The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-13
Odds at LIaO Yang Were De-
 cidedy Against Them
BETTER OPINION OF ENEMIES
Military Critics Agree That Kuropat kin's Plan Was to Defeat laps at Llao Yang and Hasten
 to Aid Port Arthur.

General Kurokfs Headquarters in tha Field, near Lao Yang. September s.
 Delayed.)-The battle of Liao Yang was magnificent =,ictory of which the Jap anese have great reason to be proud. although they were unable to realize their hopes of another Sedan.
 The execution of the campaign by the Japanese upon such vast scale against an army probably their superior in numbers, and possessing more modern guns of greater calibre and range than their own. and established behind forti- fications of great completeness and un- precedented extent. and directed by skill ful commanders, excites the highest ad- miraton of the military critics. l 1t Is unquestoned that at Lao Yang General Kuropatkn expected to turn tha line of the war against the Japanese. Ir would now appear that the lighting of the past few weeks, since the failure of the Russian movement to the south, was not expected to be decisive. but was a se- ries of preliminary operations conducted \ for the purpose of harassing the Jap enese and gaining time for the crucial
 wuggle.
 ,rN Intended to Defeat laps. .h foreign military observers with apanese army find convincing evi- :, sosa Nhat General 4Suropatkin planned
 the Japanese armies in detail. ., to dispatch a powerful column a,,d 1Ne ',s, Nh for the relief of Port Arthur, ,.,,,,,aen d,,,Ne of the opinion that with ths sral K1rona Asions at his command, Gem th1s had The Nin could have accomplished soldiers equalleQ Qua,l.y or ms oihcers ana
 Not until the N that or the Japanese. five days of cofsnt ol eepeel1per atten ter Russians take thN a..s', ps'e a,a .lie han,1 I d oa .,'i stsa,'. ~ \fordable river at his nosins in Ina rear nNprce of Japanese ops eTl erai Rmronatlfin was on the flank, Gen. his army without losin\p'e s,ngla s M.'iaura~ e"n
 Better Opinion otN Russians. the Japanese a much highy was s1 siss the abilities of their antagonX opislon ah, .,sa @ exhibitions at the Yalu rivK aa 1'i ,.sa s..' where compelled them to enterN as., n,a", the Japanese army occupied itseNs',, ~ ouay and lndulged itself in no way of N iia,',.rs The work done by the Russians pairing the neighborhood of Llao " pre- be theatre of battle, Is of ineredVitte " magnitude In addition to the exteN anie 'l fortihcations on the south side of tro Taitse river, there were practically thN lines of defences for the plain of tN eastern approaches of the railroad. whicN in themselves constituted formidable battle arena.
 The fighting was carried right up to the N railroad line. but notwithstanding the fact that the Japanese shelled the last trains which left Liao Yang on the way to Mukden. 1t was impossible for them to intercept any of the Russian rear buards.
 Presents Terrible Picture.
 The area north of the river which was fought over by the conterding armies. presented a terrible picture of the results of war. The fields are strewn with lines of trenches marking the successive stages of retreat and crematory fires yet burning and searching parties are bring ing In Japanese bodies Graves of Russian soldiers can be seen at every turn, some dug by comrades and others by the Jap anese. On one hillside Is a group of POO or 300 graves, naked by rough sticks.
 Many bodies remained undiscovered In the high grain, and the odor of decompo- sltion fills the air
 F1ocks of crows hover about and hun dreds of Chinese dogs roam the fields
 The portion of the railroad in the pos- session of the Japanese remains practi- cally intact. The Chinese have hung Japanese flags over their houses. Most of the Chinese stores and all of the Rus sian buildings were thoroughly footed on the departure of the army Both Riis% slans and Chinese participated in tho footing.