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Show THOUSANDS SAID TO BE PRISONERS Paris, Sept. 8. 10 54 p. in. Accounts Ac-counts of wounded soldiers who reached Paris this afternoon Indicate that the result of the three days' fighting in the Champagne country has been more favorable for the allies al-lies than at first supposed. They 6ay the German losses in killed were enormous, and that a gieat number of prisoners were taken. One French officer estimates the prisoners at 30,000. The Champagne district includes parts of the department of Marne, Ardennes, Aube and Haute-Marns. A Bergeant of Infantry, wounded in the engagement near La-Ferte-Gauch-er, says- "I heard cannonading from Friday evening Saturday night we received an order to retire, but during the night advanced again and took a post tion on the hillside. Early Sunday morning the enemy tried to turn our left We were ordered to hold them until the troops around Meaux had pushed back the Germans there. "At noon the enemy commenced to retire In disorder toward the east. They rallied, however, to the north j of LaFerte-Gaucher, where the engagement en-gagement continued all night Monday I morning the enemy weakened again and fled We pursued them twenty miles, keeping up a steady fire that worked havoc In the German ranks, while not a shot was fired on their sido. "We succeedod in cutting off a detachment de-tachment and captured seven cannon, two machine guns and many prisoners. prison-ers. One sergeant of Infantry admitted admit-ted that his men had scarcely any ammunition and had been ordered to economize it to the utmost limit possible." pos-sible." An infantry officer, wounded north of Meaux. saLd that the Germans seemed to be tired out He counted 600 dead in a single trench The French Infantry charged, as at Char-leroi, Char-leroi, against machine guns, and, in spite of strong positions, broke the enemy's line. The retreat of the Germans Ger-mans was precipitate. They seemed to lack ammunition. |