The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-06-10

li'S ilill. beloFe NAH onail are dry ana
open fields for much of the distance
with only a few gullies and wooded ra-
vines to bar the clearness of the view.
Singing their native war songs, the
Japanese squadrons trotted and sallop-
ed and pulled toward the forlorn hope
that looked like certain death. The or
der to the infantl ymen was to hold fire
until within effective range.
Back OF them was the rapid firing
artillery, Which beat a sharp and in
spring ''rat-tat-too" to speed them on
their way, and sent missiles straight as
dies to the crest of the hill!
No Russians could be seen. The Jap
anse volleys yielded only clouds of dust
at the hills top.
When Blood Began to Flow.
1t was not until the japanese had
run at least 400 yards that blood began
to flow. This was when they reached
the outer series of entanglementS. Con-
Glomerate in their nature We're these
distractions, and hard to solve. But
the Japanese We're as able as any
could be to cope with them.
Acres and acres We're covered with
the dense strands of barbed wire. 1t
lay on the ground to tear the feet of
the attackers. Even to those of the Jap
anese armed With wire cutters it de-
fed speed.
Strange it was to see the hundreds of
japanese, with guns laid on the ground
IN many cases, With faces set and Jaws
tWitching with excitement, struggling
with the mesheS.
The Russians must have been inter-
ested, for they held their fire so long
as to surprise the Japanese command
erS.
Have they evacuated?" was the
query that passed around as the main
japanese line passed the first barriers
and started up the first slope.
The Japanese Fooled Them.
1t was inside of the outer distractions
that the Russians had planted their most
powerful mines. The expectation, as ex-
planned by the Japanese commanders, was
that the Japanese would move a consid-
cradle part of their force up close, past
the first ENHANCEMENT.
In this the Japanese deceived them, for
the first detachment of men to charge up
Nan Shan, Nan Guam Ling and the neigh
boring smaller hills contained only 800
picked volunteers. Suddenly, as the fast
moving Japanese attacked the second en-
tanglcmHnt. the Russian guns spoke. The
Russian commanders had watched the ad-
vance deliberately and carefully timed 1t
with the purpose of catching the force In
the second circle of mines.
Consideration came when they were I'M
able to touch off their mines. Evidence
of their desperate efforts to discharge the
mines was found in their camp when the
Japanese invested 1t after the fray. Mus
kerry volleys began the Russian re-
sistancc. Hope sprang up in the Jap
anese breasts that they had overesti-
mated the resistance Gradually, the
spatter of bullets increased as the Rus
SLAMS rallied their men to the scene of
the most determined attack
Men dropped out from the rifle fire, but
the main line pressed on.
They were nearing the edge of the sec
ond ENHANCEMENT. There was only one
more serious ENHANCEMENT to be sur
mounted. Then came the final rush for
the rest. Desperately. the little men
fought and wrestled and squirmed through
the maze of wires.
Killed by Comp anies.
Then came the slaughter Like the crack
OF doom, out pcaled the artillery, Search
ing the Japanese line from end to end,
came hail of lead from rapid fire guns
and Japanese fell by the scores Not sin
sly or by twos. but by whole companies.
the dwarfs In khaki swayed, tottered and
went down. Such CORY sight as tho first
charge at Nan Shan hill had not been
seen in modern warfare
Like shambles We're the entanglements.
Unable to fall for tho wires, men rid
died through and through, hung lifeless
across the strands. Torn by the great
shells, portions of the brave mems bodies
were stripped from them and caught up
on the wires
Within forty-tlvc minutes 500 of Japan's
heroes were torn to shreds by the wither-
Ing fire from above. Not man. officer
or private. In that terrible charge sur
vivcd. The torn and bleeding remnants of
what had been 500 of "Jnpans finest
tg.I, ana
from tho enemy's rifle pits.
Suddenly the firing ceased. There was
no need for It, The Russians assailants
all were Vanquished. A dcathly stiffness
possessed the CORY field. Then over the
defenses noated the cheers of the Rus
slams eXultaton.
Japanese in Frenzy.
The wind that was blowing over the
summit of Nan Shan carried the odor OF
the Russians burning powder clear to the
lines OF the Japanese main army The
Japanese, out of action. were looking or
in dazed state of dismay and horror
But 1t was only temporary. The Russian
shouts goaded them to frenzy.
The mon could hardly be restrained BY
their officers from rushing forward in the
footsteps of the dead. The suspense O.
this wait was awful. Disregardlng fol
the moment their perfect discipline tn.
infantrymen leaped up and down. Some o
them cried, others howled, with eye.
streaming. In the mass of fallen there
was scarcely motion or sign Of life
Once. after the firing had ceased, a Ion,
soldier strained and strained until h,
gained his feet. Desperately wounded h,
swept his sleeve across his blood ma tee
face to clear his eyes. He faced TOWARD
the summit and actually tried to march
Pitifully grasping at strand of wire HI
n q wi o,l con 70 ,tr
no more.
The Infantry Had Failed.
General Oku decided to shell the artil
lery emplacements before trying anothe
infantry charge. Eight of the larger Rus
sian pieces were entrenched on the up
per terraces of the main hill. Annihla
ton of the first charging force convincc'
the Japanese commanders that furthc
| charges would be suicidal unless the ar
tillery defenses could be impaired
Accordingly, while the infantry thou
sands still waited restlessly, the cntir
artillery strength of the japanese we
| massed. A terrific, concentrated artiller.
| fire was opened on the Russian artiler
emplacements. The hill batteries respond
cd feebly. The range was too long for al
but their largest guns. The Russians ap
| parently were saving their many-mouthe
small batteries to NOV down the jlfantr
charges at close range.
The Japanese quickly gained the ad
| vantage in the artillery duel. The superio
aim that told so markedly in naval en-
| gaSements was apparent. The Japanes
| brought forward three OF the long rang
| guns captured when Kin Chou fell an
added them to the offcnsc. Feebler an
feeblcr came the artillery responses fror
the hills. Half an hour before noon tn
many batteries of the Russians were com
| plctely slenced.
The Second Charge.
Rested and cheercd, the Japanese II
fantry then was prepared for renewed re
suits. The RussaI field batteries wei
seen crossing the narrow neck Of Ian
from Nan Shan to Nan Quan-ling hill
| They're In retreat! The turn has com
The Russians are evacuating."
These shouts ran down the impatier