The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-09-11


sne south road, where the only evidence
u tne presence of the japanese was
iAeo Cross camp.
Prepare to Fall Back.
AT nightfal General stakelberg with the !
hrst corps was still facing General ok4 1
on the left. This Russian corps had aost
9yo men. During the night OF the 9lss
tne Russians deemed the position OF "
enemy TO be so threatening that they Inaas
preparations to fall back. General MS rs
chenko was on the extreme left OF ln
russian line with a division composer -
cavalry, artillery and infantry. During tne
night of the 31st his force was sent ou1
IN a northeasterly direction to gam lhloa-
nation concerning General Kuroh noss.
ment around the Russians lett HANK II,
the direction of the railroad. GehSi a.
otakelberg's movement was OF snort uui
alton, and he soon returned to ms mt.
General Ivanoff and his command was
stationed on General Stakelburgs Iighe'
ana facing General Nodzu and the 'apa-
nese center army.
General Ivanoff had succeeded the lals
Lieutenant General Count Kellar 10 inc
command of the Russian eastern army
lie had removed his headquarters Ifon
the village of Tashi, in the middle OF the
southern plain, to a point within the shei-
ter OF the city walls, and on the ROAD
UAtiSu iGduS I'd leuldl ny d pOAtDStt
ecross the Taitse river During the night
OF the 31st the Tenth corps, which had as
sisted in holding the Feng Wang Chehs
road against the Japanese, began moving
its transport out of the city TO the north.
The Seventeenth corps which had not
as yet been in action and which was be
ing held on the north bank of the Taitse
river was deployed in the hills and had
been partly moved to the northward
Part nf he Eyffh which arrived
here a short time before the engagement
began, had been sent at once to the
north, while the remainder had reported
with the Second corps and was being
held In reserve
Trees Were All Removed.
All the trees and Chinese graves on
the firing line which In any way might
obstruct the operations had been rmoved
by the Russians. On the morning of Sep
TENDER all the non-combatants were or
dered to leave Iiao Yang and the Rus
sian commissary Of police sent an order
to the Chinese magistrate of the city
that all Chinese must leave Lao Yang
within two days The Japanese were seen
to be in possession of the Russian posi-
lions at Shushan and 1t was learned also
on the morning of September that Gem
eral Stakelberg had withdrawn during
the night
The Chinese at Lao Yang became
alarmed and began secretly to make ia
panese flags. There was much confusion
throughout the city. The proprietors of
foreign shops made frantic efforts to sell
their stocks on the streets at rldiculously
low prices to any one who would pay
cash, or endeavored to have their prop
erty loaded on railroad cars. The flight
of Japanese shells over the railroad sta
ton stampeded them, however, and they
fled In disorder, glad to get away with
their lives
Retreatlng Over Railroad Bridge.
The foreign military attaches who were
In Lao Yang were taken north under es-
cort. The correspondent noticed on this
morning an unDroken line of ammunition
wagons batteries of artillery and Rus
sian troops using the railroad bridge to
get out of Lao Yang to the north 1t
became known that General Kurolxi was
making a dash around the Russian left
for the railroad at a point Is miles north
of here He crossed the Taitse river the
night of August 80 and took the splendid
Russian defences at Pensihu with very
little effort. He continued to advance
steadily and turned the Russian left His
army covered Is miles III quick time. The
effect of Its presence and movements
was to force the Russians to leave Lao
Yang and to retire in the direction of the
coal mines east of Yentai. He threatened
to cut General Kuropatkin's army OF
seven corps Il two.-
First Shell Strikes City.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press was eating lunch at the railroad
station at noon when the first Japanese
shell struck the foreign settlement OF
Lao Yang. Within fifteen minutes all
the troops hospital attendants, mer-
chants and other people In the vicinity
had cleared out and only few Chinese
remained. The Japan Sc shells continued
to fall in the settlement. Chinese. under
the direction of Russian officers, were
making hurried efforts to remove the
stores and ammunition from the railroad
sheds.
The japanese shells came from Shushan
and a Russian shrapnel fire was soon
turned on the battery there. One Jap
anese shell killed horse some feet from
the correspondent of the Associated Press
as the animal was passing the telegraph
office. Others burst in the postoffice, in
the hospital, in the Red Cross tent, which
had been put up in the garden around
the station, and in the public park under
the ancient pagoda. The Chinese imme-
dlately began to loot, but whenever they
were caught immediate punishment was
meted out to them.
Kept Up Constant Fire.
This was at noon of September 1. On
that day the Russians filed all the
trenches, rifle pits and forts to the west
and south of Lao Yang with fresh troops.
They kept up a constant shrapnel fire up
on the Japanese approaches without being
aware of the extra movements of the en-
envy During this time the main body
of the Russian army was in active re-
treat.
At o'clock in the evening the shells
were falling just outside of the western
walls and on the Russian heliograph sta
From this station could be seen the Japa-
nese. They were advancing splendidly
over the southern hills. Their formation
was regular and open. The ranges of the
Japanese positions were known to the
Russian gunners, who poured in terrible
and destructive fire upon the enemy.
The right flank of General Nodzu's army
| had previously taken up position to the
west of Chiafantun, whence his troops
| charged the Russian breastworks. One
Japanese battalion lost every officer In
| this charge and a corporal was seen tc
| take command. The Japanese entrencheC
in the vicinity Of Tishi. near where Gen
eral Ivanoff had had his headquarters the
day before.
Red Cross Does Good Work.
The Red Cross worked continually OF
the firing line
AT 8 o'clock on the morning of Septem
| her 2 the transport of the Russian army