Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-15
RUSSIANS m RETREAT
CONTINUED from First Page,o

sA----
fContinned from First Pagel
here General Kufopatkin had a narrow es-
| cape during the ifiercg fighting of Wednes-
| day night and Thursday for the posses
sion of Temple fiill and the double-horned
mountain east Of the railroad. With his
staff he was personally directing the fight
at this point. Orderlies were constantly
gaIloping up with reports from otnef parts
| of the field anditarrydng dispatches to ano
| from the telephone and telegraph stations
which were working behind the hills This
evidently attraetedo the attention OF the
Japanese, VINO cleverly unmasked some pat
! teries, the shells from which burst all
around the distinguished group. compelling
! General Kuropatkin to shift his position
| hastily and seek shelter.
It is understood that General Kuropatkin
before the battle commenced again desig-
mated Lieutenant General Sakharon and
then Lieutenant General Bilderling to sue
coed him In the command in the event OF
| his being disabled
The Worst Feared at st. Petersburg.
5:22 p.m.-The silence of the Russian au-
thorities at this critical hour is heart
| breaking for the public Not single OFF,
cial word has been given out to relieve the
suspense and anxiety for over twenty-four
hours, and the public is convinced that 1t
! world-proclaimed advance has ended in
complete disaster, with such frightful losses
that they will stagger Russia even after
Liaoyang.
Most circumstantial stories, attributed to
court circles, are told of the failure of the
| Russian left, from where Kuropatkin
| aimed his chief blow. The Russian COM
mander is stated to have had two and a
half army corps there, with one and a half
corps in reserve, and they are said to have
| been beaten and thrown into a state OF
| confusion bordering on a rout, 1t being now
only a question Of the magnitude of the
defeat. According to these stories Kuro-
patkin was really feinting on his front,
having only three corps. with one general,
In reserve along the whole center and
right.
The Japanese turning movement west
ward, which the general staff had repeat
eddy declined to consider dangerous, is also
said to be developing force and strength
enough to be a real threat against the Rus
sian communications in the rear.
1t is impossible to trace these stories to
a responsible source The general staff
them to the general feeling of panic. Yet
the members of the staff reluctantly admit
that they can offer no official news to con-
tradfct them.
Pessimism at the War Office.
The officials of the war Office themselves
seem to share In the general pessimism.
The emperor, they say. has kuropatkin' S
reports, but has not yet transmitted them.
The only thing the general staff is able to
offer is the information contained in the
Associated Press ST. Petersburg dispatch of
this morning, announcing that unofficial re-
ports from the battlefield were more en-
couraging and that there had been no rout,
but that there was no question that the
Russians had fallen back twenty miles. The
public however, taught by long experience
the meaning of official silence, refuses to
interpret it now as being anything but dis
aster.
The failure of the Russian newspaper cor
respondents at the front to send the re-
suits of yesterdays fighting is also taken to
be confirmatory Of the, worst, as 1t was no
ticed invariably in the past that when a
reverse overtakes the. army the censor I'M
nhediately shuts down, limiting the CORE
spondents to incidents from which no idea
is obtainable of the large scale of the
results. az -
Reported Russian Success.
MUKDEN, Friday, October IA delayed
in Observation-Disclosures has been received
here to the effect that one of the Rus
sian eastern columns has overcome the
desperate resistance of the Japanese and
captured Tumin Pass, which opens a di-
rect road to the right flank Of the japanese
main positions at Yentai mines.
If the report Is true, Gen. EUROPA tkin' s
plans have succeeded, and the Russians
have taken the Japanese in flank and
rear. One more effort, it Is asserted, and
the japanese must retreat with heavy
| loss from the Shakhe river or run the
risk of being cut Off from the army be-
tween the Shakhe and Schili rivers and
be annilihated. But, it is added, 1T must
be remembered that f1anking movements
are double-edged and cut both ways. In
any case the decisive moment appears to
have arrived.
Success of the Japanese Attack.
AT THE RUSSIAN FRONT, October IS.
| by way of Mukden, October 15.-The Jap
anese offensive began Tuesday along the
whole line. The heaviest work was on
| the Russian extreme right, where the
fighting for the possession Of Hua pass
and Tumin pass did not cease until mid
night. The Russians succeeded in captur-
| ing the latter. though at fearful cost. The
position at Poliasautzi, still further to-
| ward the Taitse river, held by the Tomsk
regiment, was furiously assaulted and
the regiment lost heavily The Tamboff
regiment extricated itself from a SEEM
ingly hopeless position and succeeded In
effecting it's retirement The Russians
stuck to most of their positions heroically
Tuesday except at the Schili river.
On the morning Of Wednesday the Jap
anese renewed their attack, preparing
the way for their infantry with an artil-
| lery bombardment At noon the Russian
right began falling back. but the attack
upon the Russian center and left weak
ened perceptibly. The artillery fire slack
ened in the evening, but the rife fire con-
tinued with little intermission through
out the night
The Japanese today (Thursday) renew
ed their attacks, and the battle proceeded
with varying success, but, on the whole,
favorable to the Japanese, as the Rus
slams continued to give ground.
The Russian wounded are being sent
north to Hardin.
LIKE A SLAUGHTER HOUSE"