The San Francisco call., 1904-11-25

Special Cable 70 The Call and New York
Herald Copyright, 1904. By the New York
Herald Publishing Company.
ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. z4.-Gen-
eraI Kuropatkin's tardily published off,
ciaI announcement of the losses for the
period Of twelve days prior to October
q. amounting in sick and wounded to
s4S officers and S1,211 men, startles the
public No mention is made of the
dead, although 5000 are reported by cor
respondents 70 have fallen in the right
wing alone in the series Of charges un-
successfully made TO capture General
Oku's position
According TO a special dispatch from
the front, General Kuropatkin's desire
70 remain quiescent is not likely to be
respected by Marshal Oyama. The Rus
sian Alert correspondent teIegraphs:
There are evidences that the Japan
ese are not going 10 leave US alone,
but are going TO make a determined eff
fort TO double in our left flank"
Unofficial advices only bring affairs at
the front up 10 November %, and the alb
sence Of official news Of later date, either
from the japanese or from the Russian
side, causes the belief that more i'm
pOrtant operations than heretofore may
be progressing. Reports from the cor
respondents at the front indicate re-
newed skirmishing, eliminating on the
night Of November % in a fierce attack
on PoutiIof (Lone Tree HID, in which
the japanese were repulsed with heavy
loss and also a severe fight with Chi
nese bandits near Kaiuan, in which 200
Chinese were killed.
MUKDEN, Nov. 24-The japanese
made a fresh attack on Poutiloff Hill
the night Of November % The ad-
vancing ranks were decimated by the
Russian shell fire. Some Of the Japa-
nese secured Iodgment on the slopes Of
the hill. but were driven out at the
point Of the bayonet. and the whole
japanese contingent fed.
A similar attempt was made the same
night south OF Erdagzou, which also
was repulsed with a bayonet charge.
The japanese lost heavily, while the
Russian loss was thirty killed.
A band Of 1500 Chinese bandits, with
six guns. under japanese officers, COM
ing from the direction Of the Lao River
was in conflict with three sotnias Of
border scouts near Kaiuan early on the
morning Of November %. The scouts
charged without giving the bandits
battery time to come into action. The
bandits made feeble resistance and fed
in all directions, leaving 200 Of their
dead The Russian loss was trifiing.
A japanese column Of two companies
attempted 10 penetrate the Russian
east flank on November %. but were
met By two separate divisions of Rus
sian cavalry and driven of with severe
loss.
The artillery has been silent for two
days. The opinion now prevails that If
the japanese do not begin a general
attack General Kuropatkin will again
take the offensive
Much difficulty is being experienced
with camp followers. mostly Circas-
slams, Tartars and other tribesmen of
the Caucasus. They swagger around in
cloaks and fur hats, with daggers at
their belts, and have committed so
many depredations that severe meas
ures have been adopted to get rid Of
them
The general question Of housing the
people Of Mukden is serious. Chinese
from all the surrounding country are
f1ocking in for the winter, and besides
the military quarters must be found for