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Show I, Grip on Northern France Loosened . 1 I and' Troops Being Herded Back II Famous Chemin Des Dames Being I Evacuated by Ludendorff V Troops Today (g f LONDON, Oct. 1 1 . Serbian troops, after capturing S ? Leskovatz, again advanced and on October 8 had reached a I line ten miles to the north of that town, says an official state-in state-in ' ment issued by the Serbian general staff. More than-3,000 I prisoners were taken and five more guns "were captured. I; ' BASEL, Switzerland, Thursday, Oct. 1 0. Cholera is fi ' slowly spreading in Berlin, 'notwithstanding the preventive ! measures taken, a Berlin dispatch states. Seventeen cases rim were reported October 8 and, fifteen -deathsoccurred from-the jiv disease. 1 AMSTERDAM, Oct. 1 1 .Emperor William nas sum-IB sum-IB moned the sovereigns of all the German federal states to Ber-K Ber-K or a consultation before answering President Wilson's IK notc according to a Cologne dispatch. Such a conference J E is unique in the history of Germany. I I LONDON, Oct. 1 1, 1 p. m., by The Associated Press. todays advices rrom the battle rront indicate it is virtually) I' m certain the Germans will have to evacuate the St. Gobain , P forests almost immediately. ! I; WITH THE AMERICAN FORCES NORTHWEST OF I ' VERDUN, Oct. 1 1 , noon, by The Associated Press. Heavy i , artillery firing in the region west of the Meuse river began ' at dawn today." The Americans started at daylight and the I Germans responded. Fires are reported burning in many towns behind the lines and it is believed these were started by the American shells. LONDON, Act. 1 1 , via Montreal. German troops today to-day began the evacuation of the famous Chemin des Dames in the region north of the river Aisne and south of Laon. LONDON, Oct. 1 1 .Chancellor Maximil an's peace pro-1 posal to President Wilson was made in direct ""opposition to the views of Emperor William, according to a report brought j to London by a neutral who left Germany a few days ago. It is suggested that this may be the reason for the summoning of the German sovereigns for a conference. No official confirmation con-firmation of this can be obtained here. K (By The Associated Press) B The grip of the Germans on north- R ern France has been loosened and the m process of herding them back to their borders is proceeding at an increas- Ingly rapid pace under the Allied lash. Since the beginning of the July offen- slve, which initiated the loosening Sl Process the Allies have pushed the Germans back a maximum of 45 miles from the Ancre near Albert to the tip K of the present Anglo-American wedge ft at Lc Cateau. I A scant 25 miles more will bring ft them on this line to the1 Belgian fron- H tier south of Maubeuge. But long be- 1 fore that point is reached the pres- m sure on all aides, if, continued at the B present rate, will have resulted In the H clearing of the enemy from virtually all French territory and a great part of Q Belgian soil. IS The Germans, Indeed, are already HI carrying out a general retreat. But it D Is a retreat under pressure and even K if skilfully conducted, is bound to cost M them heavily in men and material. I General Ludendorff patently has HI been desirous of withdrawing to a Itf shorter line where he could re-organ- B ize his forces but the steady unre- B lenting ipressure which Marshal . Foch HI all along the front has made it lm- Hl possible for him to detach himself for H such an operation. He cannot break contact with his adversary, as ho L would like to do, and consequently is B obliged to fall back slowly, fighting B hard and losjng heavily In his back-Ijt back-Ijt Ward course. B Last night's developments and those i ' of today along the wide battle front only accentuate the extent of the German retreat and the acceleration of Its pace. The official reports reveal the American co-operating with them still videnlng the great veflge In the German line south of Cambrai, a process pro-cess In which the French to the south are notably assisting. General Petaln's forces have advanced ad-vanced to a point almost as far north as Guise, where they join up at the British and Americans vho are rapidly nearly the important railway junction of Wasslgny, south and east of Le Cateau. Ca-teau. This sensational drive In the centre is matched In efficiency, however, by the terrific ipressure of the French armies ar-mies south of Laon and along the line north of the Aisne and in the Cham, pagne. This movement, In conjunction conjunc-tion with the drive to the north, is, according to today's advices, making it inevitable that the Germans retire from Laon and the great St Gobain massif. The withdrawal, indeed, appears ap-pears to be under way here as elsewhere. else-where. The Americans are with the French in applying the pressure In the Champagne and the American first army, In Its drive In the Argonne area, ar-ea, has joined hands with General Pe. tain's troops at Prand Pre. Further east the strong line on which the Germans Ger-mans stood to resist the American drive we3t of the Meuse Is trembling under the blows of General Pershing's troops, and further advances by the American forces are looked for here. On the far northern end of the battle line, the Anglo-Belgian forces are apparently ap-parently held in leash to.thrust again for a closing of the pocket in which Doual now is enclosed, together with he great manufacturing city of Lille, as soon as the northeasterly thrust of the British First, Third and Fourth armies has (progressed to the desired point. The Germans In the Lens area, however, are not waiting for this trap to be sprung and are continuing their withdrawal from that part of the Pre-ka, Pre-ka, which is the one most immediately immediate-ly threatened. That reports indicate an expectancy there that a move by the Germans to evacuate is imminent. French Cross The Aisne PARIS, Thursday, OcL 10 French troops today crossed the Aisne east of Oeuilly, southeast of Laon, and drove the enemy northward. The French have gained ground north of Berry-au-Bac and have taken prisoners, prison-ers, according to the official statement issued at the war office tonight. In the Champagne sector the Germans Ger-mans have begun a retreat toward the Aisno river. French forces have crossed the Aisno at Termes, which they hold and have occupied the station sta-tion at Grandpre where numerous prisoner pris-oner were taken. - |