Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-07-09
CAPTURED
BY THE JAPANESE
Story is Not Denied by the RussiansThe Place
sidered An Important One for the Japs-Russia Is
Not Fighting for Manchuria Korea, But for Her
Future Standing i'm the Far East.

st Petersburg, July (2:10 p. MI
The capture of Kai-C Chou by the Japan
ese, announced from Toxic to-day, is
not officially confirmed at the war
office, but there is no disposition to
question the probable correctness of
the report, as the latest advices re-
ceived here made it plain that the Jap
anese Were advancing in force along
the railroad against the Russian posi-
ton.
The emperor and his military suite.
who left st Petersburg last night for
the Volga region to bid farewell to the
fifth and sixth army corps, may al
ready have received General Kuropat-
k1n's report. but the general staff has
not yet received General Sakharoff's re
port which usually follows Kuropat-
kin's at a short interval.
The occupation of Kai-Chou, while
it is not believed that it will exercise
material influence on Kuropatkin's
strategy, is of Importance to the Japan
ese as it brings them within reach of
New Chwang, facilitating General
Oku's juncture with General Kuroki,
who may already be in touch. How
far the Russian commander -in.chief at
tempted to contest the possession of
Kai- Chou with the Japanese the war
office says will be revealed when the
official report arrives. The Japanese
reports of the severity Of the fighting
might indicate Kuropatlzins desire to
hold Kai-Chou so long as possible for
the purpose of preventing a juncture
of the Japanese armies, but the threat
ening position of the Japanese columns
eastward may have rendered Kuropat-
kfn's withdrawal further north impera-
tive.
1t would not be surprising if after
the juncture OF the Japanese armies
Kuropatkin decided to retire even from
Ta-Tche-Kiao and Hal Cheng and con-
centrate his forces about his main posi-
tion, at Liao-Yang. This would render
easy the Japanese plan, repeatedly pre-
dicted in these dispatches, to get pos
session Of those places, fling the Rus
slams out Of New ChWang, fortify a
line from New Chwang. secure control
Of the railroad, establish a new base
at New Chwang and prepare to adj
vance or to resist Kuropatkins adj
vance, as the case might be, at the
close of the rainy season.
News Of the evacuation of New
Chwang by the Russians would seem
to be the logical sequence Of the an
nouncement of the occupation of Kai-
Chou by the Japanese.
Official reports from Lieutenant-Gen-
eral Stoessel, commander at Fort Ar
thur, dated July Z, confirm the reports
Of the attempt of four Japanese tor
pedo boat destroyers to enter the har-
Dor of Port Arthur June 81 but do not
confirm the Che Foo reports Of heavy
Japanese operations July 4 and July 5
against Port Arthur, and do not men
ton the alleged sinking of a Russian
guardship, June %, as reported from
Toxic
The torpedo boat destroyer Lieuten-
ant Burukoff returned safely to Port
Arthur July from New Chwang.
General Stoessel says that up to the
time his reports were forwarded not a
single fortress battery had fired shot
at the besiegers on the land side, and
that the railroad was then running
twelve miles beyond the perimeter of
the fortress,