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f GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY j From B Paso :i dispi tcli of yesterday says: Tinted States cavalry under Colonel Geufge Dodd today were re] orteil on forced marches from Cruses toward Namiquipa to re-enforce Carranza troops under Colonel Cano. engaged in a fierce railing tight with Villas bandits. Kncirclcd by Carranza and American forces. Villa was making a desperate effort to reach the Santa Clara canyon in the Guerrero mountains, twenty miles cast of Nami-iiuipa. Tile absence of news from the hattlcfh hi since Juarez officials late yesterday received the first word of Villa brought at bay led to fears that he lias cut his way through the armed ring and was temporarily MR. To trap Villa if he scapes the central column from Cruccs. Brigadier General Iershing lias sent cavalry s«|U ulrons southward to the Babrieora ranch and to Carmen, on cither side of Namii|Uipa. One of these three columns should be within striking distance of Villas rear guard within twenty -four or thirty-six hours. Sever;. 1 aeroplanes with the expedition spent last night on Mexican soil near Ascension. They were within a few hours flight of the Nanihpiipa battle field and may possibly be of assistance to the American re-onforcoments in locating the bandits followers. While opposing forces were on every side of Villa today he might have eluded the Carranzi troops at Namiquipa during the night and readied the ragged Santa Clara district. General Gavira, Carranza commandant at .luarez. today said he had received no further details than that the do facto troops and Villa were yesterday evening engaged in a desperate conflict and that American re-enforcements were rushing to the assistance of the Carraaaa attacking forces. Gavin sent argi nt requests for additional information and replies were momentarily expected in Juarez. Gavira pointed to the battle at Nami-|Uipa in denial of reports that Carraaaa troops wore disposed to let Villa get away and give him an equal chance w it li the American army on his trail. The Carranza consul intimated that the United States expedition has established a base near Casas Grandes. Reports that the Carraaaa garrison there had withdrawn to Juarez to avoid friction remained Unconfirmed. Even if a large Carranza force had been placed between the expedition in Mexico and the border, it was pointed out that the thousands of American troops at Kurt Bliss and Columbus were sutiiciont protection against the implied threat." From Petrograd yesterday a dispatch says: "Capture of one town by storm, occupation of another and seizure of trenches are reported from the west ILu-.--i.ini front, and continued successes are claimed in Asiatic Turkey. The official Si ite-inent sus: -Western Bussian I front: A German detachment attempted t penetrate our lines u t:a region of Lake Sanger, but was dispersed by our lire. There have been lively artillery and in -fantrv engagements in several sections to the south of tie- livmsk district. We repulsed with our lire enemy attempts south of Lake Dreswiaty. Wo itormed and captured Velikoleselo. east of the town of lveretel . To the south of tin- same town we captured two machine tuns while repulsing enemy attacks. Our troops occupied the village f Zanapscs and a section of tiie enemy trenches near the village of OstTovlianj after an engagement between Lakes Naroez and Wiehnevskie. Oalician front: On the Dniester our troops, supported by tie artillery, in a sharp attack took som.- trends ■ an 1 a bridgehead east of the village of Uikhaltche. Caucasus front: The Turks tried to advance in several places on the coast line. but Wl re prevented by our naval and land guns. While continuing the pursuit of the enemy our columns took prisoner a number of Turkish officers and ISO Askaris. They captured also some machine guns. " General Carranza lias asked the Catted States the number of American troops to i«e employed in the Villa hunt. in reply, he will lie informed, it is s:id. that the expedition is only large enough to accomplish its one mission, and that this govern meat has no intent to pursue military operations beyond that. President Wilson a. id the cabinet yesterday agreed that the proposal from the car-ransa government for a protocol under which the Villa hunt shall be carried oa should be assented t. . The ila n laid before tie- cabinet by acting secretary of state Polk resulted in the decision thai it would work to the benefit ,.t both countries. It ai-.o decided at yesterdays cabinet meeting that word should In- Bent late in the day to General Carranza that tin- request of the Catted State* to nse Mexican railroads does not include the transportation of troops, but only shipment of uupplk-s to the American troops in Mexico. Acting secretary Iolk of the state department and secretary Baker explained to the cabinet overnight dispatches and the situation growing out of the request for use of the railroads. I.y a vote of 128 to 117 the house yesterday passed an amendment to the Hay army bill which provides that, while the enlistment period remains three years with the colors or four years in reserve, any well -trained man. upon recommendation of a commanding officer, may be retired from active to reserve service at the end of one years active service. This action followed the defeat of an amendment offered by representative Kahn of California giving an enlisted man the option of retiring from active to reserve classification aftir one year of efficient service. The passage of the amendment giving an enlisted man the right of retirement from active service after one years service was introduced by representative Gardner of Massachusetts, am! is regarded as a defeat of chairman Hay. sponsor of the army bill favored by the administration, whose main aim is to provide a standing army, in pence times of 149,000 men. A greater entente, bringing even the smaller of the allies into complete accord, will result from a conference to be held in Paris this week or next. Military and political leaders of the allies were assembling there yesterday to organize for concerted ait ion to shorten the war. Since Aristide Briand became Prime minister of France lie lias worked ceaselessly toward this end. lie will preside over the deliberations. Prince Regent Alexander and Premier Paehiteh of Dcibia are due to arrive in Paris. Gen. Cadorna. Italian commander-in-chief, is there and will be Joined by General iorro. Fugland will be represented by General Douglas ilaig. Premier Asquith and others; Franco by Ileiii- r Briand, General Jo IT re and one or two Fren.h cabinet members; Russia by General Gilin-sky. and Belgium by Premier de BroqnevlDe and General Whitmans A dispatch of yesterday from London says: "Austrian forces, operating northwest of 1sciecz-ko. on the Dniester river mar the Bukowina border, were forced by the pressure of Russians to evacuate the bridgehead fie titi-ations and to abandon their transport-. Under cover of night they succeeded in reaching the Austrian advance posts northwest of Zalcsseayky, north of Csemowtts, according t i an Austrian official statement issued today, in- official statement pays a tribute of admiration to the bravery of the Austrian troops, who gave way only on account of the superior strength of the Russian attacking forces. It adds that the only means left to the Austrians to avoid capture was to break through the Russian positions at Csciecako, and this they did with complete success." Tie- French official report of yesterday savs-"In Belgium a reconnaissance on the part of the caemj which took place along our lines to the north of Pont Boesittghe was at once driven back by a counter attack. West of the river Mesne the GennaM leveral times renewed their attack against our front extending from Ovocourt to Ifalanconrt, where tin- bombardment by sin lis of large caliber continued without interruption. The attacks of the enemy here were accompanied by throwing of flaming liquid by detachments of men earrj lag special machines. In spite of the heavy los.es inflicted by our fire the enemy was aide to take possession, after hand-to-hand fighting, of a slight footing southeast of Malancourt wood known as Avoeourt wood. All the efforts of the Germans to march out from the AvoCOUrt wood resulted in failure." David VoUrath, former treasurer of the Evangelical Lutheran St. Marcus church, who pleaded guilty a few weeks .i ■ to Laving forged notes aggregating about 150,000, dropped dead in the comity jail today. VoUrath was to have been taken to the penitentiary Wednesday to begin serving his sentence. Dr. Francis V. McNamara said that death was due to heart disease. Vollrath was being examined by the physician in the hospital section when he reeled and fell t.. the floor dead. Dr. McNamara im-medintely notified Jailer Will T. Davies and the latter summoned relatives of the dead man. According to It. 1!. Wolvorton. [Tnited States radio expeit. the high Steel towers hitherto thought to be Indispensabh as a part of the outfit of a wireless "la. ion. are not necessary at all. Hi says tiiat a win- stretched along the ground for about BOO feet will answer the purpose quite as well as the elevated sntumae. He asserts be has s a cessfully "picked up" snesaaaua from various distant stations with this simple attachment. Improvements of great value may be expected in wireless telegraphy and telephony if this discovery proves to be what he asserts. The libel suit of Mrs. Herbert Asquith. wife of the premier, against the London Globe was settled yesterday. The suit was brought on account of publication by the Globe of statements that Mrs. Asquith had visited German prisoners of war eon-fined at Donnington Hall and had sent presents to them. The Globe consented to judgment for 5,000 and costs. Further restrictions in England on the importation of luxuries were imposed yesterday. At a meeting of the privy council king George signed a proclamation prohibiting the bringing in ■ f automobiles. motorcycles, various musical instruments, such as player-pianos and phonographs, and spirits and other strong drink, with the exception of brandy and rum. Italian troops entered Greek territory in Kpirus. but retired after a days time when notified by the commander of the Greek forces that the continued presence of the Italians could not be permitted, according to a statement by Premier Skouloiulis in the Greek chamber of deputies, reported by the correspondent of tiie Ilavas News agency at Athena. The Tennessee legislature convened ill special session yesterday to consider charges of malfeasance and malfeasance in office brought against Judge Jesse Edgington and Attorney General Z. N. Rsti », both of Memphis. This is the tirst Impeachment proceeding in that state in twenty-three years. Four British destroyers engaged three German destroyers off the Belgian coast Monday, the admiralty announced yesterday afternoon. Two enemy boats were hit by shells from the British destroyers Four British sailors were wounded. The Germans escaped into the naval base at Zecbrugge. Two a: roplanes of the first squadron have been lost ill flight en route from Columbus. N. M.. to tiie front in Mexico, apt. B. I. Foulis. in command of the squadron, reporteil their failure to arrive and said their whereabouts was not known. S;x machines arrived safely. Exceedingly high winds have made army airmen tasks hazardous. A dispatch to the Copenhagen Politiken from Berlin says that a great concentration of Russian troops is occurring in southern Poland. It is supposed that the Russians are preparing an attack on the line from Czartorysk to Kovel. A dispatch from Home says that with the object of inducing Bulgaria to co-operate on tiie eventual attack on Saloniki and prevent a separate peace the Austro-Germans have formally ceded Saloniki to Bulgaria and premised to uphold the cession at the peace conference.
