the murder of Mrs. Louise lialley, inay ^know her fate by to-morrov/ night. Her counsel and District Attorney Lewis. J. Smith to-day Informed Justice Chnrlca II. Kelby they undoubtedly would complete their case before the noon recess to-morrow. The entire afternoon thus will be left for the summing up and the delivering of the charge to the Jury. The case should bo In the hands of the Jury be fore nightfall. This was the defense's day. WltnesB after witness gave testimony for Mrs. Caiman. The defendant herself sub mitted to a grilling cross-examination. Kxplalnlng her Installation of a me chanical "eavesdiopplng" device In the olllcc of her husband, Dr. Edwin Caiman, she told how men friends of her husband had asked him In her presence how "all, of his girls" were. Other men, she said, solemnly, had told her the doctor was a "devil with the girls." She brought her story down through a long period, during which she kept hcirlng things about her husband and "4?I? ADMITS SHE BE f.O.MKS SISl'IClOl'S OF HCSHAMD men ?ne au muted ?ne. oecame ???- j y I t,-I n us of Dr. Carman and had the "me* Chart leal uvesdrojiped" installed in his : office. She admitted that If a woman | patient came to her husband's of fice many time* nho became suspicious of the woman and also of hor husband. Mrs. Carman frequently was con fused and ut times hesitated and fenced with the prosecutor. When interrogated regarding her failure to write a note of condolence to the family of the woman killed or to call at the house to express her sympathy, Mrs. Carman ap peared on the verge of a breakdown. When It wan over she hurried to her beat nnd watched her little daughter TCllzabeth, walk to the witness stand. Then she listened intently while the t-hlld testified in her mother's defense. Meanwhile. Mrs'. Carman showed In creasing signs of nervousness, and when her aged, gray-haired mother took the stand and begun her testi mony. the wom. n on trial for her life burst into tears. All members of Mrs. Carman's family -testified In her behalf to-day. Their stories were corroborative, and each witness denied there wax tho least truth In tho story told by Cella Cole man. the servant, who gave testimony on Thursday intended to connect Mrs. Carman directly with the murder. Another witness wae Ferdinand Q. Morton, a negro lawyer, employed to got a statement from Cella Coleman for the district attorney. This statement afterwards was turned over to tho de fense. In this statement Cella denied she knew anything niQro about tho 'murder than she had told at the inquest when her story was favorable to Mrs. Carman. The maid has declared she lied at this hearing, because Mrs. Car man had asked her to and because she then felt sorry for her mistress. NOT SLIGHTEST DOUBT OF VERDICT OK ACQUITTAL Mrs. Carman declared to-night sho had not the slightest doubt the Jury would bring in a verdict of acquittal. Mrs. Carman, smilingly stepped into tho witness stand for tho ordeal of cross-examination by District-Attorney Smith. "Mrs. Carman," began tho district attorney, "you said you were suspicious of your husband. When did you get suspicious?" "About a year ago." What caused her suspicion she could no*! say. A woman did not cause it? "Just rumors." "Were the rumors about a woman?" "No. Just some one asking him about his girls. Somebody told me he was a devil with tho girls." Sho could not recall who told her this. "Somebody was asking him, "How are all your girls?' a11 the time,"- she said. "I thought' maybe there might be some truth in what they said. Thoy would say to me, 'The doctor la some devil.' " "Did you have an inclination to hear what tho doctor had to say to his women patients?" "In a way, yes. Some of his patients." "Did your suspicions Increase with time?" ?They increased right up to the time of the murder. Thoy have all been dispelled now." "Ilow long have you been in that frame of mind?" "Ever since the terrible tragedy. What I heard, or rather what I didn't hear, ov-^r the telephone Instrument re assured me." For pcveral minutes Mrs. Carman nought to evade a direct answer to tho district attorney's question as to whether nhe thought h'?r husband was truthful. Finally she said:. "Wo." She explained that she had no real reason to doubt tym, howover. She was suspicious at first of the women t> called frequently at his office; lly she was suspicious of nearly ipf his women callers. ? F f got tired of hearing' things," sno sald? ? ?? I ? > "Attd the fact (hat a woman would come' to hie office, afterwards was (Continued on Second Page.) ? i /-ag?* ? ?tt"?? tpJrCe oil?>nrlrid&<=e. 3ir'<5iex3JV<^ JQsujJh. pjxjfo jSwcA /ram C/rta(orm*X> J' ? 2^e/-n?.d ?iw: ( Sir George Paish (right),-adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain, who is hwfr for the purpoiie of' exchanging ideas .with the Federal Reserve Board and"the admlalstratiorias.t'o the quickest and most feasihle method of re-establishing a hasifc of exchange between'Great.Britain and .'the United Ht^tes. ? $ir Cecil Spring-Hi ce, the Btitish ambassador to the United States, is ajt'left of the'phbto. . m IMSHy TESTIFIES IN HER OWN DEFENSE Breaks Down Through Nervousness und Weeps, but Recovers und TelLs Story. all. evidence before court Case Will Go to .Jury Tills Morning, and Verdict I'robuble Before Night. Finding for Defendant or Mistrial Is Consensus of Opinion. ISpaclal to The Tlmcs-Dlspatch.] CHARLES CITY COURTHOUSE, VA., October 23.?Evidence in the. Harrison Ramsay libel suit, on trial In the Charles City Circuit Court, was fin ished late thi.s afternoon.. The case will go to the jury to-njorrow morning, and the result probably will be known before night. The court has indicated that there will be-no adjournment un til the Jury has reached a verdict, .or unfil it reports that it is hopelessly divided. No evidence of a startling rtTiturc was brought out 011 -this,- the fourth day of the famous $10,000 suit. The plaintiff opened with the introduction of char acter witnesses, and closed after Mrs. Grace Harrison had been put on to sub stantiate the testimony of her husband. The real feature Of the day was the testimony of Mrs. Ramsay, the defend ant. She was the flrs/t witness for the defense, and, after breaking down through nervousness in the first stages of her testimony, she .caine back vig orously, and was a real match for tlio shafts of II. M. Smith, Jr., chief coun sel for the. plaintiff. , ARGUMKNTS TO JI HV MAI' BE SItOItTENED With all .witnesses examined, the case has come to its last stage.. In structions will not be argued, but will be made "by Judge R. Gardiner Tyler after-study of the suggestions-of the opposing counsel. It Is expected that some agreement will be reached' to night whereby the arguments to the Jury may be shortened. It Is the .consensus of opinion hero that the jury will either lindjfor the defendant, or will be divided. Tho principal evidence for the plaintiff is that of hlrnself and his wife, both In terested parties. They have been con tradicted on many points by witnesses, while the.lr bare denial ip all that stand against the testlirtony offered by Mrs. Ramsay and her eldest Bon. It will narrow down to a question of veracity, with the preponderance of witnesses In favor of the defense. It is expected that the arguments} to-morrow will bo brilliant ones. Both sides have exhibited much feeling, and the counsel were bitter and sarcastic by turns In their opening addresses. With the added material, gained by tho testlntony, they will have' a wider scope. CROWDS ATTRACTED BY KAJIOl'S TRIAL The courtroom has been "jammed all week, and an Immense crowd Is .ex* pected to-morrow. ? Tho spectators havo been chiefly supporters or friends of Harrison, ?nd evory point In his favor or bit of -humor by his counsel have caused audible sounds of ?f.-nusement. Tho- Intent- to Influence the yury was so evident that It caused Mr. Byrd to make'.a protest to the court this after noon! Comparative silence reigned for the balance of the day. Probably the most Impressive piece of testimony to-day was'that of Mrs. Ramsay In regard-to her treatment by neighbors, particularly mpn. AdcVpd force .was given to her statements by extracts from a letter Introduced by the . (Continued on .Second.Page.) WIN JPPEITO WILSON B?SOUTHERN MEMBERS President Declines to Receive Sup port ers" of Plan for Cotton Relief Legislation. . ARE VISIBLY DISAPPOINTED Congress Tied Up by Lack of Quorum in Both Houses, After Adjourn ment Is Blocked by Obstructive Tactics. \\ ASHINGTON, ' October 23.?With Congress tied up by lack of a quorum in both bouses, Southern Senators and Representatives to-night mado a vain appeal to President. Wilson for aid In securing cotton-relief legislation whlcfc would clear the way to final adjourn ment. After they had blocked ad Jorunment by obstructive tactics, the cot ton-relief supporters went' Into con ference to appoint a committee to wait upon tbe President. The President, however, when asked for.an Interview, said he would be bqsy. with an Im portant State Department conference until lie left Washington at midnight, and..therefore, could not meet the com mittee. The departure of the President. for Pittsburgh, where he will address a Y. M. C. A. celebration to-morrow, set at rest a rumor that the extraordinary conditions, under which Congress Jounfl Itself unable to adjourn, might be me? by tbe president exercising his pro roguing power. Continued efforts of Democratic lead ers to secure an agreement to adjourn failed completely, rind to-night South ern rqembers reiterated that.this would prolong ,the session indefinitely, cer tainly until after the elections. GENERAL. EXODUS Oli* MEMBERS CONTINUES ' Meantime, the general oxodus of member* of both houses, continues. The House to-day had 157 members present on a roll call, nearly slxty short of a quorum, and tbe Senate showed forty-six, three less than a quorum. Senator Clarke, president pro tempore of the Senate,:though a cham pion of cotton legislation, left the city aftei* ^characterizing further efforts of his colleagues to obtain relief as "grand stand playing." Representative Henry, ? of Texas, lending the cotton forces In the House, refu?cd various offers of compromise He frustrated an effort of. Majority Leader Underwood to sepure agreement to allow passago of the pending cotton bills, insisting on consideration of his plan for a $250,000,000 . bond . issue. Speaker Clnrk advanced a proposal to m^ke the pending bills the first busi ness to come before Congress when it/meets* In December, but Representa tive Ilenry-nlso rejected this. At the, conference of cotton belt members .to-night, Representative*" Henry declared he.would flght adjourn ment until he secured, fi. vote on hia bonding plan. Sermtors Smith, of Georgia; Smith, of South. Carolina; Ovorman, Lea, Sheppnrd, Goro and Whito and othors were- present. Vari ous .proposals were discussed and re jected before the conference decided to appeal to the President. When the re ply came tfrat Mr. Wilson would be busy all ".evening, the conferees ad journed.. They >were visibly disap pointed. > ; ' Romnlo S. Napn Elected. WASHINGTON. October 23.?Election of Romulo S. Naon, the.Argentine am bassador, to honorary mismbershtp in the American Bar Association was an nounced to-day. Tiila honor, is con ferred upon somo prominent Interna tional Jurist, at tho^clqse of each an*-, nuil'.session of the association. FINANCIAL FORCES TURN T6 PROBLEM OF READJUSTMENT Representatives of America and Great Britain in Conference. i ? ? NO NOTE OF PESSIMISM SOUNDED BY ANY ONE \ t ? Committee Appointed to Con sider Further Details of Plan. U. S. READY TO PAY IN GOLD Prominent Part in Calculations ' Will Be Played by Cotton. WASHINGTON. October 23.?Finan cial forces of the Federal government, aided by the friendly counsel of Amer ican bankers and. representatives of Great Britain, were turned to-day to ward readjustment of the foreign ex change market, disturbed by the Euro pean rrar. For more than three hours the Fed eral Reserve Board. Sir George Palsh and Basil B. Blacken, representing the English Treasury and some of the best known bankers In New York, discussed the situation in all Its aspects. Accord ing to those present, no note of pessi mism was Bounded, and to-night there was every reason to believe all the financial problems will be solved with out great difficulty. The salient conclusions reached by the conference'are:' American bankers stand ready to pay their obligations to England In cash. The 1100.000,000 gold pool,- $lrea<ly formed, and ?80,000,000 raised by a New York syndicate to meet New York City'* obligations, probably will be enough/ however, to satisfy English creditors. The New York and London Stock .Exchange's will not bo opened soon, possibly not before the beginning of 1915. A. joint' committee of the two exchanges will consider this matter. TO HASTEN"CONSIDERATION'. I . . plan Reserve Board is ex ,pe.cied:>t$' hasten consideration of the prop/iscd rutton loan fupd plan, .de signed,; in > part,, to give support to the cotton', market. .The. cotton exchanges in New York, Now OrleanB. and' Liverpool probably will be opened as soon as possible. The New York:exchange'probably will con fer through,a committee with the Liv erpool exchange before,such action Is taken. ? ? . ... . A-committee consisting, of Benjamin Strong, Jr., A. ,H. Wjggln,. James Brown, of New York, and Gdvemo'r Hamlin and Paul "M. "Warburg, of the reserve board, will hold further conferences with Sir George Palsh and Mr. Blackett about details of the readjustment plan. According to some of those at the conference, the optimism was surpris ing. Sir George, it was said, did not Indicate that he had come to demand payment of American debts; ho had no concrete plan to lay before the Ameri cans, but listened to what they had to bay. The American bankers, made It clear there was every reason to bellevo American could and would meet all obli gations In gold. Although there was no expression us to how much gold, actually, must bo paid to England. It was the opinion of many of those present, that but llttlo ir.oro than that already arranged for will bo neccssary. COTTON WILL PLAY PROMINENT PART prominent part in the calculations, all agreed, must he played by cotton, and, for this reason, the desirability of finding a bottom for the market and making of the arrangements for ' tha reopening of the aotton exchanges were discussed at length. Sir George voiced again the opinloir' that English manu facturers would buy cotton when they knew bottom had bepn reached, and that competitors could not underbuy them. Just how much England's buy ers would take was not Indicated, but the steadying efTect buying t)io~e will have on foreign exchange' was gen erally admitted. Mr. Blackott denied there was an agreement in Europe to keep down cotton purchases, thereby limiting teh power of the United States to pay its International Indebtedness. Sir Georti) felt confident English holders of" American securities would not throw them 011 the market if the London exchange opened. England, he explained, was fighting the war on her savings and on her current receipts. A selling of American investments might come, he said, but that would bo accounted for by the large exportatlons of cotton, grain and other commodities In the ne^t few months. He added that all securities had been taken care of up until January 1. By that time the balance of trade probably will swing back towards the United States. SHORT-TERM Pj? PBIl IS NOT UISCUSSMO The question. of .short-term. papnr to tide over- tho period before Amorlcan commodities .began appreciably to re duce* the Amorlcan debt to England was not discussed tprday. It was expected it wou|d come up In the .conference t8 ?morrow and form a basis for somo arrangement, by which even a portion of the >100,000,000 gold pool need not. be actually transferred for several months. No direct reference was made at the conference to the cotton loan fund plan, which the reserve board Is con sidering. It was discussed by member's of the board, unofficially and will be taken up formally to-morrow. Upon Its success, in the opinion of many officials, depends largely the sue? ceBs of the present conferences. Little doubt was expressed ;fto.-nlght that the reserve board would approve It. ? The bankora proscnt at the confer ence to-day were: Benjamin Strong, Jr., H. P. Davison, T. II. Price, Samuel Mc Roberts, F. Q. Brown, ? Charles Starek, William Woodward, James Brown and ?J S. Alexander; of New York; Foptus J. ; Wfide, of St. Louis,' and D. C. .Wing, !of Boston. . ? <s> z/jvxjt^taroof* tf ~rfjt jirj!&v*'*>'r?lgrey *v*d/uj Cozajxti, thao^erj^jnktle^^osrt.^ Great Britain's ? Minister of Foreign-Affairs, whose brother, during an nerlalraid a few days ago into German, territory? was made a prisoner of war. .The .minister Is seen talking with his cousin, Trooper Monk Mason, at the cajrip of the Second King Kdward's Horse at Langley Pork, Slough, Eng. Admiralty Issues ? Statement Out lining Steps Taken to Round | Up Enemy's. Ships.' EIGHT OR NINE NOW AT I.AHGE ' Upwards of Seventy Vessels, Work ing in.Concert, Scouring Atlantic, ' Pacific and Indian 'Oceans in Ef fort to Destroying Preying Craft. LONDON",'? October. 23 ;(7 P. M.).?The admiralty to-night issued a statement outlining- steps that are being .taken to round up the eight or i,|no Gorman cruisers nt large |? the Atlantic. Pa cific and Indian Oceans. These cruisers Include tho Emden, which has sunk or captured twenty British vessels to date in I he . Indian Ocoan and the Karls ruhe. which has taken thirteen British says" lho At,antle- The statement "Searching for these vessels and working in concert under various com manders-in-chief are upwards of sev enty ^British. Australian. Japanese; i * rench and Russian cruisers, not In eluding auxiliary cruisers. Among these are a number of Britain's fastest cruisers. The vast expanses of seas and oceans and thousands of islands ofTtr almost Infinite cholco oS movement to the enemy's ships. Despite every effort to cut off their coal-supply. It lias be^n ma^iahred.. Iii the face of Increasing difficulty, the discovery and destruction or these cruisers largely is a matter of time, patience and good luck. NIMBER OP SRAncniXf; CRUISERS AUGJUiXTED Out commanders so* far have been occupied, in a serious, and import ant convoy duty, . but this worlf has lessened and the nunj'ber of'searching cruisers Is being augmented. Mean while merchant shlps'must 'observe the admiralty instruotions. which It Itj : obviously impossible to specify, and' use all precautions which have been i suggested. ' On. routes ;where these in-! structlons havo been followed, they i have so far proved very effective On the other hand, where they have been disregarded captures have been made Tho same vastnoBn of the sea which has so far enabled, tho German cruisers to avoid capture will protect trade. "Tho only alternative to the methods now adopted would be the marshaling of merchantmen in regular convoys at stated intervals. So far it has not been thought necessary to hamper trade by enforcing such a system. I I "The percentage of loss is much less! ; than was reckoned on before the war Of our 4,000 British-ships engaged Iii the foreign trade, only thirty-nine havo! I been sunk by the enemy, or less than 1 i per cent in nlll. Besides seven vessels are now.overdue In Atlantic waters. "Tho rate of Insurance for cargoes which, at .the outbreak of war, was fixed at 6 guineas per cent, has been reduced to'a guineas' per cent. 1 ESSELS PROCEEDING WITHOUT PRECAUTION "Between S.000 and 9.000 foreign voyages havo been undertaken to arid from United Kingdom ports, less than flvo per thousand of wlrtch have been Interfered with;-and of these losses a large number' have been caused by merchant vessels taking everything for granted and proceeding without pro cautions, as If thoro wore no war. On tho othor har\d, German oversea trade virtually < has ceased to exist Nearly all their fast ships, which could havo been used as auMllary cruisers, were penned Into neutral harbors or took refuge In their own. Among the comparatively few German ships which have put to sea, 133 have been cap tured, or nearly four tltnes tho number or thoge. lost by the very largo British mercantile marine. - "In'theao circumstances thero Is no occasion fox* anxiety and no excuse for complaint. THIRTEEN BRITISH SHIPS SUNK BY EERNIIN CRUISER; , ?-,.Vr i Tlie Karlsruhe Successfully Preys in. i Soutli erii Waters on English . . Merchantmen. MORE THAN 400 PRISONERS Destroyed Vessels Largely Engaged In South , American Tra^de, With Total Tonnage of About 00,000. Eventful Career in the Atlantic. LONDON, ' October 23.?A dispatch from Tonerife, Canary Islands, to the Dally Mall under date of Thursday, re ports tl'at the Gorman cruiser Karls ruhe has sunk thirteen British mer chantmen in the Atlantic. . The news of the Karlsruho's exploit, according to the Dally Mall's Tonnerlfc correspondent, was brought to that port l>y the German shjp Crefeld, which ar rived thero with tho" crews of the Brit ish steamers Strathroy, Maplebranch, Highland Hope, Indranl, Rio Iguasua, Farn,'Nlceto, Maria DeLarrlnaga, Cer vantes. Cornish City,-Pruth, Condor and I.ynrowan. all of which were .sunk by the Karlsruhe. The Crefeld was accom panied Into port by the German, steam ers Patagonia, Rio.Negro and Asuncion. A later message states that over 400 men of the- crews are prisoners.' and that the merchantmen- were mostly sunk in the'Atlantic. The ships were mostly engaged in tho South American trado.and their total tonnage is about CO,000.. Tho cruiser Karlsruhe, a ship of a trliio less than 5,000 tons, has had in this war u career as eventful in the Atlantic as that of her smaller sister sliiu! the Emden, In the Indian Ocean. The Karlsruhe ilrst came into notice at the outbreak of the war, when she ap peared in the vicinity of Sandy Hook apparently ' In wait for British mer chantmen leaving New York. Kor a few days the British shipping hugged their piers, and then caine news that tho Karlsruhe had been driven away by tho approach of several British cruisers. On August 9 tho Karlsruhe appeared In tho harbor of San Juan, I'orto Rico, where she coaled and then again took to tho seas.- Soon after it was learned that tho Karlsruhe had been In a sen sational running fight at sea with tho British cruisers Suffolk and Bristol. It appears that the British cruisers came unexpectedly upon the Karlsruhe while she was coaling from tho German steamor Kronprlnz Wllhelm. The ' cruisers enguged In a running fight while the Kronprinz Wllhelm, through her superior speed, easily escaped. Tho Karlsruhe also eluded her. pursuers, and an unconfirmed report had it that she damaged tho Bristol in this light. Since then the Karlsruhe has ap peared in several West Indian ports for' coal, after preying in various S-juth orn seas on British commerce An of ficial statement, given out in Berlin on October 3, said tho had sunk seven British steamer? In the Atlantic. The Karlsruhe Is a comparatively -new ship, having gope Into commission early In 1913. She is very fast, having a speed of twenty-seven- knots, which has enabled her thus far to success fully elude the persistent British pur suit, Her main armament consists of twelve 4.1-Inch guns, and she carries a crew of 373 men. BANK GOVERNOR NAMED Trohnbly Will ReeciVe Salary of ?S0, 000 lu Chicago District. CHICAGO, October 23.?W. B. Mo Dougal. bank examiner for tho Chicago Clearing-House Association, was elect ed governor of the Chicago District Federal Reserve Bank to-day. The di rectors did not decide on tho gover nor's oalary.'^but It Is understood It 'probably: will =bo $30,000 a'year. ALLIES FORCED TO GIVE GROUND IN SOME PUCES Attack by Kaiser's Forces Particularly Severe in West. ADVANCE IS ATTEMPTED AGAINST BELGIAN LEFT This Rests on Coast, and Is Sup ported by English and French Ships. LITTLE CHANGE IN SITUATION Russians Score Important Victory and Capture Many Prisoners. Dents at Last Made in Part of Battle Line After days of inc??uiit fight ing, dent* at last have been $ made In that part of the battle line which had run virtually atralght north and south from Ypres.'ln Bel glum, to the bend In the elbow In the vlclntty of the foreat of Algne, In France. ? Jnst a abort distance above Ita centre, thin line now curves like an Inverted letter "S," the allies having pushed the Germana east of Armentlerca In an endeavor to,press on to Lille, and the German* hav ing force-1 the alllea to Rive ground around ;<nha*see, probably hoping to obtain control of Ilethunc, a railroad centre seven miles went of Labaaaee. That ground baa been won and I oat In thta <JI?*Flct lo mJiultted In the lateat French Official report. It qeeina Improvable, howtver, tliut either engagement wab decisive, aa the report dttilitrea action* near - Ijabasaec and Aruientlerea, near Arras, on the same line a abort dla- ? 1 tnnce aouth of Labaaaee, continue with great violence. In fact, the report saya that, generally speak ing, the situation on this part of the war front remains the aame. Of fighting near the const, where llrltlsh apd French naval vessel^ are endeavoring to aid the allied, troops In holding back the Ger> itvan advance, nothing was vouch aafed In the report. Attklrch, In Upper Alaace, near , the Swiss frontier, Iiaa been taken by the French at the polat of the bayonet. Since the outbreak of the war this town has been the scene of much fighting, und several times has changed hands. Petrograd clnlms the Germans continue to retreat, and that Kniperor Nicholas's forces ^ have crossed the -Vistula without resist ance. The Austrlans are gtvea credit In the Russian report for continuing to fight stnbbornljr on the Vistula, on the San and south of Prxentysl. !*o reports, were re ceived from Germany or Austria, and Servin likewise was allent re garding operatlouM lu the s >uth. LONDON, October 23 (0 P. M.).?The Germans have undertaken a general offensive along the lino extending from the mouth of the iUvcr Yser, on the Nortli Sea, to the River Meuse, and while they have forced the allies to give ground in some places, they themselves have lost positions in others. This, briefly, is what is gathered from of ficial French and German reports Issued to-night; To-day's German attack waB par ticularly severo in tlio west, where their right wing, strongly reinforced, attempted an advance against the Bel gians holding the allies' extreme left. I This left rests on the coast, and is | supported by English and French war ships and by Anglo-French troops, | which form a front extending from a ; point sonjowhere in the vicinity of I Dixmude, southward to Labassec Canal. Both sides claim successes, but the J French alone admit that In places they have fallen back. I There is, however, little change In the situation, the lines swinging and I swaying as they have done for weeks. NO DECISIVE IIA'ITLE HAS YET 1IEKN FOUGHT ! Although It now Is Just two months since the allies concentrated on the Franco-Belgian frontier to oppose the German advance, and the invaders have been almost to Paris and back hi the interval, no docislve battle has been fought. Neither side has destroyed or party destroyed an army. Even the Belgian army $scapcd almost intact after that country was overrun by the G'ernmns. The same can be said of operations In the enst, except In the case of Liexj tenant-General: Sa'msonoff, the Russian commandcr wliose army was partly de stroyed by the GermanB in the battlo at Tannenberg, East Prussia. In the present battle on the River Vistula, from Warsaw south to the River Pllica, the Russians have scored an Important victory, and have cap tured many prisoners, besides guns and ammunition. But tbe retreating army, when It gets back to Its selected posi tion, can lntrepch and start another siege battle, such as that on the River Alsne in Frapce. Southward of the Pllica, the Germans stlJl hold the River Vistula, except In front of the fortress nt Ivangorod, where they were driven', back by attacks from that stronghold, AUSTRIAN ARMY AGAIN SPRINGS INTO JjIFB The Austrian army, so often de scribed as routed and destroyed, a&tn has sprung Into life, and la attacking the Russian left wing. The Austrian*,