The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-10-21
THE CAPTURE OF sHAkHE.
Village Held by Each Side Five Time.
But Last by Japs.

oos LdSI Wy odPS.
ST. Petersburg, Oct. 10, 3:45 a. NJ
tragedy around Shakhe, but the ac-
UNITS leave much uncertainty. Out
of the fragmentary mass of informa-
ton it is possible to conclude that the
costly withdrawal from Lao Yang is
being duplicated upon even a grander
scale after more desperate fighting and
eavier losses. kuropatkin's story
leaves the Russians still te~naciously
holding the north bank of the Shakhe
river. but general belief is tina this
is only the desperate finale of one of
the greatest military dramas of his
tory and that the Russian army as a
whole is retiring towards Mukden, hav-
ing suffered a loss of over 10000.
Left Flank May Be Cut Off.
OF the left flank, which was one of
the most important points in the line
of battle. absolutely nothing is heard,
which leaves the inference that it is
not in a position to communicate with
the remainder of the army. All the
wounded are being carried to Hardin.
1t is understood the correspondents
have been ordered to Hardin. which in
dicates that the retreat will not even
stop at Tie pass. All hopes of the adj
vance to Port Arthur have beer aban-
doned. The weather conditions are
even worse than during the retreat
from Lao Yang. Streams are bank
high and fords are impossible, but It is
impossible to say how this will affect
the final situation. 1t may prove Rus
anese pursuit. On the other hand. If
the Russians are on the wrong side,
the flooded rivers ma only emphasize
the completeness of the disaster.
Seven days of furious fighting must
have greatly depleted the ammunition
supply of both armies. Officials ex-
press confidence hat Kuropatkin is
better off in this respect. but at last
accounts the Japanese were lombard
ing as If confident of an ineXhaustible
supply.
Battling for the Village.
The official story of the battle says
the Japanese made a determined effort
to break the Russian center Friday
night, but this, it seems, may be a
clerical or Geographic error for Thurs
day. simultaneously the japanese
launched a heavy assault against the
village of Shakhe, which had already
been the scene of so many furious at
tacks and counter attacks. The Rus
slams We're forced to evacuate the VIII
lage, but heroically captured the posi-
ton. This brought reserves of both
sides into action, but whether the
whole of the reserves of either side
We're engaged is not clear. In any
event the Russians We're again and fin
ally driven out. making five times that
Shakhe had changed hands in the
course of the battle. The Russians then
Shakhe.
Mukden itself remain quiet, though,
the ounds of battle are plainly heard
to the southwark. The railway station
is congested with trains of wounded
proceeding to Hardin. The hospitali
<noS1tffa, n ~ ~, - Il, ~~A- 80
wounded arrived at Mukden
Saturday alone.
Gloom at Russian Capital.
Although the, official account of the
battle does not present the disastrous
picture that nan in ST. Petersburg
had resigned themselves to see, the
general feeling Is of deepest gloom. If
the battle has not peen Russia's Sedan
In fact. the moral and political effect
the war and it's conduct more
han ever at home, while the,
greatest fears are expressed tina the
Chinese population, if not the govern
will be encouraged to abandon
a long doubtful neutrality and openly
side with the victorious Japanese. From
military point of view the most
bitter disappointment is in the knowl-
edge that reversals seal the fate of
the heroic defenders of Port Arthur.
who are now without hope of succor
from the outside world.
A remarkable feature throughout is
the sympathy with Kuropatkin. Vice
roy Alexieff is charged with RESPONSE
oility for interfering with Kuropatkin.
Pity rather than criticism is awarded
he general, but 1t is felt that the mill
AIRY prestige of Russia has so suffered
At his hands that it is impossible he
ever be given a chance to retrieve
he disaster.