Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-07-31

AUSTIN, MOWER co
THE FALL OF KulVA.
How the Natives Fight with Exro-
| peans.
Correspondence New York World.
ST. PErERsBURa, June 29.-Accord'
ing to official accounts received from
the columns which took Khiva there
was little actual fighting done by the
natives. who seem to have been fully
persuaded of the truth of the Central
Asian proverb that "The arm of the
white Gar can reach as far as he wish
es it to-" In no case did they make a
firm stand except when sheltered be
hind their rude but strong earthworks,
from which it WIS generally possible to
drive them in few hours. The City
of Khiva was entered without the
slightest difficulty, and after the flight
of the Khan the people who remained
seemed rather glad than sorry that
their troubles were over. At first the
| AdOASC0 Ucl1cVOO VuHV G1lC1E u1U1C0 W0ke5
to be put to death, but their minds
wero soon disabused of the notion aud
they accepted the inevitable like true
Mohammedans. On May q, the
leading column of the Turkestan
division reached the oasis Of Utsch
Tchutchok, after traveraing hundred
versts "a verst is about thirds of a
mile) of the sandy and waterless desert
between Khalaat and its Anon. In the
desert they suddenly encountered a
force of about 8, 500 men. who fred at
them with their crazy weapons and
then being rocketed fled away. bowling
like so many dervishes. Had it not been
for the terrible physical difficulties en-.
countered in the latter part of this
march, the expedition would have had
Russians trudged along, after leading
their horses and camels, which were
reduced to the last stage of exhaustion,
the enemy was constantly lowering on
their flank, annoying them by pretend
ing every half hour to be about to make
an attack, and then, as soon as there
was the slightest show of an attack
upon them, every mothers son of
them would take to his heels and
be out of sight in an instant. Near
the Lardaba Kul the Grand Duke
Nicholas Constantinovitch and Prince
Eugen Maximilianovitch Romanoviski
both captains in the first ranks
of the infantry van, and when the ene-
my fled the Prince commanded party
of volunteers and chased them about
fifteen miles to the river. The rear
attempted to make stand, when the
commander ordered the Grand Duke
Nicholas Constantinovitch to lead in
the attack, which he did as splendidly
as il, as soon as they saw him coming,
the scamps had not turned tail and
fled in their usual absurd way, yelling
like 80 many wild men. At Adam
Kriglan, at dayDreak, party of some
$50 Kerghese and Turcomans, under
the famous Sadyk, who had for days
been gallopiug about General Bardov-
skis command, made q more deter
mined stand than usual, having good
cause for believing the Russians to be
in distress for want of water. They
came close to the camp and opened
fire, which was at onc6 returned by the
ridemen from the hills. The enemy
retreated short distance, but contin-
ned to fire vigorously, aud were not
driven away until a company with q
rocket battery turned out, and, after
prolonged firing, dislodged Sadyk. In
this most terrible encounter with the
fierce Asiatic chief, the Russians lost
no men at all and the enemy but three.
Sadyn himself was the first to run.
When the column left Knaiaat there
were yet 2, 800 camels in the train. the
rest having succumbed to the hard
ships OF the way and the want of food
and water. When General Bardovski
returned from Adam Kriglan to Alti
Kuduk there were but 1910 camcls
left. From Alti Kuduk to Utsch Tchut-
chak the road was in many places most
difficult, and greatly taxed the artillery.
During halt, and just as the troops
had formed in a hollow square for the
night, the enemy, who had been how
ering about for hours, approached from
three sides at once; the riaemen in
stantly turned out, and quickly emptied
the saddles Of those who came nearest.
The firing continued all night, the
camp being entirely surrounded by
the enemy, who retired at daybreak,
and allowed the Russians to continue
their march for short time
in peace. Then they came up
again and opened fire from all
sides at once, but the troops
went ahead with perfect regularity, re-
turning volley after volley and keeping
the enemy at bay. Uttering their
peculiar yell, the natives alternately
advanced and retreated, and, with all
their waste of powder hardly succeeded
in killing o man. Along the whole
journey through this region this was
the sort of warfare carried on, beina
occasionally diversified by pursuit oi
the natives into their boats along the
rivers and canals-when the we'll
watered districts werc reached and
shooting at them while struggling in
the streams. The Anon was reached
with no loss worth speaking of. The
mob at Utsch Tchutchak consisted o1
Alta Jandar and Goklan Nuker. From
these facts it may readily be under
stood how and why it came that Khivs
fell defenceless when once it had beer
reached.