The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-18
BATTLE OF LONE TREE HILL
VIII Occupy Place by Itself in Mill
tary History.

St. Petersburg, Oct. 1S.-2:OS p. m.
There was no fighting on the Rus
sian left yesterday and the Japanese
| operations on the extreme right evil
IDENTIFY intended to cut the railroad be-
low the Hun river, have failed, the
japanese being unable to get beyond
Stnchinpu, two miles west of the
Shakhe railway station. Field Mar
shall Oyama seems to be massing
troops against the Russian center and
the war office here expects that he
will make a desperate effort tonight or
tomorrow to retake the two vital
positions.
The general staff believes that the
storming of Lone Tree hill for valor
and slaughter will occupy a place by
itself in military annals. Kuropatkin,
under whose eye the assault was
made, rechristened it Poutiloff hill, in
honor of the man who led the attack
at the head of the second brigade of
the East Siberian rifle division, and
who was subsequently decorated on
the field with the st. Georges cross.
The hill is precipitous rocky height
and although the Japanese had occu-
pied it only a short time they had
thrown up very strong defenses The
river running at it's foot increased the
difficulty of the task, but it was scaled
and carried successfully against the
unprecedented opposition of a Jap
anese division, $4,000 men, with many
guns.
The fighting on the crest of the hill
was altogether with cold steel. The
Russian officers with swords aloft
leading the scaling column were liter
ally lifted In the air by the Japanese
bayOnets and the Japanese then bay
Onted the first of the Russian soldiers
who piled in the trenches. All the
dead in the trenches We're bayoneted,
their wounds bearing marks of the
dreadful combat.
The Russian line, according to the
war Office, still extends eastward along
the Shakhe river to Uindiapu, where
it crosses the MISUNDERSTANDING
road Further east the roads leading
north from Benzihu and Fushun,
whence there is a direct road to Tie
pass, are also strongly held, it being
feared that Oyama might shift the
weight to his right, thus reversing the
situation at the opening of the opera
lions, with Kuropatkin pressing the
Japanese left, in other words, duplicat-
ing the strategical disposition at Lao
Yang.
While the war office holds out hope
that Kuropatkin may resume the gem
eral offensive, it is privately admitted
that the chances are against him, I'M
less there is some fortunate develop
ment, it being explained that his as
sumption of the aggressive at Shakhe
and along the railroad was vital, as the
with drawal of his left must be made
under the shelter of his right.
The dispatch of the Associated Press
from Mukden early this morning and
announcing that the artillery fire con-
tinued INCREASINGLY throughout last
night indicates doubtless that there
will be important developmen today.
No indication was given, however, of
the object of the firing or which side
was the aggressOr. Some of the news
papers, notably the Russ. boldly hail
the Russian successes at Lone Tree
hill as complete evidence that Kuro-
patlxin will again make a genuine adj
vance along the whole line, printing
the announcement in big headlines:
1.-The Russians resumed the ADVANCE.
Kuropakin has crossed the Shakhe
river. He has 100000 men and 900
guns"