Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-09-03
BATTLE AT
LAO YANG

BELIEVES CAPTURE OF CITY
is ONLY A MATTER OF
HOURS.
DEATH TRAPS CLAIM
JAPANESE SOLDIERS
xuropatkin's Army Retreats at Dusk
Drawing the Enemy Over Series Of
Pits Filled With Sharp stakes-After
Desperate Fighting Japanese Cease
Eombardment at Port Arthur.
st, Petersburg, Sept. 1.-THE en-.
peror has received dispatch from
General StosseI, commanding the
troops at Port Arthur, dated Au-
gust rs, saying:
From August % to today nclu-
sive all daily assaults have been
repuIsed with the help of God"
Mukden, Sept. l. - A Japanese
force of 10000 men is reported to
be advancing from northeast OF
Mukden.
las Mukden is almost as far
north as Vladivostok, the norther-
most point of the Russian lines, it
would seem that this Japanese ar
my, if the above dispatch is cor
rect, has been landed from Japan
csc transports north OF Vladivo-
stok and started out overland for
Mukden with view to aiding
Kuroki's forces in that vicinity.
This is the first, however, that has
been heard of any such a force
and the report may be unfounded.l
Toxic, Sept. 1. - Is p. m.) There
Is a report current here that the Jap
). snesa. captured Lao Yang Today, ba'
It is quite without confirmation.
Battle Begins At Dawn.
At daybreak today the Japanese ar.
my on the left delivered fierce and
successful assault against the heights
to the west of Hsinlintun and on the
high grounds west of Shoushanapo. 1t
pierced the Russian lines and probably
later forced the retirement of the Rus
sian troops from their positions on the
right and center Marquis Oyama tele
graphs that his losses in the assaults
were heavy
1t is believed here that Kuropatkir
has peen sweepingly defeated and thai
the possession of Lao Yang is only {
matter of hours.
General Kuroki's casualties from Au
gust "a to % amounted to 2,255 men
The other casualties have not been re
ported.
Russian Strength.
A telegram from the Japanese head
quarters IN the field says the Russians
at Lao Yang number twelve to thir
teen divisions.
A Correspondent Is Shot.
M. Kiraloff, one of the Associated
Press correspondents, was sho
through the lung while on the firin,
line yesterday.
Yesterdays Awful Struggle.
St. Petersburg, Sept. 1. = The battl
at Lao Yang last night continued III
til midnight with frightful slaughte,
The Japanese at last succeeded
getting a column across the Taitse Ri
er in pontoons, northeast Of Lao Yam
and General Kuropatkin gave the Orde
to fall back on the main works, bl
owing to the Japanese pressure th
movement was not executed and til
armies slept in their positions
Official advices this morning, time
6 a. M, say the battle had not been r
sumed at that hour
A Most Desperate Battle.
The battle at Lao Yang yesterda
was of the most desperate characte
1t ragged continuously from dawn unit
midnight and the slaughter must hay
been immense At o'clock in tt
evening, after holding his outer p
sitions all day in face of the most de
perate charges. General Kuropatk
gave the order to retire upon the ma
works about the city.
Meaning OF Retreat.
AS Kuropatkin's line, according
previous advices, occupied a semi-ci
Gle several miles toward the town {
Lao Yang, it is evident the movemel
above alluded to is retreat in tn
fortified positions of the town and M
from Lao Yang itself northward.
Attack Russian Center.
The Japanese assaults during tt
day had been directed principal
against the Russian center, little ca
of Maietung hill, near the railroad al
three miles southwest of Lao Yang.
UnrivaIIed Severity.
Nothing approaching the severity
the infantry and artillery fire here h
been heretofore experienced in tt
war. General Kondratsvitch's divisi
bore the brunt of the attack and s.
fered the most. Bayonet charges 81
ceeded each other in rapid successle