"SMILER" HALES AT THE WAR. PRICE, THREEPENCE. SIX Splendidly Written Articles from < SM IJL.ER" Now at the Front with the ALLIES, Read what "SMILER" has to say after seeing the Allies in the Field. Jennings' Print, "Sport" Office, Oddfellows' Place, off Frank'in Street. SIMPSON'S SAFES. Three Victories in Four Weeks. Extracts from Testimonials: Burglary. October 22nd. 19 14. « Burglars broke into our office and attempted to blow open our Simpson's Safe with gelignite. The lock, however, proved effective against this attack." — George Laughton & Coombe, Ltd , Currie Street, Adelaide. Fire. September 23rd, 19 U. " My premises, together with the three adjoin- ing shops, were reduced to a heap of ruins by the disastrous fire on September 23rd last. When one of your Safes, which 1 possessed, was opened the contents were found to be in perfect order" - A. E. ABBOTT, Storekeeper, Quorn. Burglary. October 24th, 1914. " On Friday, 24th Inst., burglars broke into our premises at Sou thwark and attempted to break into our Strong Room. Gelignite was applied into the keyhole of the Strong Room door. The explosion oniy succeeded in making the loc 1 ? more fast than before."— BUNYIP Soap Co., Ltd , South wark. A. Simpson & Son, Ltd., Gawler Place Adelaide. GERMAN SAVAGERY TO PRISONERS. PERSONAL CONFIRMATION. (By A. G. Hales). (All Rights Reserved ) When war broke out I was in London, and when the reports came through from Belgium concerning German cruelty towards the men who fell into their hands I must confess I did not place any credence in the stories told. I thought I knew the German soldier; thought he was a good, game fellow who would not take a foul advantage of a fallen foe. I had been with the Kaiser's soldiers and sailors years gone by. and fancied that as they were on manoeuvres so would they prove to be on the field of battle. I had also had a lot to do with men of that race on mining fields in Australia. They had tramped into the unknown places with me sharing hardships and dangers that try out men's tempers and bring their good and bad qualities to the surface, and I usually found them pretty good fellows, though not as good stayers as they might have been. On the great cattle ranches of North America they and I have often foregathered, and on the far stretching pampas of South America. , ... Alas for the ideas one forms of people in peace times! All my kindly feelings towards them now that I know them in war have been swept away as the north wind sweeps sea spume. T hey are . not behaving like brave men; they are not acting like soldiers, they are carrying themselves like devils hot shod from hell, and they are laying up for themselves a terrible harvest of retribution when they go reeling back broken and beaten from Paris, as reel back they wilL I would sooner stand up and be shot than tell a wilful he about a foe in arms, and it is only because I believe I can stir the hearts of true men to resent by all means known to mankind the infamies that are being practised by the soldiery of the arch-hypocrite, who is Anally 8 idling his troops that God is sure ^ bless Uieir arms a I make these exposures. I know the kind of God this man believes „ he i described in a passage of 'the Old Testament m winch a Jewish general in the field said he got this order direct from God.-- Jwnfn thou shalt take their cities spare none; ^« ^ ^ the children to the sword and haugh their horses. I cannot lay my memo y on the chapter and verse, but it beat itself into my -bram in o mood and I never wanted to take my fa* off to that kind of God nor do I now to the Kaiser's God. He has not yet put women nd children to the sword, but he has put them to the bomb-he .doing it every day. I have seen bombs fall from German aeroplanes in Bz^mm ft «rT?S EuTope the Moody and brutal Goths, by the.r treatment „. the soldiery. 1 met a solder being brought in not thirty hours ago who told me his feet h^d been ruined after he fell into the hands _of the Germans. He took his oath, and he looked like a fighter, that the Germans were trying \o terrorise the troops by maiming prisoners of wa r It is said tjiat not only are they crippling the feet of privates, but cutting off the ears of the officers. I would go into the fr„n firing line and see for myself if they would let me but they wont; 1 have to frig* about like a yellow dog and get what I can The Germans Je evidently mad with rage over the slaughter that ha. been deal/ out to them; they are being mowed down on all sides. Years ago/when watching their reviews, I wrote that the day they went into action against modern quick firing guns m phalanx-like formation they would be mowed down in thousands and that pre- diction is borne out. They are not being killed, they are getting wiped out as a nation, and their sun is set, or is setting fast. The French have given them a terriffic gruelling within the last twenty hours It is true that France has suffered terribly too, but French losses are as nothing in comparison with the Germans', and so far the fighting has all been in the field, with all the odds in favour of the Kaiser's locust-like army. Wait until they drive on a little further and have to battle under the guns of the outer forts that encircle Paris' They will get the most horrible gruelling troops ever got, and if they burst through the outer line of forts they will have to face the second circle, and then the third. By that time they will be able to spell "Paris" without the aid of a dictionary. For four days they have been at grips, and in every case the Frenchmen held them, and held them good and hard. It has been one long series of brilliant effort. The splendour of the gunners of the Field Artillery has been a thing to make the French nation stand up and yell with pride. The men have run risks that have made the deeds of the Trojans seem small and despicable; they seldom lose a gun. they never lose one until every man and horse is down and out, Tor these great hearted lads are in the game to win or die. There is no funking, no half-heartedness, no hanging back; they give their lives like lions, and they live in history even if they drop out there in front of Paris. The Cavalry are great; nothing daunts them, nothing stops them; they go on like the winds of a storm, and when they reach the foe they nimbly break his much vaunted "impregnable" front, and pierce into his vitals. They do not always get there; sometimes they are trapped, and a whole squadron will be crumpled up. Two days ago a superb charge was ordered. The German front had been broken by artillery fire; the cavalry made a swoop onto the shattered ranks, and when they were almost within striking distance the German infantry fell face down, and the French cavalry found themselves galloping right into a park of artillery. In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, they saw the position, saw their doom, but, standing in their stirrups they rent the air with the cry they always use in battle, "En avant! Kn avant! France! France!" Down went their lances, home went their spurs, and on to the gaping mouths of the guns rode the gallants of France. There was a moment's 2 stillness, then a deafening roar as the masked batteries belched iron; again came that dreadful sound, and the cavalry of France, horse anil man, had disappeared from the map. Nothing was left but the red rain that will enrich future harvests, when little children will play amongst the gathered sheaves. It is for the unborn children these splendid fellows are throwing away their lives; they are dying that freedom may come as a heritage to those who are to come after them. The infantry did wonders. They are not so spectacular as the cavalry, but they are supurb, and so uncomplaining. They go into action like school boys, a'nd fight like fiends. They are very like my pals the Irish. I was sitting with a crowd of them at a bivouac fire the night before the last great fight, and their fun was remin- iscent of the nights I spent with the Dublin Fusiliers and kindred regiments on the African veldt. When they moved off they wanted me to come too. and when I said 1 was prevented from going^ with them they wanted to know why 1 didn't disguise myself as a vivandiere. Fancy me as a vivandierre in a short skirt, with a small keg of brandy in front of me! It was a regiment d'Afrique that made the suggestion, and I fancy they had been used to fat females. They went into action as light-heartedly as kids from school, and they never came out again— a good many of them— but those who did were bleached about the mouths, and their eyes were far back in their heads. They were as tired as dogs, but their spirits never flagged; they are the spirit of France, the spirit that is in this fight to stay. They arc quite content; they just tapped their cartouche boxes to show me how many rounds of ammunition they had used up, and as they borrowed my cigarettes they offered to bet they had not wasted them all. They were only a remnant of what had gone into action, and nearly all were wounded slightly. They are all very sorry for me. because they know how I fret and chafe at the restrictions; but they get endless fun out of my stumbling French, and when I commit some more than usual gaucherie they yell with delight. Sometimes when I go to a village pump to pump water for them, for I am proud to be a soldier's batman, and would wash their feet (I have washed the feet of many a poor chap), if a village lass comes along they tell me things to say to her in French. I used to do it, too, until one dame, who must have scaled fifteen stone, gave me a box on the ear that made me think of the punch Young Ahearn gave me one day at Brighton. Since then I have grown more discreet, and my French is flourishing. I know now that "chop" is not something off a sheep, but a glass of beer. I wish I could write more about our Tommies. I'd give a lot to tell you all I know, but I must not. I'm damned if I can under- stand why a man must not let the nation know how great they are! They have done wonders during the last four days or so. They have been keeping their end up all along, and I know well they'd be glad to be sure the folks at home knew they had been true to their breed- ing. There isn't an arm of the service that has not covered itself with glory, and yet they are only as a drop in the bucket compared with 3 the Germans and our Allies. There is room here in the fighting line EoT twenty times the number, and not only room but need of them. What the devil are you doing over there? I've seen a hundred thousand of you looking at a football match, good, game, sound stuff too. You are wanted here, for Paris is the high road to London, and you can best defend London at present if you help to push these Ger- man gentlemen gently back towards Berlin with the bayonet. Don't you, or wont you understand that if they get Paris they will be send- ing aeroplanes across to drop bombs amongst your women! The aeroplane is making gigantic strides these latter days, and if you don't come here and fight the blood of your women be upon your own heads, and you will deserve the contempt, not the pity, of mankind Wake up, England! and get into your battle harness; the German snake is scotched, and badly scotched, but it is far from dead We are going to have some scrapping worth talking about within sound of Notre Dame, and we want you, want half a million of you. THE NEW NAPOLEON OF 1914. KITCHENER'S GREAT GRIP ON MEN. (By A. G. Hales). I think that sooner or later Kitchener, the man of ron, will come here. His personality counts for so much. I hear it everywhere; his name is magical. His simple presence on the scene of action would be worth an army corps and a score of big guns thrown in. If ever a man was fashioned by nature to meet and beat the German, that man is Kitchener. Their system of fighting would suit him down to the ground. I think he would change the map of war within three month-. His adamantine will, his sleepless watchfulness, his far-seeing range of vision, his tireless activity, and his icy phlegm, backed as it is by his tigerish fierceness when his hour has struck, make him the man for such a moment as this. The man and the hour will meet when he is ready. I do not thnk any power on earth will move him until he feels the psychological moment has arrived; then an earthquake will not stop him, for Nature fashioned him for just such a crisis as this. So strong is hi> grip on the minds of soldiers that I firmly believe if he arrived on the scene at a moment when a great battle was in the throes of action, with the tide running all against the Allies, with victory almost written upon the banners of the foe, the sight of his unyielding face a.-- he cantered along the battle line on his big raw-boned "waler" would put such heart and confidence into the men that they would stem the tide of disaster and let loose the full flood of victory. He has the power of making men believe they are unbeatable. In Africa and Egypt the Tommies always said with a sudden squaring of the -boulders, "It's all right now; Kitchener has come." Some men, not many, have that power of radiating their -own personality through the ranks of thousands; Kitchener is one. When he bends^his brow upon a brigade going into action every man worth 4 \ calling a man feels fbr the nonce that he is a Kitchener, and no small edition of the original either. Togo, the Japanese Admiral, had that almost supernatural power, and when he was present such a thing as defeat never entered the minds of his men; they would engage the enemy though the odds might seem hopeless— and win, because for the time the action lasted every Jap was a Togo. Nelson and the first' Napoleon had that supreme gift, for it is a gift, and it is worth more in a crisis than genius, for it can draw the last ounce out of a fighting man and make him careless of everything except victory. The French to-day have a young General, who has not yet come into his own; his name is Pau. If the luck of battle does not carry him off he will be one of the most famous soldiers this world war will bring to the front. Twice already the Germans have had a taste of his quality, and I wish them joy of their feelings if they liked what he gave them. At present the cult of the old men is very strong in France as far as Generals are concerned, but General Pau's chance must come, and when it comes he will take it with both hands. He is a rare mixture of soldierly qualities. He can be as fiery as Ney, and sweep like a human avalanche on the foe, or when occasion de- mands he can be a; steady as Sault. He has a sense for vital mo- ment* and an eye for vital spots to strike at that is in a sei s"e Napr Conic. He believes in striking swiftly, and to keep on striking; he ii hawklike in his swiftness, and his watchword is "En avanl." He loves to lead his men into action, to inspire them, to lift them *o great heights. To him a soldier is not a machine, each private fs a human dynamo full of unfathomable depths and forces to be ex- ploited by the right man at the right time. He is a tornado in trou- sers, and the reflex action of his acts sends a thrill through a whole division, as an electric wire will convey a magnetic current. I do rot know where he is to-day, for they are continually shifting him about. They send him to retake ground that others lose. If he is where I hope he may be we shall soon hear of many a crisp and dashing blow aimed at the enemy. Concerning that enemy, if the odds and ends of news T am able to pick up are correct, then the German forces are hourly stretch- ing out lengthways like a German concertina, and like a concertina it ought to be cut in many places between its advance guard and its base. That long drawn out line of foes must be a hundred miles in length, or near it. from the advance column fronting towards Paris to its rearguard. There smist be convoys to be cut off innumerable, and each convoy means food and ammunition, and food and ammuni- tion mean life to the army of invasion pressing on towards Paris. If the fiery, daredevil General Pau can only get on their flank and cut through and dismember the head from the tail, break the serpent's back, in fact, then the army of invasion may become an army cut off and in durance, and instead of threatening Paris may have to turn and fight for its life 5 Of course, I am only gtiessiiig, reading riddles in the dark. I know nothing of the Allied movements; I only know how it strikes me, and I wish with all my soul that every able-bodied man and lad in Britain and her colonies had already mustered to the colours to help to Smash this monster of aggression and hurl it back upon its own soil crippled, so that for Five hundred years it could not raise its head again. You ought to travel through this fair land of Prance and watch the patient peasants at work on their homesteads trying to save something from their lifetime of toil before the in- vaders iron heel is on them. Only the old men, the cripples, and tile women and children are left in the direct line of the invader.-., the strong, true men and lad- have laid aside spade and pruning knife to pack up sword and rifle. General Pan loved the peasant tillers of the soil; he knows their Jives, their love of the land that bred them, and he will fight like a devil unchained to defend or avenge them. And they all love him. To them his fiery valour speaks for safety: they would follow him to the hobs of hell and over ashes, and he and they will remember all that this most Christian Kaiser has done, and is doing, to them, doing it too — the smug hypocrite — in the name of God and liberty. Jesu mio! How they hate him now! I remember 'how he rode through our Empire's capital with a smile on his false face bowing In- thanks to our people's loudly acclaimed welcome; and whilst he smiled his wolf's heart was itching within him, itching with well concealed longing to be at our throats. Never again must he ride an honoured guest through any city of ours, though peace be signed a hundredfold as strong as the last. We know him now. A nobfe foie we could have honoured and forgiven much, but this Kaiser's hands are red with murder, not with war. and every whispering wind that blows must bring to his ear- the death wails of the children and the women his vanity-smitten mind doomed to death. Men who know him well tell me that in all the world there is no better "hater" than General Pau. They whisper that, like the first Napoleon, he has Corsican blood in his veins, and that he never forgets or forgives. He will have much to remember before the march of the invader is over, and if he rides in the bitter hunt back to Berlin, a hunt that J think will surely come to pass if Britain is true to herself, to her pledges and her past, and sends in a stream of men from home, from the colonies, and from India to help the French; and most of all, I think, this thing will come about if Kitchener comes; this riven land, pregnant with dumb eloquence, is awaiting him and the great Staff he raised and trained. Do not underestimate the German hosts. For years they have ral-ified their numbers, minimising their strength. They are stronger and more ready than the world ever dreamed of. If it had not been for heroic little Belgium and the never-to-be-forgotten stand of Liege, France would have been inundated, for the Kaiser with prayers on his hps was preparing for this blow for ten long sleepless years. 6 ATTACK ON PARIS BEGUN. BEGINNING OF THE END FOR GERMANY. THE WRITING IS UPON THE WALL. (By A. G. Hales). The heavy guns arc growling deep-throated defiance to the foe outside Paris to the eastward. Last night, at intervals, the sound of some monster piece of ordnance could be heard in Paris itself, so the, residents tell me. I was not there; I was as far afield as 1 could get. The battle line extends from Nanteuil-le-Hau down to Verdun. As I told you would be the case in my last communication, 1'Ourcq has been the scene of a smart engagement. The German division that had pushed forward to that point was not allowed to become acclimatized in the neighbourhood. The French went at them at once with rare vim, and had it not been that the Germans are now becoming quite expert backsteppers they would have been cut to pieces or taken prisoners. "They retrograded, and did not make use of the crazy Kaiser's whimsical goose step, which so affected Brussels a.-- they got away; they were too busy saving themselves to think of that. The French were in superb fettle; they know there i> terrible fighting" in front of them but the heart of the troops is magnificent. "Let's get to it and have it out once and for all!" is the cry of the soldiers of France. They have been bullied and browbeaten so long by the Kaiser's mailed fist that they are glad of the chance to let tlx good blue steel decide the issue. The big body of German troops that I told you was moving rapidly in the direction of La Ferte-Gaucher have been met by the French in force and a big battle is now raging. The British are sup- porting the French, and it is wonderful the effect this support is having upon the morale of the French army; it is the entente cordiale brought into active operation, and the Army and the French people are deeply grateful for the magnificent support Britain is giving them in the field. It is, so far, impossible to give details concerning the battle now in progress. All 1 know i> that every inch of ground is being stubbornly contested on both >ides. At the commencement of the fray the Allies by brilliant and determined fighting drove the German centre back, but the two wings advanced rapidly, threatening to overlap the position, and so they took the pressure off their centre. The Allies had to distribute their attack in order to hold the advancing right and left flanks, and this let up the centre again, and the old ground had to be fought over with tremendous stubbornness. The Germans are immensely strong in artillery, and made much 7 use of that arm, but tin- Allies' gunners were not idle. Some of the work done by the field batteries was worthy of the best tradi- tions of both armies of the Allies. There was a dash and abandon about their work that was worthy of an epic. They leapt into action at the word of command, rushed with incredible speed over the shell-swept plain, took up positions, and opened fire with glorious courage. Fierce as the fighting was, it can only be looked upon in the light of heavv skirmishing in comparison to what has to some within the next few* hours. The Germans are massing their full strength, and when the flood is at its full the plains of Marne will become historic as the scene of one of the bloodiest battles, or series of battles, in history. If the Germans are beaten the mad game is at an end; not so, however, if the Allies are outnumbered and driven from the 'field. They have the great line of forts to fall back upon, and within the shadow of those terrific strongholds the fight will be re- sumed, and every inch of ground will be fiercely contested. Even if we took such a pessimistic view of the situation as to admit the possibility of two big reverses— one in the open, the other under the shadow of the forts— the Germans then have to take those forts by assault. . . • Can they do it? Frankly, I do not think they can; but one never knows how the tide of war will roll when a foe is frenzied and desperate. I, for one, thought the Japanese could never take Port Arthur by assault, but they did it. The Germans may take those outer forts, but at what a terrific sacrifice of life the mind' shudders to contemplate! Enough Germans will die on the plains of Marne to start a new nation. So far they have not gained an inch but every hour is adding to their strength, and I believe they will fight gamely. One thing is bad for the Allies. It is said, and I believe it to be true, that the Kaiser is at Metz. If he were only in command at the Plains of Marne he would be worth ten army corps to us, for he is a military blunderer, and it is hard luck for us that his vanity 'did not prompt him to personally handle the attack on Paris in person; then our victory would have beetf assured. The weather has been very hot. but as I write rain is coining down steadily, and as it appears to be spreading in the direction of the scene of operations it may prove a Godsend to the Allies, as the low-lying plains of Marne may be swamped and become a quag- mire, which will retard the movements of German artillery, more es- pecially the massive guns on which they pin their faith. Boggy ground will also make the movement of their light quick-firing «uns a thing of no easy accomplishment, and this is an arm of which they have an almost incredible quantity. They have done more exe- cution with this arm than with aM the rest of their equipment put together, and herein lies their strength far more than in their millions of men. What they have so far accomplished in this last battle against the Allies has been due more to their preponderance in quick- firing" guns thin ' I ■ fcn, with' infantry and'foS them Wi«f "-^ th ^ ^adty he ^ were endangered ^^IfT^^' a " d -hen for one machine gun well handled in 2 * Sacr,ficin S the infantry, and this modern Moloch th k f 1 ' S WOrth seve "ty men Abdul Hamid, have nearly alwavs k Tvr ants, from Nero to V1 *al spark. 'y always been ,r.ost careful of their own Brisk as the ,: .r],t' I^rancofs, and Verdu^ ^L^T^^^°. Meaux. Vitry- only feeling each other's strength with a " ^ b ° th sidcs ™ a ^w hours ahead. The Germans m J ^ that «« ^e.r real intent. Behind that Ion I SZf'Tu^ <° manoeuvring to find the best to £K 'T^ th< * m 'ft- Possibly they themselves „ - v " IT^ 8 3t ln a11 w.U atempt to hack a way throZh w ^ k . noW ju5t * h *" they ^^^^^ -cfo, "r^^^tt:!^ r into your — -o ; ,t t'- farm, the factory, the ,J ro « the workshop" "ever rallied before! Ye.m n t a " history you and merchant princes, rl men ™« never know what a day mav hrJn , I, ' Ra " y t0 t,le *kg! You UP by the Prussians; ^is ^in "^ be R " Ssians ^ held ^ German Staff e ^ on 1 k * Muscovites f or six month " heir^L ^ mUIi ° ,Ji ,f m.scarr.ed that thev cannot hold Z f ^ nnt have so f ata«y « they hold then/ for six week m Six Weeksj And Pari, Reraeraber we ^s^™"**** - y happen to yourselves, your manhonH n,,,,ons - a nation in arms! B« to the flag! wL nTo Lt he 3 , y ° Ur ^itions, >a»d or sweethearts; better thT tlT u ** husbands - Mothers, yo«r own soil. P a i/noJ ^ «*! ** ^„ here tha your own soil p ar ;, : c nn J " UL1,U ngnt Europe. The chan' e u C ° Ckpit ° f En ^an I e. me chances are that in a few rhv- enemy may e et rln^ day ^, nay, liours HOW iha city. We know nothing ofte^ mi * hty sie * Wn-o^ this guns that can throw vast'shelir*™ h fuil of rui nours f shall be drinking bitter brew Th *" d * tatfc ^ *™ - that wil! be loo,;, ofp a b r "he, J! °V * air shins know what they did to Nanu Soon t i T ^ ^ We a -smoke and flame and the gutters «n wifi ' * U ^? t d ° Wn Par!S calm, strong, steadfast "Srf? H1nOCent hIood; bat all never yield. " reacltast - Pa ns may crumble to ashes, it m il ShC J S *5 buff - ^ he up and ready. eVWy ma " WOrth calling a man shduld 9 THE GERMAN CHANGE OF FRONT. ARE THEY FOXING OR DO THEY FUNK THE FORTS? WHERE'S LORD ROBERTS THE STRATEGIST? (By A. G. Hales). Tlic Germans were attempting to hack a way straight through to Pari- until to-day. They have been magnificently held by the British and French troops. Tliey have counted life as a thing of no con- sequence in this maniacal enterprise of theirs, and they have been filling their troops to the ears with stories of victories over the Russians. The latest lie they have issued to the soldiers struggling towards Paris is that the Prussian Army is holding the Russians at Poaen, and can continue to hold them there for months, whilst we know different here. They swear to their soldiers that Italy is only j laying part of a pre-arranged game to hoodwink the French and join arms with the Austrians at a critical moment. From what 1 can -lean of the situation, the Italians will join issue with the Austrians very shortly, but it will be by pushing a bayonet into the beer tank of every Austrian soldier they can g:;t rear. I know the Italian soldier: he is rather particular where he I ushe-i his bayonet; he doesnt like dry work, he aims at the belly v,"hen he lunges, and I don't quite know where to locate a worse .spot to meet an invading bayonet than the exact spot where a schooner of beer lies when you have swallowed it in a hurry, I don't think it will be long before you hear that Italy is on the warpath, not on the side of the Kaiser, but hard up against iiirh. A little bit of information that came my way recently makes me think so, and then Austria will be in pickle, for a terrier doesn't like a rat less than an Italian likes an Austrian. The Kaiser is feeding his army on a tale concerning England •that only fanatics would swallow. He has told them he has Turkey so ivell in hand that soon a "Holy War" will be running its way through Egypt on to India and, that all the children of the Prophet will follow the green banner of Islam; and this is to hold England if check and tax her resources to the utmost, whilst Turkey proper ■tirns on the Russian rear and helps to hold the Muscovite between two fires. How this is to be accomplished, considering the geo- graphical difficulties, the Kaiser and his Staff do not condescend to explain. Perhaps explanations are not needful from one who got his crown direct from the Deity! Hordes of fierce Dervishes are to sweep England out of Egypt vnder German officers. If those officers are not better than their compatriots who led the Turks against the Bulgarians, they will not do much "sweeping," 10 The Kaiser evidently does not believe in making two bites at a- I- knows, that the Mow of the River Meuse is checked 1v ^ ^ of German dead who are piled into it. She o X^i ^ . he heart m h,s hosts, and, to do them justice, they ha^ t ly under bad generalship. rougnt His latest proclamation proves him a demagogue of the r Hovvery sort. V .ctory is with then, on all sides! Xoth ng bu U e treachery of England in keeping faith with a valiant 1ml . , of his task! No matter in what direction he makes his attack Paris Will fight to a man. aye. and to a woman also; but I can't he p troops. Roberts ,s so sage, so clever, so far-seeing, snch a master of Strategy; he would see through the German design, f For myself, speaking in all humility, I think this eastward sweeo up so that he can have masses of men to hurl on the forts I fancy he ^ concentrate nearly all his artillery on one or two fo olocaus C Tf em S ° " t0 PiCrCe ° UtCr HnC ° f forts withe^ l olocaust. It he can open a way. be it ever so narrow, he will rush through and repeat the experiment-if he can Again I wish Earl Roberts were here. His subtle brain would be worth a lot at such a crisis. If the German does get into Par s tZT:L:i h r s r ething to reiate and make all othe, sack.ng of cities seem tame. J don't think the Ger »»» w,B get „; bu t war is full of chances, and half a milhon matter f thej have not had much training? If their hearts are sound the rest will come. I don't think it will be long befo e we -ovv where and how the blow will be struck. It means fife or dea 1 to the gunners; it means little less to us. ,e, !S VCry qUiCt ' VCry Steady ' and strong- 1 sot in to-day to coi v o\ COPX aVVay: SO °" jt " im P° Ssble t( ' B« out. or to get eop> out; anyway, mean to see it through titotettori* f ,°° d t0 1)0 & ° od;&cattle are Pitiful; all the outside districts have been swept u„. The prevailing note is not ,,0,nb ? t,C; there is »°. ^ waving, no cheering, just grim noble nianfulness and womanliness. I haven't heard a Uaf ^' a fcfck :;" ° r rr : he foIks are in this to fhe «*< ' m> I8 , rOU Cd aild **■ back to Berlin on the run there will be ~g.ng host on hi. heel, and an avenging country to pjfc 11 most SIEGE OF PARIS FINISHED— SIEGE OF BERLIN BEGUN. GERMANS REEL FROM DEFEAT TO DISASTER. THE MAILED FIST MADE OF MUD. PRISONERS, GUNS, MUNITIONS OF WAR CAPTURED. ALLIES TRIUMPHANT ALL ALONG THE LINE. (By A. G. Hales). The siege of Paris is ended; the siege of Berlin begun. There can be no doubt of that now, though Berlin is a long way off. We only want five hundred thousand fresh British troops to arrive quickly to give the tired armies in the field a rest and keep the Germans on the run, and they will not make much of a check until they reach Berlin. But give them time to recuperate and recover and they will fight hard as soon as they reach German soil. In every direction they are fleeing as fast as they can travel; it is not a retreat, it is a rout. They fought well and stubbornly up to a certain point, then panic seized them, and they fell away from Paris as if smitten by the fear of pestilence. They did well as long as they were the attacking force, but as soon as the Allied plan of campaign changed from defence to attack the change in the German troops was most marked. They lost their confidence and their dash, and became sullen and sluggish. They seemed to realize all at once that they had been fooled and misled by lying reports from headquarters, and lost their morale. They know now the Kaiser's mailed fist was made of mud. On the last day of the prolonged battle the rival commandcrs- n-chief made stirring appeals to the soldiers. The Allies' Com- mander called upon his men to attack and keep on attacking. ''Die where you stand if you can't advance, but never retreat!" That was the gist of his thrilling battle call, and nobly every officer and man responded to it. The German chief told his armies that on the result of their efforts that day depended the fate of the Fatherland: they must have a path to Paris or Germany was lost. The Germans fought well, but France was at the top of her form. The impetuosity of the men was irresistible; they .fought like Jemi-gods. The Germans tried to wear them down, but in vain; the flesh grew weak and weary, but the spirits never flagged or failed. .Their fiery valour broke the sullen strength of the enemy- and left them keartless, hopeless, and undone. The panic came like a storm at the finish, and t<> save the army from becoming a fleeing rabble the Staff had to take them out of reach of those terrible foes who knew neither fear of death nor weari- ness. Each German army corps took the path nearest to salvation: some fled towards Compiegne,, travelling north-west; some towards the Forest of Bellenoue, going north; others with their faces set in the direction of Strasburg. In fact, every German commander seemed to have only one idea, and that was to -ave the mops Specially under his command. 12 There appears to be L cohesion in this retreat; it had never beer 22. ^ UCVCr > beCn P,a "" ed; lt is - case of devil take Z The main force seems to be struggling madly to reach Com- p.egne, and will doubtless push on towards Mons. In distinct contradiction to this disruption^ forces is the s U1 . ' cohesion of the Allies. They are linked up, and each is ready ' ' support the other at a critical juncture. General Joffre and Gem, Pau are both able to aid or be aided by the British Commander Ihc plan of campaign has been superbly earned out, and it i tins cohesion of effort that has made the Allies unbeatable. Another factor that has made for success has been the fine Toi l T'T b6tWeen ° ffiCerS mCn - The hu ^ e — ^chine ha not broken down in any of its vital parts. When the British arm of the Allies gets to Compiegne in pursuit of the flying Germans many recollections will be stirred They will remember and are now remembering, how little mercy was shown hem all the way from Mons to Compiegne, and in the hunt l, c noon theT iegn ? ^ M011? they Wi " SUfeIy im P ress the " ^elings upon the flying foe. & What is needed just now is about fifty thousand S-st. men from Britain to act as mounted infantry to harass the flying foe You Zt j'Z I th ° USand ei * ht - St0 - — Ml Britain in Uvontv-four hours? Why don't you do it? leg we h a e ry gr ° Und " ^ and big me " make horses The Germans are fighting a sort of rear-guard action as thj re- treat, the cavalry hanging back and threatening a good deal in order o protect the straggling columns of infantry. But they never r.-mie to grips unless actually forced to do so. Their * ame now is „ ,1 to fight, but to put as much distance between the armies as r>os- sible. 1 All along th e i ines of route taken by the disgruntled foe there are unmistakable signs of the disaster that has everywhere overtaken the German arms. Batches of wounded and hungry men who are only too glad to fall into the hands of the Allies; mobs of dese-cr* who have had more than enough of the war, and surrender with gladness; dead Germans who have succumbed to their wounds and to fever and dysentry, all make a ghastly show. It would be easy to follow the route taken by any of the fleem* columns by the dead alone, who drop and lie where they drop Dead and dying horses map out each hghway of the beaten foe- broken gun carnages, with hastily dismantled guns, lie at intervals half over- turned: grisly mementoes of the impotence of the once dreaded mail fist of the mad Kaiser. Ambulance wagons laden with wounded strew these highways in all directions, and what is more significant of disaster to the foe than the desertion of their wounded is the appearance every here and there 13 of wagons laden with all kinds of medical comforts-abandoned in the rapid rush for safety. . In five long lines, in different directions, the armies of Germany have fled before the valour of the Allies, and each highway looks like a street leading from a sacked city. The debris of the vanquished ,osts sti-ews the tracks; the avengers of ruined homes are following. Vehicles of every description, broken down, or with dead or beaten horses in the harness. He everywhere; motor cars that have orown useless through want of petrol or from burst tyres- motor cycles with mechanism out of gear; ordinary cycles bent and broken; rifles with bayonets fixed thrown hastily away by deserters or fallen from weak hands of wounded men; loads of forage and food stuffs: all mark the paths of war, and every sight is eloquent of German disaster. One more smashing victory would end the war as far as Prance is concerned: then must come the march on Berlin, the fighting on German ground. . , The sight of those retreating hosts will disillusionise the people of Germany more than anything else on earth could do. They may say peccavi. or they may fight. The quickest way to end the war, which, at the lowest computation, is costing France 56.000,000 francs a day. is to send a million men from England, and send them quickly; and don't forget the little light men for mounted infantry. FRENCH STORY OF BATTLE OF COMPEIGNE. ENGLAND'S WONDERFUL ACHIEVEMENT. CAPTURE OF SIX GENERALS AND ONE FIELD MARSHALL. LARGE NUMBER PRIVATES AND MINOR OFFICERS TAKEN. GREAT ARRAY OF BIG GUNS STORMED AND TAKEN BY BRITISH. THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND GERMANS KILLED AND WOUNDED. WHOLE ARMY CORPS ROUTED AND ON THE RUN. (By A. G. Hales). From French unofficial sources I have gleaned the following: — The Germans had massed in immense strength at Compiegne, roughly about seventy kilometres north-east of Paris. An Army Corps with a great array of guns of all sizes and conditions pushed on towards Senlis with the object of holding the French under General Pau and the British force, whilst another body of German troops with rare audacity pushed towards l'Ourcq, a place situated nearly due east of the capital, and a tremendously strong body swept south-east from Campeigne past Ferte de Jouarre. What all this portends only the German staff can at present tell. The force that did succeed in reaching l'Ourcq is now being taken care of by an overwhelming force of French troops, and we shall doubtless hear in a few hours of the German surrender or annihilation, for they have walked or rushed into a death trap. 14 there can be no doubt concerning the result; the great debacle has begun m earnest. At fir|t all that I could glean was that the British had engaged a strong German force and had achieved victory can, tur „ g ten guns. This was only the skeleton of the true tale hou't UnaWarC ° f anytHing m ° re im Portant. I had to I o far afield for news. The Germans massed near a wood a section of what is known as the Forest of Compiegne. The Br tish lay - away from them on one side, the French under General Pa l h i S ° me , (iCSuItoi '>- ,ir,n 8' took place, and the Germans tried to hide their real strength under cover of the forest, but the allied ~t er The a C been SUPP,ied WitH inf0rmatl - were on the alert. The Germans are reported to have asked for an armistice dead H T^T ° to their wounded and burying th ^ dead, but whilst this request was under consideration an Fmglish aeroplane got on to the fact that the Germans were setting a trap for the Allies. Negotiations were at once broken off and fighting com- menced An airman had seen an immense number of gun; enter the woods the foe evidently having planned to get up something o a sham fight and then retreat, so as to draw the British pursuing force right on top of the hidden guns. It was a well planned death trap, but the Allies have by this time become aware of the Mechiave!- l.an tactics of our not too scrupulous foe. The motive behind the request for an armistice was either to lull the Allies into a sense of security or to enable fresh German forces to arrive from Compeigne A terr.ffic cannonade was at once opened upon the wood, which took fire, and as a brisk wind was blowing at the time the flames leapt from tree to tree, turning the forest into an earthly inferno in which no troops could remain and live The Germans rushed out in -teat disorder, and the British who were waiting for them fell upon them hip and thigh, the men, remembering all that had been done to them and the peasantry, fought with terrible fury and wiped out the so brom the first the German commander concentrated all hi, energi< upon saving his guns, but that was just the point the Allied com- manders had decided to frustrate. Much fierce fighting took place around the artillery, the British cavalry distinguishing itself by its dash and determination. Sweeping down upon the German horse that was trying to escort the guns to places of safety, they went through them like an avalanche, and it will be long before those leutons who escaped will forget the headlong and irresistible rushes of our hard riders. Once again it was clearly demonstrated that the cavalry arm of an army is still one of the most effective an army can possess when used at the proper moment and in the right way Cavalry may be useless against men entrenched in kopjes^ but in the open held it is as effective as in the days of Napoleon. Not only did the cavalry prevent the German guns from escaping but by the lightning-like delivery of their charges prevented the gunners from taking up positions from which to work havoc on our infantry Our guns were busy all the time, and the accuracy of their firing 15 spon made every fresh position ' taken urv by the enemy untenable. .The infantry did, as the infantry always! does, steady at all times until thrown at the enemy. Then they' went into the fray with terrible relish and a zest that was Zouave-like. Our open formation is the best on earth for rapid advance and heavy volleying on the move. The men got over the ground at a great swinging pace, and when they closed up for the bayonets to do their work the men were literally on the run, and nothing could stop them; they went through the Germans like fire through flax. All the French gallopers I have spoken to have been loud in their praises concerning the British in this battle; they say they were magnificent. The first important item of the day was the capture of ten guns, and it was this capture that led to the story of a ten gun victory; but if what I am now told is true that is only an episode, not a reai big event in the battle, all the praise for which the French unstint- ingly give to Britain. Stand after stand was made by the Germans ..1 the hope of stemming the tide of disaster until supports should arrive from Compeigne, but the British knew the value of time as well as the Germans, and pushed the attack home so hotly that according to latest verbal reports the enemy lost in dead and wounded thirty-five thousand men, whilst an amazing amount of artillery, great and small, -big guns and rapid firers, fell into British hands. I hesitate to give the number of guns that has been given to me, for I cannot believe that an arm}- corps could be trusted with so many in the presence of such foes as our soldiers and the French have proved themselves to be. If the immense number quoted to me proves to be correct, then the Germans must have hoped in the first instance to lure our army into rashness by having only one army corps with artillery hidden or screened sufficient to wipe out our whole force if caught napping. The French seem to think the Germans were depending upon their artillery to bring off the greatest coup of the war, and risked much to do it. counting largely upon the moral effect the annihilation of our forces would have upon all con- cerned in the war. If this be the right view the Kaiser has fallen into a trap of his own baiting. Ammunition, in quantities proportionate to the guns, is said to have fallen into our hands, besides large numbers »f prisoners. On» French galloper gave me his word of honour that he saw six German Generals and a Field Marshal prisoners under a strong escort of British Tommies going into durance. If this is correct you will possibly have the pleasure of seeing, in a few days, these gentlemen enjoying English hospitality until the war is over. Such a capture is of inestimable value, as with prisoners of this calibre in the hauds of the Allies it ought to be possible to put a stop to the barbarous methods of war adopted by our foes; they can be taught that terror cuts both ways. There were no half measures about this victory, the fury of the fighting did not abate' a jot until the Germans were on the run. Printed by F, C. Jennings, Oddfellow's Place, off Franklin Street. Published by Hales Bros., 88 Gawler Place, Adelaide, 16 Wastell & Co., Chemists, 86 King William Street. Truss Specialists Fagan's Gout and Rheumatic Cure. Its just marvellous how this remedy ge ts the uric acid out of the system. If you are a martyr to Gout, Rheumatism, Sciatica, Lumbago, Pains in the Back, or any Kidney Complaint or you'll find it a booh. 2s. 6d. a bottle ; posted, 3s. 6d. BLOOD POISON The system should be thoroughly cleansed, and every poisonous taint removed. Enemas and all Rubber Goods. 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