The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-09-08
RUSSIANS FALLING BACK
Kuronatkin's Formidable Lines at Lao
Yang are Badly Broken
Excitement in st. Petersburg.

Excitement in st. Petersburg.
The news Of the occupation OF Lao
Yang and the withdrawal Of the Rus
sian army to the right bank OF the
Taitse river reached only small Sec
ton Of the people of st. Petersburg at
late hour Thursday night and caus-
ed intense excitement and disappolnt-
ment. The majority of'the Inhabitants
retired to rest, believing that Russian
arms had again been successful and
that the Japanese attacks had been re-
PEELED. Ugly suspicious, however, had
besn rife during the day, owing to the
absence of press telegrams from Lao
Yang, leading to the belief that the
communications had been cut by Gen.
eral Kuroki.
The following statement was obtain
ed by the Associated Press from the
war Office at 10 o'clock p. M:
T: .General Kuroki.s army crossed IN
force to the right bank Of the Taitse
river and it, therefore, became neces-
sary for the Russians to be in posi-
ton to repel a blow in this direction.
"In view of this development in the
operations General Kuropatkin dscii.
ed. to abandon his positions or the left
hank and to concentrate his whole ar
my On the other side Of the river. This
position is the strongest, both in char
acter and in site. The great issue will
De finally decided there. :
"By withdrawing to this position the
Russian army avoids the danger Of be-
ing divided by. the river and enjoys
the advantage Of compactness.
General kuropatkin's move, there
fore, is not to he considered as a re-
treat, but rather as the carrying out
of well-defned idea.'
The News from Toxic.
A Toxic dispatch of Thursday night
says: At dayoreak the Japanese army
on the'left delivered a fierce and sue.
cessful assault against the heights to
the west Of Hsinlingtun and the high
ground to the west of Siushanpao. 1t
pierced the Russian lines and later
forced the retirement of the Russian
troops from their position on the right
and center. Marquis Oyama tele-
graphs that his losses in these as
saults were heavy. It is believed that
General Kuropatkin has been sweep
ingly defeated.
Japs Caught in Pitfalls.
The battle Wednesday was of the
most desperate character. It ragged
continuously from dawn until mid
night and the slaughter must have
been immense.
At s n the evening, after holding
his outer positions all day in the
face of the most desperate charges,
General kuropctkin gave the order to
retreat upon the main. works about
the city. The japanese assaults dur
ing the day had been directed princi-
rally against the Russian center.a lit
tie cast OF Maie.ung mill, near the rail
road and three miles southwest of
Liao-Yang. Nothing approaching the
severity Of the infantry and artillery
fire had been heretofore experienced in
war.
AS soon as the Japanese found that
the Russians were retiring from their
outer positions scuthward, they resum-
ed the attack there, although it was
'then quite dark. Thus pressed, the
Russians arrested their movement to
the rear and again faced the japanese.
With view CT eventual retirement
from their outer positions, the Rus
SANS had dug large number Of pits
with stakes concealed in their bot
toms, The pits were fully concealed
amcng the high Chinese corn. When
the Japanese charged after the Rus
slams they fell into the pits in hun
dreas and were engulfed and impaled
en- the stakes and their lines we're
thrown into confusion. When the Rus
sicns faced about and returned to
their old positions they found these
death traps filed with dead and dying.