The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-07-14
FIERCE ATTACK
ON MO TEN PASS
Disastrous Attempt of Russians
TO 0verwheim Japanese.
SLAUGHTER OF OUTPOsTs
STBERIANS FINALLY HAD TO
GIVE IT UP.

At the Front With General Kuroki s
Forces. July 4, via Seoul. Korea, July
1.-THE brief and disastrous attempt
/ of the Russians TO overwhelm the small
] japanese force which guarded the en-
/ trance to the Mo Tien pass was a
bloody affair. The japanese troops
again exhibited their resourcefulness
and courage, and the Russians again
( threw away many lives. The losses
cannot be ascertained until the battle
| field has been searched. The japanese
are still driving the enemy up the val
! ley. The correspondent Of the AsSoci-
ated Press saw enough 10 justify the
/ estimate that the Russians had more
/ than 200 men killed or wounded, and
( that the Japanese casualties will PROB
ably amount TO sixty. The Russians
( left thirty dead in front OF and in the
/ trenches where the attack began At
this point they had an equal number of
men severely wounded, and the Japan
csc took several prisoners and cap
tured 100 rifles. The Russians were
seen carrying away two officers who
had been either killed or wounded
japanese Entrenched.
No Tien pass opens upon a funnel
shaped slope which rises for a quarter
OF a mile from the valley. and which is
flanked by hills. Thirty-six japanese
were CHARTERED in 2 Chinese house near
the bottom of the bin and two cOmpa-
MES of Japanese soldiers were in a
trench 100 yards long, located on the
summit of the hill which commanded
the approach. Two other companies Of
soldiers slept near the trench.
Between 3 and 4 O'Clock in the morn
/ Ing, IN complete darkness and with
heavy fog enshrouding the hills, two
| battaliOns of the Tenth and Twenty
1 fourth East Siberian regiments. to-
gether with 100 'eavaIrynen, approached
! the japanese position. They surround
! ed the pickets and the eutpOsts in the
/ house and gained position from which
/ to rush the trench Several other Rus
/ sian companies were so disposed that
they could attempt hanking move
ment on Doth the japanese right and
/ left.
Hand-tc-Hsrd Fight
When the fighting began the building
where the OutDOsts were chartered be-
came a slaughter house The japanese
: aroused from tEeir sleep by the enemy,
| seized their swords and bayonets to re-
/ sist the attack The Russians were at
such close quarters with the japanese
/ that it was impossible for the latter to
use their rifles.
I The first fight in the trench and in
/ front Of the trench was hand-to-hand
and the japanese who ran out to man
/ the trench were but half clothed.
The first Russian onslaught was re-
/ PEELED, but the Russians charged twice
| again within half en- hour. The re-
malnder Of the japanese regiment,
| however. to which the OutpOsts and the
/ companies at the trench belonged, re-
enforced their comrades and began to
| drive the Russians back. As soon as
il was sufficiently light to distinguish
| the enemy. two hours after the begin
| ming of the fight, the japanese forced
/ the Russians TO retreat one mile down
| the valley. The trench and its ap-
! proaches on the hillside were thickly
! covered with dead and wounded men.
BloOd-spattered stones and grass
everywhere testified TO the holiness CT
the lighting.
Wounded Gathered Up.
Chinese stretcher bearers. impassive
under dropping bullets, were collecting
the wounded and carrying them TO an
improvised hospital III roadside tenn
pie, where they were laid out in rows
under huge painted and plastered
gods. japanese details, with trench
ing spades. were buryinE the dead
where they fell. and japanese soldiers
were bringing water 70 their own and
Russian wounded and impaTtialIy Civ
I ing the wounded men cigarettes.
The firing continued during the after
noon but gradually the sounds grew
more distant. indicating that the Rus
sans were still Tetreating.